Two-minute review

Being a cat owner is a joy like no other, but I miss my cat so, so much when I’m away even just for a day. That's why the Enabot Ebo SE pet robot is a literal must-have in my cat-crazy household.  This small and sweet little robot doesn’t have an adorable little ‘face’ like the Enabot Ebo X, but operates similarly, offering features like mobile phone compatibility and the ability to take photos and videos. 

It’s also not as stuffed with features as the Enabot Ebo X, which has built-in Alexa smart home functions and a 4K UHD camera, however, if you’re looking for a simple and much cheaper robot, the Enabot Ebo SE robot reigns supreme. This little orb is simple to set up right out of the box and is completely managed through the app. 

It's not quite got the chops to be one of the best home security cameras, but certainly gives peace of mind if you quickly want to check in at home. My testing of the Enabot Ebo SE coincided with my holiday, which was a huge blessing; this would be my first time traveling away for more than a day since I got Miso, and having the Enabot Ebo SE keeping an eye on my baby eased a lot of my anxieties. 

I set everything up a few days before my six-day trip, and I was relieved to see that the Enabot Ebo SE returned to its charging station all on its own without any prompting after checking in on my sweet boy, Miso, (don’t worry, pictures soon to come!), which makes things a lot easier when you're remotely checking in on your furry friends. 

It was a complete stroke of luck that I started reviewing this robot when I did because as soon as I landed, I lost contact with friends and family in the UK – I couldn’t get a Facetime, WhatsApp, or even an IMO call to hold for more than two seconds. 

Since the Ebo SE has a two-way audio capability, I was able to keep in touch with Miso through the robot. It was incredibly useful to be able to open the app, turn the microphone on, and check in not just on my cat but on the people at home. It helped me stay connected, and I honestly don’t think I could travel without having this little guy set up and ready to be on guard duty. 

In terms of the bot's mobility, it’s pretty decent, but not groundbreaking. Through the app, you can steer it to go left, right, backward, and forward, and there are designated spin and sprint buttons. These proved to be useful as I had the Ebo SE set up in my bedroom, where there's an obstacle course made of socks and other various flotsam and jetsam that Miso likes to hoard, which was how I discovered that the Ebo SE struggles to get over smaller objects like the corner of a shirt, and also with sharper turns.  

It would be nice if the Ebo SE had some kind of crash detection feature that would alert me before I smack the robot into a bedpost – or better yet if it could reverse away from the hazard on its own. However, I suppose that level of intelligence would drive the price out from the moderately affordable $247 / £199 / AU$382 to a little on the expensive side. 

In addition to its decent 1080p HD camera, the Enabot Ebo SE's Night Mode was pretty impressive as well, and it was nice to be able to see Miso at any hour of the day or night while he was creating chaos and growing his pile of stolen artifacts. Thankfully, Night Mode is automatically enabled, so whenever you want to drive around your home and check in on your loved ones (both furry and otherwise) in the dark you can open the app and get straight to spying. 

It's worth noting that you need a pretty solid internet connection, as you may end up accidentally driving your robot off a cliff (or, more likely, down the stairs) like I did when I stepped outside of my hotel and lost connection. 

Enabot Ebo SE pet robot review: price and availability

• How much does it cost? $247 / £199 / AU$382
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can I buy it? Amazon and Enabot official site

The Enabot Ebo SE is relatively cheap and pretty budget-friendly for most people, available for $247 / £199 / AU$382. It's well worth the splurge if you've been saving up for a pet robot, but of course, it's still a luxury purchase. 

It is a lot cheaper than the Enabot Ebo X which starts at just under $1,000. It's currently available on Amazon as well as through the Enabot website. Of course, you lose out on a fair few advanced features; but I didn't find myself needing these.

Value: 4/5

Should I buy?

Buy it if... 

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Enabot Ebo SE

• I used the Enabot Ebo SE while away from home and abroad for three weeks 
• I set up all the controls 
• I took photos and videos with the bot
• I tested the microphone speaking both to my cat and to my housemate

I used the Enabot Ebo SE for about three weeks as my only pet and indoor camera. Once out of the box I paired it with my Ebo account and placed it in a secure room to operate in where stairs or other big obstacles wouldn't impact it. I spent a few days familiarizing myself with the controls before I traveled, practicing the steering and controls, and trialing the app and its features. 

I took several photos and videos of my cat at different parts of the day under different levels of internet connectivity, as well as using the microphone and speakers to see how reliable both components are. It is still currently my only pet camera and I use it often when I'm away from home or just want to check up on my cat. 

I've been researching and reviewing technology for two years, and while Miso hasn't necessarily developed the same writing skills I have, he's a pretty good judge of pet toys and products. 

One-minute review

The Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (Ring Battery Pro) is a smart doorbell that gives you the ability to remotely monitor and talk to visitors outside your property via your phone or desktop using Wi-Fi. If it seems a bit familiar, that’s because it looks almost identical to many of the best video doorbells from Ring, but in particular it boasts many of the same features and functionality as the Ring Battery Video Doorbell Plus (Ring Battery Plus), which was released in April 2023. 

There are a lot of similarities with the Ring Battery Plus, given this is just a slightly improved iteration with a higher price tag. The Ring Battery Pro once again is a wireless device with head-to-toe visibility thanks to its 1536p camera, which also offers night vision with color. It’s got decent battery life, although Amazon doesn’t tend to commit to confirming just what that is; it’s all very dependent on how much motion occurs around your home and how it is configured. However, in my experience, it doesn’t need recharging more often than once every couple of months.

The Ring Battery Pro can detect motion within a user-defined zone to alert you to any movement or packages that have been delivered even if the doorbell button has not been pressed, as well as notify you when someone comes knocking so you can quickly speak with them - even if you’re away from home. 

I’ve been using the Ring Battery Plus for several months and was perfectly content with its performance and features, except for one thing this year’s Pro model addresses; notification fatigue. The detection zone that I set up for the Plus model included my parked car which is a much larger detection zone than just the path to my front door. Unfortunately, the camera-based motion detector initially detected everything that went past the house; cars, bicycles, deer, cats, and dogs, and after a while, I began to just filter out the notification sounds.

Although the Ring app provides a means of adjusting the detection sensitivity, it proved difficult to find a good compromise between detecting movement around my car that I might object to and detecting any other moving object. On the other hand, the radar-powered 3D motion detection of the Ring Battery Pro is a significant improvement in this respect, resulting in far fewer unnecessary alerts and notifications.

The feed from the camera also includes a moveable Bird’s eye view overlay window on which it plots markers to indicate where the motion was detected and what path was taken. A cool feature? Absolutely, but it feels a bit redundant when you can use the pre-roll feature instead to see what happened in the seconds before the motion was detected or the doorbell was pressed. It also remains to be seen if the feature is of any use at all once the free trial subscription period expires and there is no video to replay.

The only other differences between the Ring Battery Pro and its predecessor are that the Pro also features:

• Audio+ (improved microphones and speakers for two-way communication - though I haven’t noticed much of a difference).  
• Low-Light Sight, a feature presently exclusive to this model that offers low light compensation settings for color, glare and for situations where the camera is used through glass thanks to the enhanced imaging sensors. 

The Ring Battery Pro is a bit more expensive than the older Plus model, and while I do think it’s an improvement, in these cost-conscious times, it’s not enough to justify the price difference.  

Price and availability

• List price: $229.99 / £199.99 

The Ring Battery Pro is available from Ring for $229.99 / £199.99 and is available directly from both Amazon and the Ring website. 

The best comparison is to the Ring Battery Plus, which was originally $179.99 / £159.99 but is now available for $149.99 / £129.99. Given that its hardware is only somewhat improved and I’m a little underwhelmed by the utility of some of the new features, that $70 / £70 price difference smarts a little.

There is a great range of accessories and parts for ring doorbells, too; the benefit of a product identity and design that has not changed in years is that there are ample options.

Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro review: Specs

Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro review: Design

•  It’s a ring doorbell, and looks the part 
•  Rechargable and removable battery 
•  Easy installation 

There is nothing wrong with the design of the Ring doorbell. I like how the device is packaged, but I am ambivalent about how it looks, and I suppose that’s the point. Split into a black top section housing its 1536p camera and a matte silver bottom section with the doorbell button, it’s neither quasi-iconic nor Quasimodo; I wouldn’t say it’s ugly, but it doesn’t exactly set the pulse racing. Familiarity breeds contempt, and Ring’s design is a victim of its success.

As can be seen in the price and availability section above, there are benefits to keeping things consistent when it comes to accessories and spares. The problem here is that there is now a bewildering array of Ring doorbells available online that all look the same. 

It’s straightforward to install and I like the included angled mounting bracket and spare screws; these both make the Ring Battery Pro a far more configurable video doorbell to set up than older models. 

Like the Ring Battery Plus, the Pro features a removable battery. Do I often drop the little screw when I remove the battery to charge it? Yes, but is it annoying enough to warrant buying the power adapter and running the cable from inside my home to the doorbell? No. A small magnet on the case to stick the screw onto once you removed it would help. I do like that it comes with its own screwdriver and USB cable, though.

Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro review: Performance

Once the battery is charged and the doorbell has been attached to your home the next task is to download the Ring app, set up an account and add your new device to the app. This is as straightforward as all of the other steps so far, and Ring has sensibly put the pairing code on the box and the manual as well as on the back of the device itself.

From the app, you can easily check your Ring Battery Pro’s live feed, communicate using two-way audio and set up features like motion and privacy zones. These zones as a feature can be immensely useful, helping to maintain your and your neighbors’ privacy, but as I’ve found in my previous Ring testing experience, editing the motion zones is frustrating. Moving the markers to adjust the area is very hit-or-miss and would sometimes erroneously move the entire zone. I tested this on an iPad as well in the hope that a bigger screen would increase accuracy, but alas, it was just as frustrating. 

Much like the Ring Battery Plus, the Pro’s HD+ 1536p camera has HDR and night vision with color, which are switched off by default to increase battery life. It’s worth experimenting with these features to figure out if you need to use them in your home; the battery life could become a real issue if you have a lot of activity outside of your home and keep these features on. I, for one, didn’t find the color night vision particularly illuminating, which says more about where I live (grey and boring) than the usefulness of the color night vision feature.

The head-to-toe view, much like in the Ring Battery Plus, is an excellent evolution of the older Ring models’ aspect ratio, allowing you to see much more of your entryway and even spot any packages. As I suggested before, I really can’t tell much difference between the Ring Battery Plus and Pro in terms of audio, despite the newer model supposedly featuring enhanced microphones and speakers, meaning the audio can still be a little muffled when visitors aren’t facing the doorbell directly.

There is another similarity between the Ring Battery Plus and the Ring Battery Pro; reliability. I have many smart devices running on 2.5 GHz inside my house and some of them have random connection issues and buggy software. The Ring Battery Pro, however, is on the outside of my house and is relentless in its detection duties. 

All in all, the Ring Battery Pro offers excellent performance. As always, though, it’s worth highlighting its full potential is unlocked with an added Ring Protect subscription. As ever, it’s a shame to see some of the most useful features like smart home trigger responses, advanced motion detection, package detection, and recorded video events be so gated, but, unfortunately, that’s the nature of many video doorbells these days. 

Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro review: Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

We’ve got lots of tips on how to buy a video doorbell, but the best comparisons are below.  

Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro review: How I tested

• I have several other Ring devices and compared the settings within the app to find any new features and test them. 
• I predominantly used the app on an iPhone for changing settings. I also investigated the app on an iPad as well as the Ring website. 
• I connected the Ring Pro to Apple Homekit via Homebridge. 

I installed the Ring Pro next to my home’s front door on the angled bracket and adjusted the motion zone so that I could detect movement at the front of my house and around my car.

To compare what was going on outside with any notifications from the doorbell, I monitored the video output on an ongoing basis using Apple Homekit (via Homebridge) while working on the computer. It is possible to do that via the Ring website, but you won’t find the battery charge information.

I enabled all of the default disabled features to test if the impact on the battery life rendered the features impractical. The battery performed as expected; it drained faster with everything switched on but did not need to be re-charged incessantly.

I set off the default windchimes alert tone in the supermarket to test how many customers had Ring doorbells… I changed the Ring alert tone to something else shortly after. 

I’ve been using smart home devices for several years now, and have a whopping 30+ years (gulp) of tech enthusiasm and experience under my belt. 

Simplisafe Home Security System: One-minute review

Simplisafe home security systems are pretty well known to be some of the best home security systems. Since its foundation in 2006, the brand has taken a buffet-type approach to home security that makes getting just the right system for you about as easy as pie, though the price can add up as a result.

Of course, there are specific bundles – something I’ll get into below. But, even with the bundles, you can add any peripheral later if you find an area of your home is not fully protected. The reality of adding a device is intuitive, not to mention mostly non-destructive as well. Really, what Simplisafe has to offer is great for most people, especially in apartments, thanks to that ease of installation and use. 

Just be aware that you do need to invest in a subscription with Simplisafe’s system, but the cheapest tier is less than a month of Netflix.

Simplisafe Home Security System: Specs

Simplisafe Home Security System: Price and availability

•  How much does it cost? Starting at $249.96 / £284.96 (AU$378) 
•  When is it available? Available now 
•  Where can you get it? Available in the US and UK 

While Aussies will have to sit this one out unless they can access Simplisafe through a third-party vendor or the cargo hold of an inbound flight, those in the US and UK have quite a smorgasbord of options available, starting with the Foundation bundle, which goes for $249.96 / £284.96 (AU$378). This bundle includes a base station, keypad, entry sensor, motion sensor, and an indoor camera.

The next step up is the Essentials with a price tag of $279.95 / £349.93 (about AU$424). This bundle includes a base station, keypad, three entry sensors, a motion sensor, and an indoor camera. This is the closest to the review unit I received, which also includes a smoke & carbon monoxide (CO) detector (an additional $59.99 / not available in the UK).

From there, the bundles get more expansive with names unique to each territory. For instance, the Beacon is the top bundle in the US at $799 while the Edinburgh is the most expensive one in the UK at £664.87.

Just remember that this doesn’t include the subscription packages, of which there are two. A more expensive one at $0.99 / £0.83 a day (about $30 / £25 a month) includes live guard monitoring and emergency service response while the cheaper one at $0.33 / £0.53 a day (or about $10 / £16 a month) just alerts you to any disturbances, leaving you with the duty of calling emergency services. On the bright side, there is no contract.

While the price can add up with additions, it’s pretty reasonable generally. For example, we took a look at Vivint a few years ago, which admittedly adds some smart home automation, and their packages started at $599 with a $39.99/mo subscription.

A better comparison might be Abode with their more a la carte offerings. They also have bundles with the closest one to what’s reviewed here being the iota, which costs $279.99 and doesn’t come with a CO detector. There are various bundles and add-ons so the price tag is not really that big of a difference. However, overall their plans are cheaper, with the self-monitoring plan going for $6.99 a month and a $22.99 per month pro plan similar to Simplisafe’s highest tier. And, you can use Abode’s devices without any plan if you want.

Value: 4.5 / 5

Simplisafe Home Security System: Design

•  Sleek and discreet 
•  Mostly tool-less installation 
•  Entry sensors can’t be used on door frames with molding 

Unless you have a very unusual interior color scheme for your home, all the Simplisafe peripherals in their sleek and inoffensive white colorways discreetly fade into the background. The most imposing item is the required base station, which is 21 cm or 8.21 inches tall and needs to be placed somewhat centrally in the home for WiFi access.

The keypad is the next conspicuous item only since it needs to be placed on the wall in an easy-to-reach location. Whenever an alarm is triggered, you have to make it to the keypad within sixty seconds to disarm.

The entry sensors and motion sensor are pretty innocuous as is the indoor wireless camera. The smoke and CO detector looks like most smoke detectors and will need to be placed as such.

Installation, outside of the smoke detector, is tool-less as every peripheral comes with adhesive tape so you can just place them wherever, hold them for thirty seconds, and move on to the next peripheral. The smoke detector is a bit more traditional in that you’ll have to use the included screws to install. Of course, that’s not a big deal and only leaves you with a few holes if you decide to move it.

The entry sensors and the wireless camera also come with screws in case you need them, but I found that I could skip. The only real hindrance with installation is the fact that I couldn’t use the entry sensors on door or window frames with molding as the two ends of the sensors wouldn’t sit flush with each other. While this certainly creates a weak spot, you can overcome this by placing the motion sensor in a way to pick up activity around that particular door or window.

Design: 4.5 / 5

Simplisafe Home Security System: Performance

•  Using the app to set up is easy 
•  System is quick to trigger 
•  Can be used with some smart home ecosystems 

Beyond the physical installation, using the app to connect everything to the base station, not to mention set up the base station, is the height of simplicity. In fact, I was stunned by how easy it was considering the amount of included pieces. I’m embarrassed to say that I procrastinated on this review trying to figure out where to place everything and the amount of work it would take to set up, yet once I actually set everything up, I was basically done in about 20 minutes.

The app gives very specific instructions on how to install each item physically, where to place them (especially placement-sensitive peripherals like the cameras and motion sensor), and how to connect them to the base station, which speaks up every time a new device is connected.

In fact, the base station talks quite a bit. Any time a sensor is triggered or the security system is turned on, you’ll hear an Alexa-like voice. I spent most of the time during testing (once everything was installed or set up) trying to trigger the security system and it was quick to pick up any strange activity whether it’s me opening the door, walking by the motion sensor in the dark, or by the camera when the light is on.

Once triggered, you have to enter a PIN on the keypad or app to disarm, meaning intruders can’t do anything if they don’t know your PIN and either you’ll be notified and/or the police will depending on the subscription plan.

If you’re smart home-savvy, you can also arm the system through Alexa, Google Assistant, or one of the best smartwatches.

A few other interesting tidbits to consider – everything except the base station runs off batteries and only the wireless camera can be recharged. If the base station loses physical power, it does have battery power to continue to keep your home safe until the power has been restored.

Performance: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Simplisafe Home Security System?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

If our Simplisafe Security System review has you considering other options, here are two home security systems to consider...  

How I tested the Simplisafe Security System

•  I used the Simplisafe Security System for a week 
•  I installed the whole system unassisted  
•  I tested each device individually 

Not only did I install the Simplisafe security system without help, physically and through the app, but tested each individual device to see how sensitive it was and whether it worked as advertised.

I found that the Simplisafe is perfect for anyone who doesn’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to home security and wants something that can scale with their place, whether it’s an apartment or house.

I’ve spent the last few years reviewing tech gear for the home, where I’ve gotten a feel for what to look for and how to put a piece of kit through its paces to see whether it’s worth the recommendation.

First reviewed January 2024

One-minute review

If you’re in the market for an amped-up indoor camera, this is just the gadget for you. The Enabot Ebo X is one of the most advanced home security devices on the market – if you’re willing to blow the budget.

It’s far more than just a security device though. This feature-packed robot companion will look out for your entire household, navigating from room to room to monitor your home, pets, and family members. Compared to a standard, fixed security camera, bots like the Enabot Ebo X offer unparalleled flexibility.

Of course, you could go down the route of just buying an armory of security cameras for whole-home monitoring – but this will still come at a cost, especially when you factor in that these products more commonly leverage subscription fees for storage and advanced features.

The Ebo X is larger than its Enabot Ebo SE and Air siblings, measuring 6.6 x 6.6 x 6.9 inches / 16.8 x 16.8 x 17.6cm, and designed to be less a plaything for pets and children, and more a companion and security device for the whole family. 

And I think it would be great at it, too, if only the application and user guidance weren’t so poor, and if Enabot had just spent a bit more time making the software work for the bot. Unfortunately, the Ebo X is plagued with poor user experiences: whether it’s the poorly optimized in-built Alexa feature, the lack of personality, the low-effort app, or the lack of sufficient user guidance, the Ebo X can feel like a bit more hassle than it’s worth at times.

However, there’s still hope here. I loved the design and hardware used for the Ebo X (barring the Harman AudioEDX speakers), and software is a whole lot easier to fix than hardware. If Enabot can revisit the Ebo X software instead of moving straight ahead to their next exciting home companion bot, it’s got a real fighting chance of taking on Amazon’s Astro. 

Enabot Ebo X review: price and availability

• List price: $999 / £999 GBP / AU$1,699 

The Enabot Ebo X is a pricey gadget that’ll set you back $999 / £999 / AU$1,699, but it does have a distinctly premium look and feel that go some way towards justifying the price. It’s currently available exclusively through the Enabot website, but given that some of Enabot’s other products are available from third-party retailers, it’s likely the Ebo X will make an appearance at more stores soon. 

Plus, when compared to its biggest competition, the yet-to-be-released Amazon Astro, which is set to cost $1,449.99 when it goes on sale to the general public (availability and pricing for the UK and Australia are still to be confirmed), the Ebo X is fairly reasonably priced, as eye-wateringly expensive home robot companions go. However, as I write this review, there are a fair few software issues and intelligence flaws that really bring down the value of the product in my opinion, so I’d say it’s missing the mark price-wise right now. 

The Enabot Ebo X comes in a neat foam crate, which opens to reveal the bot itself, the dock, the power supply, and an instruction manual. 

Value: 4/5

Enabot Ebo X review: design

•  Gorgeous, futuristic spherical design 
•  Cute LED expressions 
•  Two impressive self-stabilizing wheels 

The adorably rotund, spherical Enabot Ebo X is beautifully designed and robust, with Enabot opting for a futuristic yet approachable look reminiscent of both Wall-E’s Eve and Big Hero 6’s Baymax.

It’s essentially a sphere 6.6 inches / 16.8cm in diameter, with two self-stabilizing wheels on the bottom and a camera on top. It’s fairly large compared to many of the home robot companions currently available, but still a little smaller than Amazon’s upcoming Astro. It’s pretty robust, too, and can comfortably take a knock or two if the V-Slam navigation is on the fritz for some reason.

The top half of the bot is black, and when it’s powered on it illuminates with an adorable pair of customizable LED eyes, the color of which can be changed in the app. There’s also an LED strip running around the seam dividing the top and bottom sections, which serves as an indicator for the status of your robot companion, and on its sides are the Harman AudioEFX speakers. On the rear, you’ll find another speaker and a microSD slot. 

On top of the bot is its 8MP, 4K UHD pop-out camera, which is stabilized and can be angled for optimal visibility. There are also volume controls on the camera compartment’s lid, which don’t illuminate and so are very easy to miss. The camera can be stowed by pressing it down into the bot, and there’s also a privacy button, which mutes the microphone and turns the display red when pressed.

The Ebo X is self-stabilizing, whizzing around on its two wheels, and it can even rotate (albeit slowly) on the spot, and turn tight corners when navigating. It can also adjust its viewing angle, tilting backward and forwards to afford itself better visibility, which is very useful given the robot’s height.  

The base is pretty simple and understated, and very compact, adding only a couple of inches/centimeters to the overall bulk of the robot when docked. On its underside is a sticky, anti-slip pad, which is a nice touch to keep the Ebo X secure. 

Design: 4.5/5

Enabot Ebo X review: performance

•  Great-quality footage, but odd perspective 
•  Audio is nothing to write home about 
•  Struggles to traverse rugs and some room thresholds 
•  Commands and features are spotty at best 

Having the Enabot Ebo X whizzing around my home during testing was a real delight at first, but once the novelty had passed there were some software major flaws that I really hope are purely a result of the product still being fairly new. 

First off, the 4K UHD 8MP camera quality is pretty impressive, especially its infrared night mode. The ability to control the camera angle with such granularity is excellent, but the low vantage point does take a little getting used to – thankfully, it has great vertical adjustment. Still, if you want to check up on pets that can access higher spots around the home you’d be better off positioning a stationary camera to cover those areas.

The two-way audio is nice and clear too, but the Harman AudioEFX sound quality is distinctly ‘meh’, and I’d only really recommend using the Ebo X for audio if you’re in a pinch or really want a speaker that follows you, especially if you’re an audiophile. There’s very little richness to the sound, with next to no bass, and songs sound very muddy, especially if the Ebo X is on carpet. It’s fairly loud, but not pleasant at higher volumes. Vocals sound robotic (and yes, I’m allowing for the fact that this thing is actually a robot), and there’s very little definition in musical dynamics too – so given my love of ballads and rock music, the audio component here is a definite miss.

There are multiple privacy features allowing you full control over your Ebo X. As mentioned, you can press down the top compartment to fully stow the camera, but you can also angle the camera to face downwards, use the red button on top of the robot to mute the microphone, and toggle the robot’s sleep mode within the app. I really liked the variety here, which gives users a lot more freedom to customize how they and their homes are monitored. 

Given the Ebo X’s expressive LED face design, I was really excited to see what kind of personality the bot had been programmed with. However, I was a bit disappointed with what I found. 

It will randomly come out with some cute catchphrases, especially when it says things like “I must be [sic] very happy if I could live here.” If you pick it up, it’ll say “Woah, it feels like I’m flying”, and it’ll also occasionally verbally update you on its status. But other than that, the bot is pretty bland. 

Enabot's other robots didn’t come with Alexa built in, and thus had a much more distinct identity. There are remnants of this in the Ebo X – a completely different voice pipes up to exclaim “Ebo!” when it’s powering off, for example – and it makes some really cute sounds when you command it to move in certain directions. While Alexa’s on-board presence is much appreciated in terms of the intelligence it brings to the Ebo X, overall it just takes some of the fun out of the design and concept of the bot.

Also missing compared to the previous generations are the tricks and commands available in the Ebo SE and Air, which make this bot feel a bit too utilitarian. 

You’ll need to connect the Ebo X to Alexa to unlock much of its functionality (we’ll get into that shortly), and even then the list of abilities is fairly watered down. At the time of writing, you can command the robot to stand up, sit down, follow, recharge, freeze, and capture an image of a smiling face, but it can be fairly slow to register commands, sometimes taking 5-10 seconds to execute. It’ll respond to either “Ebo Ebo” or “Alexa” – I prefer the former to avoid confusion with my other Alexa home speakers. 

Most of these commands work fine, but there are some that just lead to frustration. For instance, when I used the ‘follow’ command the bot repeatedly lost me, ambling around my room aimlessly until I reigned it back in, and if I sat down while this mode was active it kept wheeling about, banging into my chair and sofa. This bot just has no chill, clearly. Asking the Ebo X to play music is also very much a case of trial and error, and only works with Amazon Music unless you connect to the device via Bluetooth or the Alexa app to play from other music streaming services.

Two features Enabot has been keen to highlight in its marketing are fall-down and crying detection, which are useful for monitoring more vulnerable members of a household. These work pretty impressively, though as you’ll discover below in the app section of this review, they’re a minefield to set up. Still, if you can muddle through the poor user experience, these features are well worth the hassle.

Navigation-wise, the bot is, generally speaking, fairly accomplished, but nowhere near what most homes will need. It managed (just) to mount my low-pile carpet when automatically navigating, but it just can’t handle my slightly rounded threshold, meaning it regularly got stuck in the hallway of my apartment until I came to its rescue and encouraged it to charge full speed over the boundary. When the bot has a low battery, it’ll navigate its way back to the charger, although if you’ve not mapped your home this can take an absolute age. It’s pretty good at not ramming into things, though (at least when you’re not using the ‘follow’ command), so at least you won’t need to worry about cleaning robo-skull fragments off your floor any time soon.

Performance: 3.5/5

Enabot Ebo X review: app and features

• User experience and setup aren’t great 
• Customization features 
• In-app Alexa controls are limited 

The app is, arguably, the worst thing about the Enabot Ebo X from start to finish, which is a real shame as I think it massively tainted my experience during my testing. 

My main criticism is the utter lack of guidance. The setup is pretty clunky, and the QR code in the included physical instructions didn’t even work. Once you’re in, you get a quick glimpse of the voice commands you can use through Alexa – make sure to screenshot these, because you won’t find them anywhere in the app otherwise.

On the app’s main hub page you can see a live feed from the Ebo X, from which you can toggle its sleep mode, or tap into the window to control the bot manually. There’s very low latency in these live controls, and the feed is clear and crisp. From here, you can take snapshots or videos of Ebo X’s surroundings, which will be saved to the onboard SD card, as well as to your phone if you’ve granted it permission to do so. You can also command the bot to return to its charging station, follow you, and patrol your home.

From the Security section on the main hub screen you can set up automations and map your home. Under the ‘My Task’ tab there are a number of suggested automations, or you can start from scratch by pressing the ‘+’ button in the upper-right hand corner. This is, at best, a tedious trial-and-error exercise in IFTTT-esque formatting, with highly limited and oddly organized triggers and results. There’s very little guidance on how to best use these tasks, and in fact I had to default to the reviewer’s guide sent to me by Enabot to set up the fall-detection automation. 

The mapping is similarly baffling, though more so because the bot just goes about it in a really bizarre way compared to other robot devices I’ve tested, like some of the best robot vacuums. I had to repeat the process several times to get a map somewhat resembling my home. Once completed, you can set up zones to keep Ebo X out of private spaces or isolate specific areas for observation.

Also accessible from the home screen is the Ebo Album, which stores videos and cameras captured by the bot and stored on its SD card, as well as a puzzlingly barren Alexa section, and a Joint Login section where you can add users to the app and set up facial recognition for you, your Enabot co-owners and other household members not registered on the app. 

In addition to the hub page there’s also a separate tab for the robot’s settings, where you can switch up the lights, brightness, volume and other Ebo X preferences. 

Under the final tab are the app settings, where you can find help and tips for controlling the Ebo X – if you can make head or tail of them. Once again, details are sparse, and you’ll likely end up going your own way to figure out whatever it is you need to know.

To connect the robot to Alexa you need the Alexa app, and you need to set up an Enabot account and then enable the Enabot skill in the Alexa app; this is a pretty clunky process, and I’m confused as to why there’s not more information on how to optimize Alexa’s presence in the bot on the app. 

App: 3/5

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How I tested the Enabot Ebo X

•  I used the Enabot Ebo X as my main home security device for three weeks 
•  I tested all of its voice commands and app controls 
•  I set up automations and trained its mapping feature for my home 
• I tested the speakers with a variety of songs (Fleetwood Mac, Radiohead, Muse, Dua Lipa) as well as the onboard microphone. 

For my three-week testing period, I used the Enabot Ebo X as my primary home security device, mapping my home and setting up various automations to see how well it performed. 

Using the app, I explored all of Ebo X’s settings, changing its colors and configurations as well as testing how easy it was to customize the bot. I used its live feed mode, and experimented with its two-way audio and live recording, assessing the quality of the camera and footage captured. To test the speakers I listened to a variety of music of different genres, and compared the sound quality to various speakers around my home. Lastly, I tested the object recognition and navigation of the bot to see how well its AI and camera worked in tandem.

I’ve been testing smart home devices for two years, and referenced my previous experience both with robotics and smart cameras to assess the quality and value of the Ebo X.