Wybot C2 Vision Review

The Wybot C2 Vision is a compact cordless pool robot fitted with a camera and navigation guided by artificial intelligence. Instead of simply quartering the pool in a methodical grid, it is designed to spot debris and drive straight towards it, and that idea turns out to be more than a marketing line.

With the C2 Vision, Wybot adds a camera and a dose of artificial intelligence to its cordless pool robot range. The principle is no longer only to work methodically across the whole basin, but also to identify debris and approach it directly.

The robot cleans the floor, the walls and the waterline. It carries three motors developing a combined 65 W, for a quoted suction rate of 11.5 m³/h. Its 4,600 mAh battery is rated for two hours of operation, and the manufacturer positions the machine for pools of up to 200 m² — a substantial area given how small the robot itself is.

At 36 x 36 x 24 cm and 8 kg, the C2 Vision is noticeably easier to carry and store than some of the heavyweight machines in this category. Its handle allows it to be lifted out of the water without punishing the arms, provided you can get hold of it in the first place.

That is less straightforward than it sounds, because the robot does not float back to the surface on its own. Wybot supplies a hook that clips onto a pool pole, and that hook is the only way of bringing the machine back to the edge. Several floating parts are also included, to be fitted if the robot struggles to climb the walls; they were not needed during the recorded test.

The construction is otherwise conventional, with brushes at the front and tracks for movement. Charging is handled through a connector protected by a screw-on cap. There is no docking station, and the charging cable is particularly short, which means finding a socket very close to the pool.

The robot also has only a single power button, so there is no way to select a programme directly on the machine. Helpfully, it remembers the last mode used, which saves reaching for a phone every single time.

Connection to the Wybot app is quick, running over Bluetooth first before the wifi network details are entered. Camera-guided cleaning is unlocked only after opting into the manufacturer's Vision programme, under which some footage of the pool floor is used to train the system.

The user can describe the pool by indicating its shape, its lining and the type of slope. That information is intended to help the robot adapt its behaviour, although no mapping function is offered in the app.

Eight modes are available, among them floor, walls, waterline, full clean, eco and the camera-driven "dirt hunt". How each of them actually behaves deserves to be explained far better, both in the app and in the instructions. An Expert mode also allows the trajectory to be chosen: three patterns are offered for the floor (star, cross or S) and three more for the walls, which is a welcome way of trying to optimise the machine for a particular pool shape.

The robot takes a few seconds to settle flat in the water before starting its turbines and getting to work. In full-clean mode, the C2 Vision moves in an orderly fashion and covers the pool properly. It stays firmly pressed against the walls and applies enough pressure at the waterline for its brushes to work effectively.

Steps, however, remain beyond it. The robot reads them as walls and cannot travel along them horizontally, so dirt needs to be pushed down towards the floor beforehand.

The camera is not used for obstacle avoidance either. Neither a mask nor a pair of diving goggles left in the robot's path triggered any change of course during the recorded test.

Stopping a programme part-way through is a fairly tedious business. The robot has to be retrieved with the hook, and its button must not be forgotten. In the recorded test, with the machine still running, it failed to detect that it had left the water and carried on turning its tracks on the terrace, apparently determined to continue its work on dry land.

Conventional cleaning proved effective. Leaves, sand and small debris placed on the floor were properly picked up, while the passes along the walls and the waterline gave satisfactory coverage.

It is the "dirt hunt" mode, though, that represents the robot's real novelty. A pile of leaves was placed at one side of the pool and the C2 Vision was dropped in at the opposite end. It immediately headed diagonally towards the debris, then worked that area persistently until every leaf had disappeared into its basket.

The result is particularly convincing for localised cleaning, and it avoids launching a complete cycle when a handful of leaves has gathered in one corner. On this evidence, the mention of artificial intelligence is deserved.

The 3 l basket lifts out easily from the top of the robot. Its capacity remains modest, but it is sufficient for regular upkeep. The 180 µm mesh holds back leaves and everyday debris, while a 3 µm pleated filter can be added to capture much finer particles.

Wybot nevertheless recommends reserving that second filter for turbo floor mode, because its very tight mesh restricts water circulation more heavily and could reduce suction efficiency in other programmes.

Cleaning both elements is simply a matter of a hose. Sand and dirt came away from the basket quickly, and the 3 µm filter returned to its original appearance without needing a prolonged session with a brush.

Wybot quotes up to two hours of operation, a figure matched in the recorded test. That is enough to cover a medium-sized pool properly, but it looks a little tight against the 200 m² the manufacturer claims, especially if the robot also has to work the walls and the waterline. A full recharge takes around three hours.

Among cordless connected robots, the Dreame Z1 Pro handles the floor well and is easy to maintain, although it lacks the ultra-fine second stage of filtration. The Aiper Scuba X1 is another point of reference, since it also offers 3 µm filtration.