ILIFE A30 Pro Review — 5000Pa, 60‑Day Self‑Emptying & LiDAR

love this vacuum robot cleaner for my 1,500 sq. ft. gym studio! It picks up hair, dirt, and dust with no problem. I actually love that it doesn’t have Wi-Fi — simple to use and no extra setup.

It does a pretty good job overall and only occasionally gets stuck between equipment, which is understandable. For the price and convenience, it’s been a huge help in keeping my studio clean.

This robot vacuum has become such a vital step in my everyday routine. It is ran every day, twice. This vacuum has not only made my floors cleaner but help me organize and put everything back to where it belongs, dog toys, blankets, pillows, shoes, etc.
Every morning I pick up clothes, dog toys, shoes, and anything else on the floor or under the bed. I run the vacuum until it dies in the bed room. It is a little loud so I wait till everyone is up and ready for the day so it can work without people being in the bedroom. My carpet is low/medium pile so it does a good job of getting all the top hair, dirt, etc from the carpet. However it will leave huge fuzzies from dog toys. But it will move them out from under the bed so I can pick it up easier. I would suggest if you have carpet that you do a deep suction vacuuming atleast once a month to get the deeper dirt, but overall it works awesome. I even noticed it smells cleaner and my dust headache went away. I actually sleep better and wake up more refreshed. It also leaves a pattern in the carpet so if you leave it unattended you can see exactly where it went, and it had gone everywhere. Even under the bed, dresser, and nightstand.
Before it dies I run it in the small bathroom we have for 10-15 minutes, I shake out the bath mats, and let it clean all that dirt up before I lay them back down for it to run over.
At night I run the vacuum around our open floor plan living and kitchen area. We don’t have a table but an island that the vacuum can easily go under. I clean the island, put the chairs & garbage can on top, pick up the dogs dishes & toys, blankets, and pillows. I run the vacuum in that area space until it dies, since I go to bed I’m not sure how long it runs but it always finds the charging port and is ready for the morning run fully charged. I noticed that if you turn off the lights under the couch it can get stuck since it’s so dark so I put a small night light back there so it can “see”. It goes under my ottoman as well. Since it’s low pile carpet and hard flooring there is no pattern to check and see if it got anything but I have not noticed any areas where it has not gone. Definitely make sure you can pick up all that you can so it has more access.
After each clean I empty the dust bin to see how much it collected. It only takes a minute and I like seeing each rooms progress. I’m always surprised on the amount it picks up since I run it every day.
If you have bigger spaces or more rooms I would suggest making a schedule to do rooms every other day. Or get one for each floor, as they are cheaper than sharks, roombas etc. and is good quality.
If you have built in carpet all over I would try the deep suction vacuum. I have a mix of tile, vinyl ( I think), and carpet. So the mop was not worth it.
THIS VACUUM GOT DOG FOOD STAINS OUT OF MY LOW PILE CARPET. This vacuum could be your only vacuum if you have hard flooring and low pile carpet.

I’ve been using this robot vacuum for two weeks and I’m honestly amazed. I have long black hair that sheds constantly, and until now I’ve always had to vacuum and pick hair off the floor by hand. I assumed a robot would jam its brush and need frequent hair removal like my regular vacuum, but this one completely surprised me—especially for the price.

It picks up hair, dust, and crumbs from my hardwood floors flawlessly and even reaches under furniture (which I always skip). My floors have never looked this clean. It was an inexpensive choice for me and the performance far exceeded my expectations.

There are a few minor issues:

• The remote/sensor isn’t very sensitive—you have to be fairly close and aimed directly at the unit, and sometimes press commands a few times before they register.
• The “return home” feature can be unreliable. Customer service said the dock needs about 6 feet of clear space in front of it, which isn’t practical in my small apartment. A dark rug can also confuse it; I have a white-and-grey rug near the dock and removing it helped the robot find its way back more often, though it still doesn’t do it perfectly. I usually just place it back manually when needed.
• Hair can get caught in the side sweepers, which triggers an error and stops the machine. It’s an easy fix—flip it over, pull the hair out, and restart—but compared to cutting through huge wrapped hairballs on a traditional vacuum, this is nothing.

It does climb onto rugs, which impressed me, but it’s not great on them—suction isn’t as strong as pricier models made for carpets. I bought this primarily for hair on hardwood and it excels at that job.

Overall, the pros vastly outweigh the cons. I give it five stars and highly recommend it for anyone with long hair that sheds a lot.

We run two of these on the ground floor. We bought the first about a year ago and liked it enough to order a second. One big plus for us: no Wi‑Fi. Phones, TVs and newer cars already gather too much data — I don’t want vacuum cleaners, dishwashers and fridges spying on us as well. Our thermostat is offline too. I run PiHole and block trackers at home; you should consider protecting your privacy as well.

These iLife units are pretty “dumb” compared with an older refurbished iRobot we had years ago (that one mapped the house and reliably returned to its charger). The iLife vacuums wander in a random pattern and often meander around trying to find the dock when their battery runs low. They usually find it, but not always — I’ve come across one lost in the house while I was upstairs for lunch and had to guide it home with the remote.

Runtime is about 90 minutes per charge for both machines, even though one is a year older, so battery life seems consistent so far. Hopefully they last longer than our old iRobot, which needed battery replacements twice in four years.

Because we haven’t added an outlet in the laundry room yet, both charging docks sit side‑by‑side in the guest bedroom. The robots apparently use reflectors to line up, so placing docks next to each other confuses them. Sometimes an incoming robot will collide with one already docked. When I’m steering a robot back to charge, I’ll block the other dock with my foot so it goes where I want. If you have multiples, don’t put the chargers right next to each other unless you’re okay with occasional bumping.

If a vacuum gets stuck or you pick it up and return it to the dock, you’ll often need to press the clock/timer buttons on the remote again. If it doesn’t complete a run, it seems to lose its scheduled start time. It’s easy to reset with the remote, but that detail isn’t in the manual — we figured it out by trial and error. The programming procedure is awkward: you set time and schedule with the remote, but the robot must be in range and will beep to confirm it received the command. Point the remote toward the robot and press the clock button twice (it will beep each time), then do the same with the schedule button. We have ours set for 9 a.m. so they finish before I go upstairs for lunch and I can rescue one if needed.

They struggle with small thresholds between rooms — our transition strip between the bedroom and bathroom is basically a speed bump they usually can’t cross. Occasionally one hits it just right and gets into the bathroom, where it then tries to eat the bath rug. So expect limitations with transitions and rugs.

Replacement parts like brushes are available but not cheap. Each robot came with an extra set of brushes, which we appreciated. One robot needed a second set around the one‑year mark. Don’t lose the tiny screw that secures the brush assembly — I lost one and couldn’t find a replacement thread locally. I emailed iLife and they sent two screws for free, which was appreciated. Keep the area around the brushes clean; hair and debris will collect there, and cleaning it when swapping brushes is important. We also use an upright vacuum to clean the filter, which helps them last.

The two units show software differences: the older one is easier to steer with the remote, while the newer one sometimes “fights” my commands (e.g., I’ll tell it to turn left and it immediately turns right). It eventually follows, but it’s annoying and seems like odd programming behavior. As a software developer, I don’t get why they’d design it that way.

Bottom line: these aren’t the smartest robots, but at this price point they do an acceptable job if you understand the quirks. If you don’t want to deal with lost robots or manual steering, look for a model with mapping and better docking. If you can tolerate occasional odd behavior and handle simple maintenance, I can recommend them.

Es una maravilla, le he regalado una a cada uno de mis hijos
Muy bien de precio y súper efectiva

Works excellently and is very practical — lets you have multiple maps. Highly recommended.

Simple to program, picks up pet hair well, and fits under most furniture.

Es fantástica; regalé una a cada uno de mis hijos. Precio excelente y muy efectiva.

I’ve been using this robot vacuum for two months and it has really made my life easier. I had a bit of trouble understanding how it worked at first, but once I got the hang of it it’s been very simple to use. It’s easy to clean, holds a charge well, and I can leave it running while I do other things. I have a medium/large house and it reaches many corners, picking up dust, debris and my dogs’ hair — it cleans three areas: the outdoor area, the kitchen and my son’s room.

It doesn’t replace a deep clean, but it keeps the house much tidier day to day (especially if you have pets). Everyone who sees it asks where I bought it because it’s so useful. I’m so satisfied I might buy a higher-end model in the future.

Negatives: the noise — it’s quieter than a regular vacuum but can be a bit annoying at first (you get used to it); and it doesn’t map rooms, so it sometimes repeats areas and takes longer to finish. Still, the sensors work very well — it has never fallen down the stairs or had trouble with level changes, and it navigates smoothly.

Overall it’s great value for the price and delivers good results. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants daily convenience and, like me, hates cleaning.

We’re running two of these on the ground level of our house. One was purchased about a year ago, and works well enough at this price point that we ordered a second one.

NOT having a wifi in these robots was a plus for us. Cell phones, TVs, and now newer cars already spy on us. I will not have vaccum cleaners, dish washers, refrigerators, etc., in my home spying on us too. Our thermostat does not have wifi capabilities. Damn corporations can keep their advertisements out of our house and away from our daughter. Government can suck it too. Yes, I’m one of those IT weirdos that runs a PiHole on my home network, blocks everything, etc. You should to.

These iLife robots seem to be pretty ‘dump’. Only comparison is that years ago we had a refurbished iRobot vacuum that we got at half-price (because it was a refurb) (these iLife robots we purchased new, not refurb, wanted to be clear). That iRobot last about four years. Batteries and these robot vacuums are better now, so these run longer per charge than that old iRobot. But…that early model iRobot would maintain a map of the house and could easily find its way back to the charger when it needed to. These things seem to bumble around the house in a completely random fashion cleaning, and when their batteries get low, they wonder around aimlessly looking for the charger. Most of the time they find their way, but not always. I work from home, and sometimes when I go upstairs for lunch, I’ll find one cruising around lost looking for home. I’ll use the remote to ‘guide’ it to the charger.

These things seem to run for about 90 minutes on a charge. The first one is about a year older than the second one, and both seem to run for almost the exact same length of time. Hopefully that means the batteries are of a descent quality and will last a long time. The old iRobot I replaced the battery packs twice in four years. In the end that old faithful machine just got glitchy and we had to scrap it. Fingers crossed these iLife machines last longer due to advancements in technology. We’ll see.

Until I add an outlet to the laundry room, the two charging stations are sitting side-by-side in the guest bedroom. They must use reflectors to line themselves up with the charging stations while parking. Having the two chargers side-by-side confuses these things as they are trying to park. On occasion, when one is coming in to dock, if the other is already on a charging station, the incoming robot will go crash-up derby on the first one. On those occasions that I’m ‘steering’ a robot back to charge with the remote, I’ll block its view of the other station with my feet so it will go to the one that I want it to. Seems to be a design flaw, but really likely a money saving decision. Keep in mind if you have multiples of these and place the charging stations next to one another, you can expect some problems. If you are easy going, then you’ll be ok. If such things annoy you, try to place the chargers in separate rooms.

If anything interrupts their job, say one gets stuck or tries to eat a sock, if you carry the stranded thing back to the charging station, you’ll want to press the timer and the clock buttons on the remote again. Seems if they do not complete their task for any reason, they’ll lose their programing for the next day. This is easy to do, using the remote to kind of ‘reset’ the programed start time and clock, but it was nowhere in the instructions. We figured it out through trial and error.

I find the instructions to not be clear for clock time and programing a scheduled start time. Basically, you’re looking at the remote to set the time and schedule a ‘go’ time, but the robots have to beep at you so you know they received the programing. You use the remote to see what you are doing, but if you are not within range of the robot while you are doing it, or pointing the remote away from the robots, they do not receive the instructions. Program your remote with clock time and start time. Then, point the remote in the general direction of the robots, and press the clock button twice (like you are going to set the time). The robot will beep with each button push as an audible confirmation that it received the message. Then do the same thing with the schedule button. Ours run at 9am so they can finish by the time I go upstairs for lunch. This way, I can rescue one if they get stuck or lost.

Most of the time these guys cannot get over the transition strip between our bedroom floors and the bathroom tile floors; its a ‘speed bump’ that they usually cannot climb. On occasion they’ll hit it just right and get into the bathroom (and then choke on trying to eat the bath rug). Know that they struggle with what I believe is something they should be able to get over.

Replacement brushes are available. They don’t cost the world, but I wish they were cheaper. The first robot needed a second set of new brushes at roughly the one-year mark. Note that they do come with an extra set of brushes, and we do appreciate that. Thanks iLife. Do NOT lose the little screw that secures the brushes. I’m a shade tree mechanic, and know to keep track of little fasteners, but I failed and lost one. Couldn’t find a replacement anywhere. Tiny, close to 3mm in size, but an odd thread. We emailed iLife and asked about purchasing some, but they sent us two for free. Again, thanks iLife.

Some amount of hair and dirt will find its way between the brushes and the body. Keep this area clean, and be sure to clean it out thoroughly when replacing brushes.

We use the upright vacuum to clean the filter, and as a result they last well over a year easily.

Since we have two of these that are about a year apart, I’ve noticed a difference in the software. The older one is easier to ‘steer’ with the remote; say I’m guiding it to the other end of the house at the start of its shift for example. The newer one will ‘fight’ me for control by immediately turning right after following my command to turn left. Very frustrating. As a software developer myself, I cannot understand why they would program it to do this. Me being stubborn and trying to ‘best’ a dump machine (I know, not a ‘smart’ move on my part), I keep telling it to turn left until after half-dozen times or so it finally stops fighting me. Almost as if it has to travel X distance before the programing just takes my input. I hope they fix this in later models.

Not the ‘smartest’ robot, but at this price point, we went back to the well and purchased a second one. When we go for a third machine for the basement, I might try a different make or model. I miss the very old iRobot from years ago keeping track of where it had been and keeping a map of the house layout so that it would cover all of the floor, and so it could easily find its way back to the charger when low. These things are much cheaper now days, but seemingly way, way dumber than those that came before them. As long as you understand what you are getting, and can deal with the quirks, I can recommend this product. If you don’t want to deal with lost robots wondering the house in search of a charger, or perhaps something that will simply and blindly follow your every command (with the remote), suggest you look for something else.

I’ve had this vacuum for over a month, and so far I’m pretty impressed. I bought it for the mopping part, but the vacuum is the best part. It’s very thorough and never leaves dog hair behind. And you can program what you want (water amount, vacuum suction, room order, time, etc). I think the best part is the self-emptying function.
The mop part is not as great… it seems to just let a bit of water seep out while (mopping). Plus, you have to refill it every time before it mops. The pads start to smell and don’t wash easily. They only give you 2… I can’t find replacements – even from the company itself.
Overall, I think it was worth the purchase.

I’ve had this vacuum for over a month, and so far I’m pretty impressed. I bought it for the mopping part, but the vacuum is the best part. It’s very thorough and never leaves dog hair behind. And you can program what you want (water amount, vacuum suction, room order, time, etc). I think the best part is the self-emptying function.
The mop part is not as great… it seems to just let a bit of water seep out while (mopping). Plus, you have to refill it every time before it mops. The pads start to smell and don’t wash easily. They only give you 2… I can’t find replacements – even from the company itself.
Overall, I think it was worth the purchase.