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kstoh

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Everything posted by kstoh

  1. kstoh
    This view is very nice ... until something comes up on the grass patch!
  2. kstoh
    The Mi Robot can go from room to room on the same level (no steps). No problem at all. I used it to clean level 2 of my house. It went from one room to another. The area occupied by the two beds cannot be cleaned as the beds here are platform beds i.e. on the ground, with no gap between bed and floor. If there is a gap of at least 10 cm, the Mi Robot will also clean under the bed.
  3. kstoh
    I guess it depends on your individual preferences. Cove lighting is normally "warm" lighting for ambience. Downlights and other lights are mainly while light for lighting up the place. Although I always install cove lighting, I find that I rarely use. It is always down lights on (room bright) or off (no lights). So if you are like me, cove lighting is not really necessary. And yes, you will get rid of this ledge where dust can gather. Come to think of it, I have yet to clean for many years. And if you are able to get lower profile downlights, the false ceiling can be higher, resulting in an higher overall ceiling. BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS
  4. kstoh
    I had several considerations: 1. Ceiling to be as high as possible 2. Downlights (recessed) for lighting 3. Cove lights for ambience (but in practice I seldom use) 4. Ceiling fan (against ID's wishes) For my previous and current place, the recessed light are all pushed to the sides. If possible, all 4 sides. But most rooms, only 3 sides or 2 sides (L shape) as not big enough for all 4 sides. I try to put the ceiling fan in the centre. I show you as an example, the layout in my previous place.
  5. kstoh
    Okay, I have put the iRobot Braava 380t to test. If I rate satisfaction level with the Mi Robot at 98%, then I would put the Braava 380t at 90%. The Braava technology is a few years old, so it is not as smart as the Mi Robot. It is not able to cover every corner of the room. Whenever it hits an obstacle like the leg of a cabinet, it will turn back, unlike the Mi Robot which will go around it and continue to clean the area after the leg. Eventually, the Braava does attempt to come back to clean areas missed, but it is not 100%. The Braava relies on a NorthStar Navigation Cube for navigation. You need to place this cube in the centre of the room. Hence, you can only clean one room at one time. At least that is what I think, unless your rooms are very small and the signal from the cube can reach all rooms. You can buy additional cubes at S$60 to extend coverage. There is no mapping app like the Xiaomi app which can tell you which area the robot has covered. So, you need to watch or figure out where the Braava has missed. Unlike the video shown in iRobot's video, the robot does not always move in a straight line. It does so only for dry mopping. I use it for wet mopping. For wet mopping, the Braava will move forward to the right, reverse, move forward to the left, reverse and so on. Like a skater. The battery runs out quite fast. In my case, it lasts only for about two rooms. Then I have to recharge again, for 2 hours. When the Braava runs out of battery, it returns to starting position. Unlike the Mi Robot, it is not able to dock itself to the charging station. If I can wait, I may wait for a better robot to appear in the market. Hopefully something equivalent to the Xiaomi Mi Robot vacuum cleaner. Nevertheless, this Braava still mops better than my helper! Maybe because for 90% of the floor, it mops 100%.
  6. kstoh
    Floor Mopping Robot - iRobot Braava 380t Having found the Xiaomi Mi Robot vacuum cleaner very useful, I decided to look at a floor mopping robot as well. There are many vacuum cum mopping robots but I decided to get a dedicated mopping robot. Eventually, I settled on the iRobot Braava 380t. This robot has been around for a number of years, and I was hoping that Xiaomi would come up with something better. But it seems like it will take some time. So, I decided to buy the Braava today. I am still charging the Braava and have not used it yet. Originally, I wanted to test it before posting about the robot. But the IT Show is selling this robot at a very good price of $450 (normal $598) with one year warranty from the local authorised agent and tomorrow is the last day, so I thought I better post this information first. If you have already decided to buy the Braava, don't miss this opportunity. If you can wait, then wait for my review!
  7. kstoh
    This is the final Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum Cleaner video from start to finish.
  8. kstoh
    I did not choose ducted aircon for several reasons:- 1. I am not familiar with ducted aircon. My impression is that it is going to be almost impossible to clean the ducts. Some time ago, I heard of horror stories about aircon ducts in commercial buildings. Apparently, you can find dead rats etc. inside, because it is almost impossible to clean them. But I have no idea whether this is true or not. How does one clean the ducts? 2. You need to run ducts everywhere, and this lowers the ceiling. For example, if I had to run ducted aircon to my master bedroom, the ceiling of the entire passageway for my master bedroom would likely be lower by at least one foot. In my previous condo unit, there was ducted aircon everywhere installed by the developer. I removed all the ducts and installed split units. When I was selling the place, several buyers asked me why my place looked bigger than other units of the same configuration. The difference actually was that my ceiling was higher due to removal of all the ducts. 3. I believe ducted aircon system will be more expensive, but I am not sure. 4. I assume for ducted aircon, one compressor will serve all the blower units? What happens if the compressor breaks down? I like one to one split aircon units. When one unit breaks down, I can use another room.
  9. kstoh
    I am very happy with my Mitsubishi Electric split unit aircon. So far no problems. Quiet too. Compared to the Toshiba units at my previous place. All my trunking are hidden from view. For my downstair aircon units, the fancoil units are mounted on the house wall. The trunking punches directly out and runs on the outside of my house along and above the aircon ledge. For all other rooms, the fancoil units are mounted on the wall between room/toilet. The toilets have false ceilings. The trunking punches through into the false ceiling of the toilet. For my master bedroom, there is a wardrobe passageway before the toilet. So the trunking needs to run some distance from fancoil unit to toilet false ceiling. Probably, it is easier to explain by showing you pictures.
  10. kstoh
    Not really. Just that I know a little and I believe most homeowners should know the basics. Normally, we just use a microfibre cloth to polish it a little. But if it is really bad, you can try 3M Stainless Steel Cleaner & Polish. The instructions say it is good for chrome surfaces too but I suggest you try out on an obscure area first.
  11. kstoh
    Hi, unfortunately, the answer to both questions is not good. The LED lights do last longer but they still spoil once in a while. It is always the driver. And I have a big problem, due to the design of my LED lights. For PLC, I could just change the bulb. I need not take down the entire casing. For LED, you have to take down the entire unit, casing and all. This meant applying force to remove the fixture from the false ceiling. Inevitably, the sides are damaged. I wrote about it in my earlier post here. However, I have seen newer designs of LED downlights where you can remove just the centre part and replace the driver, without removing the entire casing. So, I will still recommend LED lights but make sure the design is such that I can easily replace the driver. I bought most of my lights from A Lighting. The contact details are in my earlier post. As for my Accoya wood, I am quite disappointed. The wood itself is excellent. No warping unlike chengai wood which will warp (naturally) over time. But I can never apply wood stain on the Accoya wood. After some time, bubbles will form and the layer will peel off. It keeps happening and I have given up. Currently, I am just waiting for everything to peel off naturally before deciding what to do. A picture tells a thousand words. The same wood stain applied on my chengai decking has no issues. BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS
  12. kstoh
    Assuming you are totally clueless, I suggest you do this systematically. 1. Get a floor plan of your place with dimension. Make a few copies. You need to give this to IDs, contractors, suppliers etc. 2. Go visit show flats, friends' homes, Ikea etc to expose yourself to different styles, concepts, materials, colours etc. Have an idea of what you want e.g. marble, tile or wood floor, what type of built in furniture, electrical. 3. Give the same floor plan and requirements to the different IDs and contractors you meet. This is to allow you to make comparisons. 4. If you are really unsure of what you want to do for your place, or there are budget issues, then I suggest you do the "wet" works first. This means the flooring, plumbing, electrical. Also the kitchen and toilets. Everything else (furniture, electrical appliances, tables, chairs etc) you can buy from Ikea or anywhere, and add them as and when you like. 5. When you sign contract with ID or contractor, make sure the works are itemised and you are able to add/subtract items along the way. You may need to make progress payments along the way but make sure you don't have to pay up almost everything before anything substantial is done.
  13. kstoh
    Jalan Berseh is a road off Jalan Besar. It's just before the Berseh Food Centre. It is a bit confusing. I originally though the food centre is Jalan Besar Food Centre.
  14. kstoh
    It might depend on the salesperson and the particular brand that you bought. I had one bad experience with Hoe Kee IMM some years back (and I blogged about it) but that was probably more due to Fujioh. Recently, my Brandt gas hob did not work and it was not economical to repair. For some reason, I had purchased 5 years extended warranty for all my Brandt equipment except for this particular gas hob (as the salesman told me and I believed that gas hobs would not spoil. Arggh.) Anyway, I bought a Turbo hob (looks exactly like the Brandt hob and could fit into the existing hole - seems like made by same manufacturer) from Hoe Kee at Jalan Berseh. I found the sales staff there very polite and knowledgeable. I would hight recommend them.
  15. kstoh
    The robot sends notifications of important events to your phone, but they are all in Mandarin. With the help of my colleague, I did a simple translation. Quick conclusion after the first week of use: the robot appears to do a better job of cleaning the floor than a human. Not sure why. Maybe the robot cleans systematically area by area, while the human is only human and will miss certain areas.
  16. kstoh
    You can go to Qoo10.sg, Lazada or AliExpress to search for "Mi Robot" and you will find many vendors selling it. At Qoo10.sg, the prices are now S$399 upwards. Lazada is S$428. I bought at S$369 plus $3.99 shipping but it is now out of stock. Perhaps you can add your name to "Restock List"? Vendor I bought from: http://list.qoo10.sg/item/XIAOMI-LIVING-XIAOMI-VACUUM-MI-ROBOT-JAPAN-NIDEC-MOTOR-SINGAPORE-WARRANTY/496821384?selectedOptions=
  17. kstoh
    The end of the video shows my Mi Robot rounding the top of some steps, cleaning along the edge of the pond and then on to the massage chair and potted plant area. The Mi Robot accurately maps the area. In the picture below, you can see the top of the steps, the massage chair and the square plant pot. The map shows the robot now on the left side. It is cleaning under my dining table and chairs, but I did not take a video of it. As everything is in Mandarin, I have provided some simple translations below. The Mi Robot will also send you notifications. Although the Mi Robot has a drop sensor and it did not drop down the stairs or into the pond, it seems like Xiaomi does not want to take a chance. It does not appear in the manual but I found a separate leaflet which seems to suggest you should put some barrier before your steps or pond. This barrier is not included in the box but you can purchase it from some vendors.
  18. kstoh
    Finally, I put the Mi Robot to the ultimate test, living life on the edge. My Mi Robot is only 2 days old. If it dropped into the pond, it would be a disaster.
  19. kstoh
    I also tried the Mi Robot on level 2 of my house, where the robot moved from one room to another. Impressive!
  20. kstoh
    Mi Robot's Test Run! My Mi Robot's maiden voyage was impressive. The robot is 9.65 cm in height, so it can go under my bed, sofa and consoles. Places where our normal vacuum cleaner finds hard to reach. I should have arranged my furniture a little, to make a little more space for my robot to enter easily to clean the area under my Barcelona chair, but I did not bother. The most impressive feature of the Mi Robot is its mapping ability. It very quickly mapped and drew an outline of my room which appeared on my phone. You can see from the picture below the path taken by the robot, the areas cleaned, and the areas not reached. The mapping is very accurate. On the right is my wardrobe area with a low cabinet with 4 legs. On the left bottom is my bed, with 5 legs. Bottom right is a round cabinet. Bottom left is a square cabinet placed at an angle. Top left is my Barcelona Chair. Top is the docking station. I am not aware of any other robot vacuum with this feature.
  21. kstoh
    Mi Home App Download this app from Apple Store (or Android Playstore) and create an account with Xiaomi. You can either use your phone number or email address to create an account. I suggest you use your email address and choose "Mainland China" as your location. When I used my Singapore mobile number, the system detected my location as Singapore and I was not able to configure the app to work. I think because this Mi Robot is not sold in Singapore, when I tried to add the device to my account, there was no robot vacuum cleaner for me to choose. Only those products (M1 Air Cleaner etc) that are sold in Mi Singapore store appeared. It was only after I switched location to China that the Mi Robot appeared for me to add. After you create your account, login to your account, search for your M1 Robot's WiFi (mine was "rockrobo-vacuumxxxx") and connect to it. Then go to My Devices > Add Device. Select the Mi Robot Vacuum Cleaner. Enter your home WiFi network name and password. Disconnect from the Mi Robot WiFI and connect back to your home WIFI. (You may have to switch between the two networks a few times - I don't know why). If you encounter problems with the Mi Robot WiFi, you can reset the WiFI by pressing and holding both buttons on the Mi Robot. Lift the top cover to check that the blue light is blinking. P.S. Discovered that it is now possible to create an account using Singapore phone number and location. The app, notifications and device now can speak English. Please read the later posts.
  22. kstoh
    The Mi Robot box comes with everything you need but there are no spare brushes or dust filters. You can however buy them separately. There is no remote. You can use your iPhone, iPad or Android device as remote. The machine can be operated via the two buttons on the top. But for more advanced features like remote activation/monitoring or scheduling, you need your phone or ipad. The robot operates on 110 to 220V, so it can be used in Singapore. The plug is the standard China 2 flat pin plug. To plug into our standard 3 pin socket, you can easily use an adapter. See picture below. The instruction manual is completely in Mandarin. I cannot read it.
  23. kstoh
    I am not familiar with the Ecovacs but after you mentioned it, I did some research. This youtube video suggest the Mi Robot is better at cleaning: But as I will elaborate later, the Mi Robot's mapping system is so advanced. I don't think the Ecovacs has the same mapping feature.
  24. kstoh
    Buying the Mi Robot Since the robot is not sold outside of mainland China, you have to buy online from Taobao or Qoo10.sg. There are many sellers on Qoo10.sg, some shipping from China, some shipping from Singapore. I chose one vendor who was shipping from Singapore as I was afraid of buying a fake. At least if the vendor is in Singapore, I can go find him. If the seller is from China, good luck to you. Prices on Qoo10.sg range from S$300+ to S$400+. Lazada was also selling at S$428 but at time of my purchase, they were out of stock. Most of them are selling without any warranty. You are asked to pay around S$59.99 if you want 6 months' warranty, which is very irritating to me. I did not want to pay so much (relative to purchase price) for the warranty but at the same time, I didn't want a DOA (item dead on arrival). Luckily, my vendor provided one month free warranty. I ordered on Wednesday 1 March. Item arrived on Monday 6 March. I had initially thought of asking my friend to buy and bring back from China. But this is probably not a good idea. The box is quite big, around 2 x 1.5 feet. The machine is also not light. BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS
  25. kstoh
    And so I ended up choosing the Xiaomi Mi Robot. Most reviews rated it very highly. Powerful motor, intelligent mapping. This is a good write-up: http://www.vacuumsguide.com/xiaomi-mi-robot-vacuum-cleaner/ Best of all, the price is a fraction of the iRobot Roomba 980. The local iRobot authorised dealer is selling the Roomba 980 at a special price of S$1,498 although you can get it from Qoo10.sg at around S$1,299. I bought the Mi Robot from Qoo10.sg at S$369 with $3.99 local shipping. For the price of a Roomba 980, I could buy four Mi Robots. Nothing to lose, I thought. However, the Mi Robot is not sold outside of China and everything is in Mandarin! In China, the robot is called Mijia.
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