Let's be real for a second. Most tech gadgets have the shelf life of an avocado. You buy a phone, and eighteen months later, it’s a paperweight that can’t even load a basic map app. But the iRobot Roomba 690 robot vacuum is different. It’s a bit of a tank. This thing was released back when everyone was still obsessed with fidget spinners, yet you’ll still find them chugging along in thousands of living rooms today, bumping into chair legs and eating stray Cheerios like it’s 2017.
It’s not the smartest tool in the shed. Honestly, compared to the new J-series or the S9+, the 690 is basically a sentient bumper car. It doesn't "see" your room. It doesn't map your floor plan with surgical precision. It just... moves. It hits a wall, turns, and moves again. But there is a very specific reason why people refuse to give them up. They are incredibly easy to fix. In an era of "planned obsolescence," the Roomba 690 is a rare example of a product that actually lets you be the mechanic.
The iRobot Roomba 690 Robot Vacuum and the Beauty of Low-Tech
The heart of this machine is the AeroVac system. Now, if you look at the fancy new Roomba models, they use these bright green "tangle-free" rubber rollers. Those are great for hair, sure. But the iRobot Roomba 690 robot vacuum uses the old-school dual multi-surface brushes—one bristle brush and one flexible rubber brush.
Does hair get stuck in the bristles? Yes. It absolutely does. You will spend five minutes every two weeks cutting hair off that roller with a little cleaning tool. But here is the trade-off: those bristles are phenomenal at agitated cleaning on medium-pile carpets. They dig deep. They kick up the grit that suction alone can't reach.
The 690 was also one of the first "entry-level" models to bridge the gap between "dumb" vacuums and the smart home era. It has Wi-Fi. It talks to Alexa. It works with Google Assistant. You can be at the grocery store, realize your mother-in-law is coming over in twenty minutes, and start a cleaning cycle from your phone. It feels modern enough to be useful, but mechanical enough to be reliable.
Navigation Without the Ego
If you watch a Roomba 690 work, it’s kinda stressful at first. It uses iAdapt Responsive Navigation. This is a fancy way of saying it has a suite of sensors—about 60 of them—that it uses to make decisions on the fly. It doesn't know where it is. It just knows it's "somewhere."
✨ Don't miss: Apple ID Free Accounts: Why You Should Probably Just Make Your Own
While a $1,000 vacuum will move in perfect, satisfying straight lines, the 690 looks like a pinball. It’s chaotic. It might clean the same spot four times and completely miss a corner for three days. But over a week? It eventually hits everything. It’s a game of averages. The "Dirt Detect" sensors are the MVP here. When the vacuum passes over a particularly sandy or dirty patch, an acoustic sensor picks up the vibration of the debris hitting the vacuum's internals. It then circles back to hit that spot again. It’s persistent.
One thing that genuinely annoys people is the noise. This isn't a "whisper-quiet" machine. It’s loud. You probably won't want to run it while you're watching a movie. But that noise is the sound of a motor that was built to last.
Why the Battery is Both a Blessing and a Curse
The original 690 shipped with a Lithium-Ion battery, which was a huge step up from the old NiMH batteries in the 650 series. It usually gives you about 60 to 90 minutes of run time.
But here’s the kicker: batteries die. They all do.
With most modern electronics, once the battery goes, the device goes in the trash. Not here. You flip the iRobot Roomba 690 robot vacuum over, unscrew the bottom plate, and the battery is right there. You can buy a replacement for thirty bucks, pop it in, and you’ve basically got a brand-new vacuum. This "repairability" factor is why the secondary market for these is so huge. People buy them broken for $20 on eBay, spend $40 on parts, and have a machine that lasts another five years.
Comparing the Old Guard to the New Kids
When you look at the current iRobot lineup, you see things like "Auto-Empty Stations" and "Reactive Obstacle Avoidance." The 690 has none of that.
- Obstacles: If you leave a charging cable on the floor, the 690 will try to eat it. It will get stuck. It will cry for help.
- Maintenance: You have to empty the bin yourself. Every. Single. Time. It’s small. If you have two shedding dogs, you might even have to empty it halfway through a cycle.
- Virtual Walls: It came with one Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barrier. These are great. You put it near the dog's water bowl, and it creates an invisible "no-go" zone. It's low-tech, but it works every time without needing a software update.
The real difference is the suction power. iRobot usually measures their newer models against the 600 series. For example, the Roomba i7 is marketed as having "10x the suction" of the 600 series. That sounds bad for the 690, right? Sorta. But on hard floors—hardwood, tile, laminate—you don't need 10x suction. The 690 picks up dust, hair, and crumbs just fine. Where it struggles is that deep-seated sand at the bottom of a thick rug.
Common Issues (And How to Fix Them)
Nothing is perfect. The iRobot Roomba 690 robot vacuum has its quirks. Sometimes it refuses to dock. It’ll wander around the room, looking for its home base like a lost puppy, only to die three feet away from the charger. Usually, this just means the "eye" on the dock or the sensor on top of the vacuum is dusty. A quick wipe with a microfiber cloth fixes it 90% of the time.
Then there's the "Circle of Death." If the bumper gets stuck or a sensor gets blocked, the Roomba might just spin in circles. Again, it’s usually just a piece of grit jammed in the bumper. A quick blast of compressed air usually does the trick. You don't need a computer science degree to troubleshoot this thing. You just need to look at it and see what's physically blocking it.
The App Experience in 2026
Surprisingly, iRobot hasn't abandoned the 690 in their software. The iRobot Home App still supports it. You won't get the fancy "Clean Map" reports that show you exactly where it went, but you can still set schedules. You can tell it to clean every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:00 AM. It’s "set it and forget it" technology at its most basic and effective level.
Is It Still Worth Buying?
If you find a used or refurbished iRobot Roomba 690 robot vacuum for under $120, it’s a steal. It’s the perfect "starter" robot vacuum for an apartment or a single-floor house. It’s also great for "zones." Maybe you have a fancy $1,200 vacuum for the main living area, but you want something to just live in the laundry room or the basement. That’s where the 690 shines. It’s a workhorse.
It isn't for everyone. If you have a massive 4,000-square-foot home with complex layouts and thick shag carpets, the 690 will probably get lost and frustrated. It’ll run out of juice before it finishes even a third of the house. But for a standard layout? It’s more than enough.
Making the Most of Your 690
To keep this thing running for a decade, you have to do a little bit of work. Most people neglect the front caster wheel. It pops out. Hair gets wrapped around the axle. If you don't clean that, it’ll stop spinning and start scratching your hardwood floors. It takes thirty seconds to clean. Do it.
Also, replace the filters. The AeroVac filters are cheap—you can get a 10-pack of knock-offs for the price of a latte. A fresh filter keeps the airflow high and the motor cool.
💡 You might also like: Can a Kindle Work Without WiFi? What Most People Get Wrong
Final Practical Steps for Owners
- Check the Side Brush: These tend to snap their "arms" after a year or so. Keep a spare. A missing side brush means the vacuum won't be able to pull dirt out of the baseboards.
- Clear the Charging Contacts: Once a month, take a piece of sandpaper or a "magic eraser" and lightly buff the two metal squares on the bottom of the vacuum and the two on the dock. Carbon buildup happens, and it prevents the vacuum from charging.
- Manage Your Cables: Since the 690 doesn't have "eyes" to see cables, you have to "Roomba-proof" your home. Use zip ties. Get the wires off the floor.
- Update the App: Even for an old machine, firmware updates via the app can occasionally improve battery management or connectivity.
The iRobot Roomba 690 robot vacuum represents an era of tech where things were built to be used, not just showcased. It’s loud, it’s a bit clunky, and it’ll occasionally get into a fight with a rug tassel. But at the end of the day, it gets the floor clean without requiring a monthly subscription or a privacy-invading camera system. That’s a win in any book.