Doheny's Discovery, S200, Active20, Triton owners club

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KD,

I've had a chance to run this two days in a row now and it's a pretty great little machine. I am however currently unable to connect via Bluetooth with my Android phone so not really sure what's up with that yet. I've tried everything so far and the app just keeps searching to sync but nothing. I have an email out to tech support right now.

As for the cleaning itself, it's doing a great job at picking up a lot of dog hair down at the bottom that isn't visible from the surface. Not really any leaves to speak of yet but they'll be falling soon enough!

I'll let you know what the verdict is in regards to Bluetooth if I ever get it up and running... The app reviews are pretty horrendous unfortunately and it may have swayed me had I noticed those first...

React, thank you! I've been breaking my back in the yard since the pool install. I spend most of my free time working on the backyard and it's come a long long way from where it was just 1 year ago. I think I enjoy the work as much as I enjoy the pool, I don't know if thats normal...
 
Ok got BT to work on the s300i. In short, GPS MUST be turned on in addition to BT. Combine that with the app itself that's somewhat finnicky I'm finding and you have a lot of bad reviews on the Google play store.

The App is a must to access all of the features the S300i has to offer over the 300 so I'm glad I got it to work, otherwise, this thing was going back in trade for the standard 300!

FYI: my experience so far is that if you leave the app, it doesn't remain open in the background and you must attempt to reconnect (it does this automatically) except it doesn't find the robot. So basically, I need to backout of the perpetual search and close the app, then, relaunch.

Ok, not perfect but the functions in the app are of value to me and it's not something I must have open throughout a cleaning cycle anyway...though...for $950 bucks, get this thing cleaned up Maytronics! $10 Chinese BT headphones work better than this!:rolleyes:

Oh and I'm now at page 40 of reading through this thread and I'm sure the answers to any questions I've had are buried in here somewhere!

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The App needs work for sure but I think it’s because Maytronics just hasn’t invested much in the App yet....give it a few more seasons with more and more automation being built into pool equipment and they’ll get there even if the market has to drag them kicking and screaming the entire way....

One feature of the app I like is Manual Drive mode even though everyone refers to it as a gimmick. The purpose of it is not so that you can look cool in front of your friends or for you to drive the robot around the pool. The purpose of it is to allow the pool owner to drive the robot over to a problem spot during a cleaning cycle as-needed without yanking on the cord (as was the past method). So, if you happen to be out at the pool and it’s 90mins in on a 2.5 hour cycle and you’re thinking, “Wow, my pool is spotless but there are few leaves over in that corner...” and the robot is in the deep end, then you can use the manual drive to direct the robot’s movement. You can use the App to go into manual mode and drive the robot over to the leaves. Then, just simply exit manual mode and the robot returns to it’s previous cleaning cycle. Going into manual mode doesn’t cause the robot to cut short it’s cleaning cycle, it simply lets you redirect the robot more precisely. It can also allow you to get the robot off a drain cover without yanking on the cord. I also like the Fast-Mode cleaning when it’s a pool party day as I can drop the bot in about an hour or so before anyone is ready to swim and the robot goes to work.

If they only had a much better interface and user experience, then the smartphone controls would make more sense...
 
I agree about manual drive, it's pretty neat to redirect if needed and it took me all of 1 minute to figure out the timing of control.

I believe the Jets on the side will thrust one way or the other to rotate and since it's not the tank tracks that are turning opposite of each other to make the rotation, it seems to not respond instantly to the eye at least. I can imagine using this once the leaves start coming down.

I hope you're right about the App, it looks like Maytronics does respond to every negative review though and they did say on a few of their responses that they are listening to the feedback, let's just hope any future app is backwards compatible and not solely for future models.
 
Geebot said:
I imagine that it does so with electronic perimeter beacons, so it can triangulate its position based on reference points. A pool robot knows to stop (or climb) when it hits a vertical surface and "learns" that way but doesn't "remember" where it is between uses because it has no fixed reference points. I suspect that some future version of a pool robot could add fixed external beacons to make for a more efficient cleaning cycle.
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The robotic vacuum uses LIDAR to map the walls. It generates and stores a map of the house, can display it on the smart phone app. For a pool cleaner should use SONAR, wouldn't increase the cost that much. I have tested the S300, and for some reason it does not clean the short side of my "L" shaped pool.
 
GregInClaremont said:
KD,

I'll let you know what the verdict is in regards to Bluetooth if I ever get it up and running... The app reviews are pretty horrendous unfortunately and it may have swayed me had I noticed those first...
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I’d appreciate the feedback on the BT app. These tools are getting better, and the app is still rudimentary, but you can tell as they sell more units more people won’t tolerate consistent app issues for that’s what they spent the extra cash for, and they’ll keep improving the app.

We may be listing our home or renting it, and moving so I’ve gotten so used to my in floor that without a doubt our new pool (see image-if we get it!) will benefit from a robot cleaner. It’s an L shaped pool, so more input on that is helpful.
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KDpoolguy said:
I’d appreciate the feedback on the BT app. These tools are getting better, and the app is still rudimentary, but you can tell as they sell more units more people won’t tolerate consistent app issues for that’s what they spent the extra cash for, and they’ll keep improving the app.

We may be listing our home or renting it, and moving so I’ve gotten so used to my in floor that without a doubt our new pool (see image-if we get it!) will benefit from a robot cleaner. It’s an L shaped pool, so more input on that is helpful.
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Hey nice looking pool there, hope that deal works out for you. I'm sure a robot would do well there. If you do rent your current house out, do you have a strategy figured out for maintaining the pool?

I've ran my cleaner a few times now(maybe a few more times than necessary as i'm not really picking anything up but it's so darn cool to watch!)and ultimately I'm happy I went with the 300i vs. the 300. See my post above (#1482) for the options on the 300i that are only available through the app. I can connect quickly and predictably now after learning the inherent quirks.

The Bluetooth app definitely needs some work and they should emphasize in the documentation that GPS needs to be enabled in addition to Bluetooth to get the sync to occur.

Maytronics customer support was good. I got responses pretty quickly and they attached PDFs of the manuals as well so I could have digital copies.

Another cool thing about the remote function is I that I can drive the cleaner up on to my sun shelf and let it climb the wall there, then, from the app, hit stop. The handle is at the surface and I can reach down and pull it out of the water, no need of pulling the cable to get it to the surface or edge with this one.

Still very happy with it. Trying to decide if I should sell my suction side cleaner or save it as a back up for now...
 
GregInClaremont said:
Hey nice looking pool there, hope that deal works out for you. I'm sure a robot would do well there. If you do rent your current house out, do you have a strategy figured out for maintaining the pool?
...
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I’ve managed property off-and-on for years so I’m really hands on with fixing or maintaining things myself. Pool is in front yard, so it’s less of a privacy issue to drop in and check on it. If we rent, I’ll include my costs for maintenance of the pool, as that’s always a source of ‘who pays’ confusion (renter should maintain yard, but I don’t trust they will). Always a good tip to make sure renter has utilities and gardener and pool guy hired and on auto-pay before they even get the keys. Rental market is hot out here, but we’ve also done well on this home so we may list it.
 
I posted a reply from Maytronics USA Customer support -

So this just happened.... - Page 12

Apparently they are aware of Bluetooth connectivity issues after iOS 11 was released. They suggest power cycling your phone’s Bluetooth signal.

I hope their awareness turns into some actionable update because, honestly, manually power cycling the Bluetooth signal is a band-aid not a solution. I’m at iOS 12 and the problem still exists.

Has anyone on Android experienced this problem?
 
JoyfulNoise said:
I posted a reply from Maytronics USA Customer support -

So this just happened.... - Page 12

Apparently they are aware of Bluetooth connectivity issues after iOS 11 was released. They suggest power cycling your phone’s Bluetooth signal.

I hope their awareness turns into some actionable update because, honestly, manually power cycling the Bluetooth signal is a band-aid not a solution. I’m at iOS 12 and the problem still exists.

Has anyone on Android experienced this problem?
Click to expand...

I'm a new owner with Android and the quirk I've found is I need GPS enabled in addition to Bluetooth. Also, if I leave app and try to jump back on, it won't reconnect. I have to kill the app and then restart it for a reconnection to work.

I don't know how well past versions have worked in comparison to this current one though.
 

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GregInClaremont said:
I'm a new owner with Android and the quirk I've found is I need GPS enabled in addition to Bluetooth. Also, if I leave app and try to jump back on, it won't reconnect. I have to kill the app and then restart it for a reconnection to work.

I don't know how well past versions have worked in comparison to this current one though.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

Before iOS 11, the App would connect on startup and, if you switched out of the App or went outside the transmitting distance, the App would simply reconnect when you opened it up again (assuming you were within range). After iOS 11, the App would still attempt to do those things but the Bluetooth connection was flakey - sometimes it would connect/re-connect, other times it would not. I have noticed that the power supply shows up on the Bluetooth connections page when you’re nearby but it does not offer any pairing of devices nor does it remember the connection once connectivity is lost. So every time you start the app or switch back to it, it has to redo the connection. That seems like it might be the issue as every other Bluetooth device I have stays listed in the connections page. Having a permanent pairing and stored device details would be more stable.

I really hope Maytronics didn’t go cheap on their Bluetooth hardware and now this is the result of trying to save $0.05 per power supply ... :rant:
 
So I just received our Discovery last night. Just in time because our trees are dropping leaves like crazy. It seems never ending from October to December (dallas). I have a question. Some leaves get pumped our the top exit and get caught on the screen (see attached pictures). You can see the leaf catch is pretty full after 30 min. When I pull handle out, there are some stragglers and leaves that get caught inside the unit, I washed those out. The last picture shows the leaves stuck inside the screen. When the unit is running, it seems to block out the flow. Do any of you have that same issue? Should I be concerned?

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I have the same issue with mine and when it gets too full, the leaves start hanging out of the bottom. Then, when I pull it out to empty it, a bunch of leaves fall back in the pool.

It still beats the manual vacuum any day of the week though.
 
Got my S300i from Marina Pool & Spa on Saturday. Love it. It does get stuck for a few seconds on my two anti-vortex main drains but does seem to get unstuck pretty quickly. We'll see how it goes within the next week. I have it running a regular cycle for 2 hours per day. Bluetooth control works great on my Android S9+ and was easy to connect.
 
I've had my Discovery for about 20 months and it's starting to do this thing where it goes forward a few inches, then goes backwards a few inches, then just stops. I assume that means that it's crapping out on me and I either have to have it repaired or get a new one...

Are any of you familiar with them doing this? I'm not too handy when it comes to fixing things but if it's any easy fix then maybe I can do it myself. If I can't, then does anyone have a ballpark figure on how much it would cost to have it repaired? If it's too expensive then maybe it's time to retire poor, old Julio. :(
 
jeremym480 said:
I've had my Discovery for about 20 months and it's starting to do this thing where it goes forward a few inches, then goes backwards a few inches, then just stops. I assume that means that it's crapping out on me and I either have to have it repaired or get a new one...

Are any of you familiar with them doing this? I'm not too handy when it comes to fixing things but if it's any easy fix then maybe I can do it myself. If I can't, then does anyone have a ballpark figure on how much it would cost to have it repaired? If it's too expensive then maybe it's time to retire poor, old Julio. :(
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About halfway thru this past season, mine (less than 12mo old) began moving back and forth about a foot at a time. It would do that about 5-6 times, then go on its way. Not sure what to make of it.
 
jeremym480 said:
I've had my Discovery for about 20 months and it's starting to do this thing where it goes forward a few inches, then goes backwards a few inches, then just stops. I assume that means that it's crapping out on me and I either have to have it repaired or get a new one...

Are any of you familiar with them doing this? I'm not too handy when it comes to fixing things but if it's any easy fix then maybe I can do it myself. If I can't, then does anyone have a ballpark figure on how much it would cost to have it repaired? If it's too expensive then maybe it's time to retire poor, old Julio. :(
Click to expand...

Sounds like the motor is going bad. If you have an authorized service center nearby, they can repair it. A new motor runs about $300-$400 plus labor to install. If you call Dolphin they can tell where the nearest service center is but shipping costs can add another $50 or so to the costs.
 

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