Robot Vacuum Cleaner

[elvintay07]

Chill la guys. I have these propositions
(1) own self clean - like my auntie. Sibei picky so ownself clean the best
(2) maid clean - cannot expect 100% but quite reasonable. However, some maid makes you vomit blood and they will be tired
(3) robot clean - cannot expect 100% but can do many times since it is robot. My wife and I Lim kopi

Everything got trade off

 

[crandfs]

It's cheating if you clean yourself or get someone to clean for you

 

[crandfs]

I got my Narwhal j5 liao . So fast and nimble, and very quiet! Couldn't manage to bypass geolock though, i think they recognize and block my vpn server

 

[crandfs]

GPGT! I fricking love the anti-entanglement brushes!

Box quite compact. Comes with 2 mops, 2 side brushes, 1 main roller brush, detergent, silver ion, water pressure equalizing valve thingy, dust box, 3 way tap adapter, 二分管，3分管 and 3x dust bag.

Now to figure out how to bypass geolock... I have VPN, but when I connect to VPN then try to use the app, it won't detect the robot. Anyone has a good vpn to recommend that won't get blocked by the app? Need to have a server within mainland China, and at least 3 days free trial for me to test if it works.

 

[keith]

I got my Narwhal j5 liao . So fast and nimble, and very quiet! Couldn't manage to bypass geolock though, i think they recognize and block my vpn server

good luck on this. Crack this and many DREAME users will thank you too.

 

[ZacharyA]

good luck on this. Crack this and many DREAME users will thank you too.

Narwhal better than Dreame?

Or you are saying to hack Geolock for Dreame?

 

[keith]

Narwhal better than Dreame?

Or you are saying to hack Geolock for Dreame?

the 2nd case... how to bypass the Geolock

 

[ZacharyA]

the 2nd case... how to bypass the Geolock

I see. Because I got my Dreame locally due to this issue.

 

[crandfs]

Taobao got sell some routers specially set up for these situations. Without subscription is 100+ SGD. With lifetime subscription then it's >500sgd. Tested to work with streaming vid, AI, and vacuum robots before 2024, but dunno if still works for newer robot vacuums.

Search zerofast and 欣新路由器

 

[crandfs]

What i surmise from this is that vpn server in China plus obfuscation might work, plus fake gps location on your phone of course. Need someone with more knowledge to advise

 

[hkchew03]

Not worth to get from China when there are plenty of sales going on nowadays for dreame and roborock... Revo S went for sales as low as about $350 2 months back, L20 Ultra under $500. Not much point to get robot overseas now, unless you need the latest model.

 

[crandfs]

See this guy in Canada managed to do for prev gen J4.



Seems doable, but unclear how to 翻墙... https://www.cnblogs.com/xiefengdaxia123/p/17398455.html

 

[crandfs]

List of VPNs that supposedly work to let you 翻墙 back into china https://github.com/chinavpns/vpnintochina

But seems geared towards streaming vids and music. And it includes Purevpn which I've already tested gets blocked by Narwhal app.

This guide might be more reliable better though https://www.saporedicina.com/english/unblocking-youku-tudou-vpn-servers-china/.
One of the recommended VPN website specifically says it enables vacuum robot apps, but you have to get their router https://www.transocks.com/payment/shop for 700CNY + annual VPN (or maybe its VPS actually?) of 260CNY.

So this package sold on taobao is actually more worth it than the Transock solution
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?abbucket=13&id=835558121797&ns=1&priceTId=210127cc17364249955214691e0bd0&skuId=5759041847882&spm=a21n57.1.item.2.6dd7523cSTJ7SV&utparam={"aplus_abtest":"4ab14e0a0500dcd920329cac7d3ce2c0"}&xxc=taobaoSearch

 

[crandfs]

For those who are interested in Narwhal, international useable package of J5 and 001 max are sold at this store. They are one gen ahead of Narwhal Freo but cheaper, more suction power, higher mopping pressure, better navigation, and side brushes also got anti-entanglement design.
https://e.tb.cn/h.T8ODApd13VvMtyj?tk=Ij5Ne1F694z HU9046

Sells Dreame and other brands too.


From what the seller says, they actually include a special router (1250rmb if bought separately) with each vacuum, unlimited lifetime usage, so actually this is a more worthwhile option than buying each separately. However, they are focused on robot vacuums only, not much on streaming video or music.
https://e.tb.cn/h.T8UfvbVZ9CsDIyv?tk=P2D5e1FMAyN CZ3452

Might be a soft router, but also it is possible that the router is a normal router, but they just provide an illegal vpn server in their office, so it works just well enough to service their clients. For the higher lifetime usage price, you just gotta hope that they never get shut down by authorities.

 

[keith]

Taobao got sell some routers specially set up for these situations. Without subscription is 100+ SGD. With lifetime subscription then it's >500sgd. Tested to work with streaming vid, AI, and vacuum robots before 2024, but dunno if still works for newer robot vacuums.

Search zerofast and 欣新路由器

this method was discussed in some of the ang more forums, and it works up to a certain point in time before the server closes or the app catches up with the IP, or closes the gap.

VPN + Geo position changing combo seems the best chance + hide n seek.
this was wat i managed to dig up, but as earlier poster, i also decided its too much loops n hoops to jump. gone local too.

 

[crandfs]

this method was discussed in some of the ang more forums, and it works up to a certain point in time before the server closes or the app catches up with the IP, or closes the gap.

VPN + Geo position changing combo seems the best chance + hide n seek.
this was wat i managed to dig up, but as earlier poster, i also decided its too much loops n hoops to jump. gone local too.

Yeah, me too. If I have more devices that need it, or if I stream vids from China-only websites, then I would consider the 388CNY+200+ annual subscription option or the Transock+router option, but I don't, and my robot vacuum can still operate with buttons, so I can't find enough justification to get it, but 心痒痒的buay song .

 

[hkchew03]

Yeah, me too. If I have more devices that need it, or if I stream vids from China-only websites, then I would consider the 388CNY+200+ annual subscription option or the Transock+router option, but I don't, and my robot vacuum can still operate with buttons, so I can't find enough justification to get it, but 心痒痒的buay song .

You are missing out quite a bit if you have to activate the robot by hand. Ideally the robot should run itself while no one is at home so that your floor are clean the moment you return back home. You don't have to worry about blocking the robot, the noisy during cleaning. Without app, there is no opton to set scheduled run time, cleaning mode, cleaning individual section/room etc.

 

[crandfs]

You are missing out quite a bit if you have to activate the robot by hand. Ideally the robot should run itself while no one is at home so that your floor are clean the moment you return back home. You don't have to worry about blocking the robot, the noisy during cleaning. Without app, there is no opton to set scheduled run time, cleaning mode, cleaning individual section/room etc.

For me I cannot, because I got cats, so there is always the chance of vomit or poo or kibbles lying around. Once a cat slave, forever a cat slave, still gotta manually feed them and check their water anyway, might as well clean up their bigger messes before turning on the robot. Also, my cats drop fur uniformly across the house, and 云鲸J5 is super quiet.
So it's not set and forget for me, but almost as good, because of the anti-entanglement and also because I bought the auto 上下水version, no need to bother with water tanks! Although will probably need to diy clean up the dirty water filter which I guess is probably hidden in there somewhere

 

[crandfs]

BTW, the first time I turned it on, the robot detected my floors in rooms and kitchen were not clean at least 4x, kept on going back to mop again, which just goes to show how dirty my floors were when I was still manually cleaning them or using my old 波妞robot, After everything completed, now my kitchen tiles were noticeably brighter and subsequent runs no longer required as many repeat moppings.
End of Jan I will share photos of the dustbox and the state of my robot base to see how much hair/fur entangled and if the station really cleans the mop pads well.

 

[keith]

For me I cannot, because I got cats, so there is always the chance of vomit or poo or kibbles lying around. Once a cat slave, forever a cat slave, still gotta manually feed them and check their water anyway, might as well clean up their bigger messes before turning on the robot. Also, my cats drop fur uniformly across the house, and 云鲸J5 is super quiet.
So it's not set and forget for me, but almost as good, because of the anti-entanglement and also because I bought the auto 上下水version, no need to bother with water tanks! Although will probably need to diy clean up the dirty water filter which I guess is probably hidden in there somewhere

just to share , perhaps you can try to see if your bot can recognize poo. i was told by a fellow owner that the X40 is able to, while i personally tested the S8, to be incompetent.

perhaps you can try your to see the video feedback / object detection marks the poo as poo.