This Wizard of a Pool Robot Saved My Summer. I Wouldn't Trade It for Any Other
CNET's key takeaways
It's great value for $799, available at Amazon Best Buy Maytronics
It has excellent suction power and remote scheduling at a reasonable price.
Requires almost no effort or attention during the week.
The cord never tangles.
A pool is meant to be enjoyed but hours of vacuuming leaves and bugs can really take the wind out of your summer sails. Sure, maintenance comes with the territory, but it doesn't have to become your life. Last summer was my first as both a homeowner and a pool owner, and I tackled vacuuming the old-fashioned way. Twice a week for five months, I spent about an hour each session. That adds up to 60 hours of my summer spent setting up and manually cleaning the pool. That's 60 hours I could have spent floating, splashing or tanning on the deck.
This year, I'm set up with a wizard of a pool cleaner machine that vacuums my entire pool in under two hours with almost no effort needed on my part. In all, I tested 12 robot pool vacuums before I landed on the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi. It hits all the marks for cleaning, scheduling via app, and it doesn't cost an outrageous sum.
Pool cleaning is now something I barely think about. When the warm weather hits, I can count on sparkling water and a clean pool floor.
My experience with the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi
The Dolphin deftly cleans the pool floor and sides in about 2 hours.
David Watsky/CNET
Out of the box, the robot requires no setup other than plugging into a power source and connecting to Wi-Fi, a process that took me less than 5 minutes. Once it's connected, dropped in the pool, and a cleaning schedule is set, there's not much else to do.
The CC Nautilus Plus Wi-Fi cleaned my pool in around 2 hours, picking up soggy leaves, dead bugs, gravel, and sand. It used its fierce scrubbing brushes and a suction rate of 4,500 gallons per hour to clean the floor and walls of my kidney bean-shaped pool.
The cord occasionally hooked my skimmer bot, but it didn't cause any serious complications.
David Watsky/CNET
The only function it doesn't have is a dedicated waterline setting, but I've found most waterline cleaning features to be just OK. Plus, it's easy enough to brush the waterline manually every few weeks if you notice buildup. For me, spending several hundred dollars more for a model with waterline cleaning just isn't worth it.
Being able to set a cleaning schedule from my device tipped this robot cleaner over the edge for me.
David Watsky/CNET
The Wi-Fi and app connectivity are what tipped this model over the top. Through the app, you can control the robot's cleaning schedules, and I found it had far fewer disconnections and glitches than other connected robot pool cleaners I tested.
At 35 pounds, the robot is easy enough to pull out of the pool when it needs to be emptied and rinsed, roughly once a month. Its cord allows you to haul it in without a struggle. Speaking of the cord, the anti-tangle device with attached buoys kept it from looping around itself, although sometimes it gets caught up in my solar robot skimmer.
A pool robot that filters water means far less stress on your expensive built-in equipment.
David Watsky/CNET
Pool filters are not cheap and can be difficult to clean, depending on the type. Having a robot cleaner that works daily will save your filter lots of work and prevent you from having to replace it as often. It'll also take some stress off your built-in pool pump and filtration system, sending less debris through the pipes to be filtered out.
You can bypass the app and use the control box to start and stop the robot.
David Watsky/CNET
Cleaner water also means you'll spend less on chemicals due to a reduction in algae growth and better water chemistry balance.
For a full breakdown, see my list of the best robot pool cleaners for 2025, tested for every type of pool.
The specs
Type : Corded
: Corded Suction power : 4,500 gallons per hour
: 4,500 gallons per hour Cleans : Floor, walls
: Floor, walls Weight : 34.6 pounds
: 34.6 pounds Cost : $799
: $799 Automatic daily cleaning : Yes
: Yes App control: Yes
CNET's buying advice
I've tested dozens of pool robots and learned a few things along the way.
David Watsky/CNET
I have tested more than 12 pool-cleaning robots, and the Dolphin is my top recommendation. It does everything you need it to, including deep cleaning of the walls and floor on a schedule of your choosing. It's easy to use and maintain, and costs half the price of competitors.
If you factor in how much time a robot pool cleaner saves or what you'd have to pay for professional vacuuming, this is as close to a no-brainer as purchases get for pool owners.
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