Growing up, it was my job to keep the family pool clean. We frequently moved, and with each house came a different type of pool cleaner. There was the Kreepy Krauly, AquaNaut, and something called the Baracuda. They all did a reasonable vacuuming job, but setting them up and running them was cumbersome. And when not in use, they just sat in the pool looking ugly.
I first encountered Wybot about 18 months ago, sold white-labelled via another importer. The gear was good, and the importer, well, let’s just say, was too easy-going.
I’d heard a bit about cordless poolbots. The early models were decidedly average, lacking any intelligence or pool mapping. But 2024 was the watershed when Wybot delivered an app-driven, cost-effective poolbot.
Rather sceptically, I began to use a Wybot WY300 on my 40,000-litre rectangular pool, which has entry steps and a rim along one edge to help exit the water. We are nestled next to six beautiful native blue gums. They protect their house from the western sun, but drop leaves all year-round, and the pool is ground zero!
The WY300 has done an excellent job year-round in keeping the pool clean and will continue to do so for many years. But technology, especially in the highly competitive poolbot market, has advanced even faster.
What is Wybot?
It is a Chinese pool robot designer and manufacturer, and it made the world’s first cordless poolbot in 2005. That is 20 years of perfecting intelligent swimming pool cleaning robots, serving millions of users in all countries/regions and being recognised as facilitating several important changes in the industry.
Our new poolbot: WYBOT S2 Solar with Solar-Powered Charging Dock Robotic Pool Cleaner
The Wybot S2 Solar is the world’s first solar-powered poolbot. In theory, it ensures continuous daytime operation without electricity costs. The manual is here. I have now been using it for several months.
Setup is simple. Download the Wybot app (iOS and Android). Use Bluetooth to connect and enable Wi-Fi 2.4GHz binding with the poolbot. This enables firmware updates and to select vacuum cleaning solutions.
- Floor
- Walls (including Tile Line and compatible stairs)
- Both
- Remote control
- Seven-day schedules. I’ve used this feature when going away and wanting to keep the leaves under control.
I have noticed a few hacks that make the unit work better for my pool.
Each clean takes about 3 hours, and solar top-up charging takes about 4 hours. So I can vacuum twice each day – first thing in the morning, charging through the day and then cleaning again in the afternoon/evening. Empty the leaf basket, rinse and repeat.
Now remember, we are near six very large gum trees that delight in filling the pool, especially in heavy wind. At the height of sheeding, the leaves can fill the 4 litre filter basket very quickly. In my case, if there are a lot of leaves in the pool, it is more effective to grab the pool leaf scoop and remove the bulk of the leaves first.
You might think this is against the point, but I would rather the poolbot remove the bits that are too small for the scoop. It has a 180um main basket and a 40ppi sponge that can catch hair and even algae.
WYBOT S2 Solar with Solar-Powered Charging Dock Robotic Pool Cleaner fast facts
- Website: Product Page
- RRP: $2,699 but there are Black Friday deals as low as $1869.99. Free shipping
- Runtime: Approx 2.5 hours from 5200mAH batery
- Charge Time: DC (power brick) 3 hours. Solar depends on sun intensity and angle but shoudl bne considered more of a top-up
- Warranty: 2 years and 30 day returns
- Maximum pool size: approx 300m2 of floor space and walls
- Sensors: Gyroscope, Ultrasonic obstacle detection, Infrared
- Depth: IP68. Not to exceed 3m. Canm be left in the pool
- Scrubber: Front only
- Speed: Floor approx 10m per minute
- Self-parkingL on Solar dock when complete or low battery
Now all you need is a capacious robot pool skimmer
Wybot has the Wybot F1, a solar panel-powered skimmer that helped enormously to collect a large portion of the leaves before they sink to the bottom. It is designed to stay in the pool 24/7
Charlie’s view: I won’t ever go back to a corded cleaning solution
I’ve been asked about mechanical issues with poolbots. Some online reviews state there can be reliability problems. Our WY300 was flawless, and I expect the S2 Solar will be too.
These are all complicated products powered by lithium-ion batteries. The more love and care you can provide means the longer they will perform for you.
We will be reviewing the newest Wybot pool cleaners soon. They are getting even smarter.
In the end, switching to a Wybot pool cleaner hasn’t just made pool care easier—it’s changed the way I look after my backyard. I’m not going back.
Catch more reviews of pool products here.
6 comments
Adam Lawrance
I am leaving a comment here because WYBOT AU won’t post a review that is less than 4-stars.
I have an 8m x 4m rectangular pool.
I’ve had the WYBOT C2 Vision for about 4-weeks. It certainly cleans the pool but there are issues.
* Mine will not connect to the internet. At first WYBOT told me it’s not meant to and then they said it will once the app receives notification of a firmware update. We’ll see.
* The 2 wall cleaning patterns don’t work when the device is set on clean “Wall then floor”. It will only clean 30% to 50% of the walls before changing to cleaning the floor. WYBOT have no solutions for this.
* The S pattern for floor cleaning doesn’t work. The device just wanders around in random patterns. WYBOT have no solutions for this.
* Every metal screw and fitting on the device is rusting. WYBOT suggested I replace the screws with stainless screws.
Buyer beware: This is a low-quality product with flaky software combined with awful post purchase support from the manufacturer.
Ray Shaw
Hi Adam
Many thanks for the feedback. It is invaluable to our community. Wybot started selling in AU after its local distributor Robot My Life (RML) gave less than satisfactory after-sales service to readers. We placed a warning on all RML reviews. RML was selling white-labeled Wybot and we don’t know if there were differences to its normal product.
A disclaimer from me (Ray Shaw as Reviews Editor). Charlie Brown did this post and it does not meet CyberShack’s standards as a deep-dive review. Had it gone through the normal process (at least 4 weeks test, complete test of all modes, use in a regular and irregularly shaped pool, comparison of website claims to reality (and there are often lots of omissions), build quality, etc., then you would have received a proper review. If you continue to have issues you are protected by ACL and can get a refund. The equivalent of the C2 Vision is the Aiper X1 Pro https://cybershack.com.au/cleaning/aiper-scuba-x1-pro-adds-smarts-to-the-essential-poolbot-review/ and its build quality is excellent and its after sales service is great.
Rod wilton
I tried to get information from WHYBOT about the C2 Vision pool bot To find out about the availability of spare parts there are two sites one Why Bot Australia the other WHYBOT China both chat sites don’t reply to my chat online only reply by email one said they do have replacements the other just said they don’t they just replace the whole thing providing its still under warranty what good is that I would be wary of purchasing any thing from this company under these circumstances.
Ray Shaw
Charlie did the review more to show that Wybot gear was reliable. In a deep dive review, I normally look at parts and service. I understand your concern and will try to find out more althoug the silly season approaches. Its normal to swap the unit during warranty.
Paul Garbutt
Charlie, get a proof reader to go through your articles before going to press. Unacceptable amount of errors, spelling and grammar in the above article.
Ray Shaw
I will pass this to Charlie. Have run an eye over it. Not career-enhancing to correct the boss’s work!