Conga 1690 Pro, raising the bar for the mid-range

Robot vacuum cleaners are products that improve year after year, and this Conga 1690 Pro is a good example of this.

Cecotec has significantly increased the features and functionalities of its range of robots in 2019. The recently presented Conga 4090 y Conga 3690 Absolute reach 2.700 Pascals of power, 35% higher than other high-end competing models, which are around 2.000.

Meanwhile, the mid-range currently ranges between 1.300-1.600 Pascals, figures that are excellent and also provide a great result.

La Conga 1690 has set out to break this barrier. What would happen if we included this ultrapower in a mid-range robot?

We tell you in this in-depth analysis.

Our assessment

La Conga 1690 Pro has obtained 98 rating points out of 100. It is a very complete robot, as is usual for the brand, since it sweeps, vacuums, mops and scrubs and, in addition, it can do all four functions at the same time.

In addition, it provides 2.700 Pascals of suction power, placing herself—along with her sisters, the Conga 4090 and 3690—as the most powerful robot on the market. There will be no dirt that will escape. In addition, it also incorporates the most advanced scrubbing system and a special brush for homes with pets, configuring itself as a very complete alternative.

Conga 1690 Pro: What's in the box

How is the difference Conga 1690 from other robots Conga

The 1690 Pro shares some features with other robots on the market. series 1000 Gyro, like the Conga 1590, all of them belonging to the mid-range of Cecotec, and others with its high-end sisters, such as the 3690. In addition, the price is similar to that of what until recently was the top of the range, a robot that is still very popular, the Conga 3090.

Conga 1690 Pro vs Conga 1590

Let's now see what are the similarities and differences with the Conga 1590:

Navigation system: Both robots have a gyroscope-based navigation system, and with renewed navigation software. The gyroscope is a type of digital compass that allows the robot to locate itself and map the home. It's not as extremely precise as the laser, but it does a good job. Robots with this navigation system carry out systematic cleaning, in large straight lines and know where they have passed, so they clean 100% of the surface.

Handle them however you want: They are both manageable through a mobile application, so you can start them at any time and from anywhere, as well as through voice commands and using the remote control.

Mapped: The two robots make a map of the home, which helps them know where they have already been, and to take the best route to return to the charging base. Of course, the map is not saved nor can you interact with it, as happens in the Conga high-end.

4 in 1: As usual in the brand Conga, They include four functions in a single device: They sweep, vacuum, mop and scrub, and they are also capable of doing all four things at the same time. This way, you will save time, money and space at home.

Great efficiency in cleaning carpets: Both have Turbo Clean Carpet technology, so they automatically increase power when passing over a carpet, and They are capable of overcoming obstacles of up to 2 centimeters, which is why they have no problem with carpets of a certain thickness.

Restricted areas: in both cases, they include a magnetic strip which is placed on the ground and prevents the robot from entering that area.

Cleaning modes: Both have multiple cleaning modes, up to 10, so you can configure the cleaning as you prefer.

Power and scrubbing levels: Both the 1690 and 1590 have 3 power levels and 3 scrubbing levels, so that you can configure both aspects depending on the level of dirt there is at any given time.

Autonomy: The two robots have a 2.600 mAh lithium battery, which provides them with autonomy of up to 160 minutes. In addition, both incorporate loading and continuing functionality. If they have not finished cleaning, they will return to the base and once the battery is recharged, they will continue cleaning where they left off, thanks to its Total Surface technology.

BestFriend Care: In addition to the classic bristle and silicone brush, both the 1690 and 1590 include the new rubber brush, especially for homes with pets, which cleans deeply, largely avoiding tangles.

In both cases, they include Scrubbing mopping technology, probably the best on the market. Thanks to this functionality, the robot performs a back-and-forth movement, similar to what people do when scrubbing, achieving great results.

What are the improvements of the Conga 1690

In addition to these common characteristics, the Conga 1690 has incorporated some improvements in relation to the Conga 1590, such as:

Optical Sensor: In addition to gyroscopic navigation, the 1690 adds an optical sensor, giving you even more efficiency and precision when navigating.

Power: As we have already mentioned, that of the 1690 is currently the maximum on the market. With its 2.700 Pascals, it almost doubles the 1.400 of the 1590, which in itself is a notable figure. As it could not be otherwise, this increase is quite appreciable.

Conga 1690 vs Conga 3690

These two robots also share a multitude of characteristics, although logically, there are aspects in which the 3690 is superior (as is its price, about 100-120 euros higher).

Power: Both have 2.700 Pascals of suction power, the highest on the market.

Carpets: Both activate the turbo when they detect a carpet, and are capable of climbing up to 2 centimeters of elevation.

Power and scrubbing levels: In both cases, You have three levels of power and scrubbing, so you can configure the cleaning to your liking.

All TimeTable Pro: In both robots it is possible to configure various parameters when programming it, such as power, water flow or cleaning mode.

BestFriend Care: Both 1690 and 3690 include BestFriend Care rubber brush, ideal for homes with pets.

Loading and continuing: Both devices resume cleaning where they left off if they had not finished, to complete 100% of the surface of the home.

Voice commands: You can manage them comfortably using Alexa and Google Home.

Scrubbing: In both cases they have the Scrubbing scrubbing technology, which provides greater cleaning, and a electronic water dosing system, for greater precision.

What is the difference between them

The 3690's laser-based navigation technology is superior: more precise and predictive, it allows you to save the map (in the case of the 3690 there are also up to five maps, instead of one) and interact with it.

Derived from the above, There are functions such as area cleaning or restricted zones, which can be conveniently set on the 3690 via the app (in the case of the 1690, the restricted areas are delimited by a magnetic stripe on the ground).

In addition, The 3690 Absolute understands the home better and is able to interpret the different rooms, so it has cleaning per room.

Thus, With the 3690 you can create up to 50 different cleaning plans (which can also be scheduled), so you can, for example, clean the living room on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:00, the kitchen on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 13:00 p.m., and the bedrooms, the Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, at 18:00 p.m. And in all these cases, define the cleaning mode, the power, etc., with an absolute degree of customization).

La Conga 3690 is also compatible with 5 Ghz Wi-Fi networks, in addition to those of 2,4.

Commissioning of the Conga 1690 Pro

As usual, It is advisable to charge for a long time before using the robot for the first time. (for example, leaving it charging overnight). Subsequently, it will take between 3 and 4 hours to fully charge it.

The location of the base will preferably be in a central place in the house, and in an area where there is room to maneuver (it is recommended, although not essential, that there be one meter to the sides and two meters forward). .

As with practically all robots on the market, it can be started using the button at the top. You can also give some voice commands, through Alexa and Google Home, although We will get the most out of the robot by using the app, which will allow us to access various advanced functionalities.

Therefore, in addition to charging the robot, The first thing we must do is install the app Conga 1690, available for iOS and Android, and create an account if you don't have one. The app itself will guide us through the installation process, which is very simple.

It is recommended that the robot be close to the router while this first installation process is being carried out, to facilitate the connection.

Operation of the Conga 1690 Pro

La Conga 1690 is the most powerful robot on the market, and it shows. Its 2.700 Pascals are well above other robots, even high-end ones, whose prices double or triple (or even more) that of this model.

With this impressive level of power, it absorbs practically everything and, in addition, Thanks to a good sound insulation job and the new generation of motors, the noise has not increased compared to previous models, staying below 64 decibels, a level compatible with carrying out other tasks.

The 1690 performs room mapping using a gyroscope. This technology allows the robot to travel through the rooms in an orderly manner, in the form of long straight lines (in this model Its new optical sensor also contributes to better navigation).

In this way, the robot will finish cleaning before other robots of similar prices whose navigation is random or in real time and, in addition, it will clean 100% of the surface.

Through the application, we can see how the robot is cleaning all the rooms (although we will not be able to interact with it, as in the high-end models, equipped with lasers).

If we want establish a restricted area (for example, the pet's food area, a room where someone is sleeping, the children's play area...), we can use the magnetic strip included, which will prevent the robot from entering that area.

It can also be interesting in other situations; For example, if you are scrubbing and we don't want you to get on a carpet, or if there is an area where there are many cables, and we don't want you to go over it.

La Conga 1690 has a good level of autonomy, which reaches 160 minutes. This is enough to clean medium-sized homes, also thanks to its high efficiency when moving.

As usual, when it is running out of battery, it returns to the charging base on its own. But also, If you had not finished cleaning, thanks to its Total Surface technology, the Conga 1690 will go to recharge and continue cleaning where it left off.

When cleaning carpets, Conga 1690 Pro does a great job. Thanks to Turbo Clean Carpet technology, Activates maximum power when on carpet, leaving it impeccable, thanks to its 2.700 Pascals. Furthermore, as is usual for the brand, it is capable of climbing up to 2 centimeters in height, so it has no problems with carpets of a certain thickness.

If that's not enough, the 1690 includes the new BestFriend Care rubber brush, which is not only very useful in homes with pets, as it greatly prevents tangles, but also helps to effectively remove dirt, thanks to its studied design.

Using the app

Using the application allows you to get the most out of the robot, since it makes it possible to customize the cleaning as we want.

If your router is dual, that is, if you have two networks, one 2,4 GHz and one 5 GHz, keep in mind that you must choose the 2,4 GHz one (the 5 GHz one will have 5G or similar).

Follow the instructions provided by the robot itself or the video that we have provided, and in a few minutes you will have the pairing configured.

If you can't, it may be a problem with your phone's settings. If your phone works with Android, keep in mind that an option called “Activate Wifi automatically” or similar (depending on the version) will normally be checked, which automatically connects to quality Wifi networks, and can cause problems (since possibly connecting to the 5 GHz network).

To turn it off, go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Wi-Fi Preferences (or look for that option or something similar in settings) and uncheck “Turn Wi-Fi on automatically.”

Then manually change the connection; Return to the app and when the message “Sending message to the robot” appears, go to Settings > Network and Internet and connect to the network with a name similar to “Conga_***.” After returning to the app, in a few seconds you will see how it connects.

Another problem that some users of connectable robots encounter is due to smart routers, which connect you to the 2,4 GHz or 5 GHz network depending on the type of device. If this were your case, perhaps you would have to deactivate this smart Wifi so that it can detect it. Here you can see a tutorial about the topic.

Through the app, you can choose between the different cleaning modes (which we tell you in detail in the next section).

In addition, you will be able to program the robot in a very detailed way, defining aspects such as, for example, power and water flow.

Cleaning modes

La Conga 1690 Pro has 10 cleaning modes, in addition to 3 power levels and 3 scrubbing levels, making it possible configure cleaning with a high level of detail:

Auto mode: it is the default mode, in which The robot will go through all the rooms, in an orderly manner, until it is completely cleaned.. When it's done or when it's running out of battery, it will return to the charging base (if it hadn't finished cleaning, it will then resume where it left off).

Edges: The ideal mode when desired capture that dirt that usually accumulates in corners.

Spiral: Another classic mode, in which the robot will clean in circles around an area, perfect if we have dropped something and it has been scattered.

Manual: If we want control the robot manually, using arrows, as if it were a remote-controlled car. We will use it to avoid transporting the robot by hand.

Returning home: Although the robot returns home when it is finished or runs out of battery, sometimes we will want to send it to the base manually. It is the same function as the button with the house, on the top of the device.

Twice: When we need deep clean an area, with Twice mode the robot will make several passes.

Scrubbing: When scrubbing, the robot will perform forward and backward movements, thanks to this advanced technology, for a better result.

Area: When simply we want to leave a small area clean (for example, under a table), we can use this mode.

Gyro: Similar to automatic mode, stops when you want clean a room.

Random: If we want to make a more thorough cleaning of some rooms, using this mode you will not only draw straight lines, but you will also make diagonal movements.

Scrubbing, the best scrubbing technology

The Conga They have distinguished themselves, for years, by being the robots that scrub. Many robots simply vacuum, and some users opt for these types of alternatives, but it never hurts to have more cleaning options.

It should also be noted that mop robots have an added advantage, which is that They trap dust better on hard floors; If we also add a specific spray, your floors will be clean and shiny.

La Conga 1690 Pro incorporates the most advanced on the market, the Scrubbing system. The robot makes a back-and-forth movement, in the shape of a palm tree, moving back and forth, similar to what people do when scrubbing.

In addition, its electronic water dosing system allows you Set the water flow based on your needs, from the low level, for light scrubbing, through the medium, for daily cleaning, to the high level, when you have a higher level of dirt.

Its two-material mop also contributes to the good results.; Gentle on the most delicate floors, but demanding on dirt.

Advantages of Conga 1690 Pro

Why buy one Conga 1690 Pro

If you are looking for a complete and modern robot, capable of mapping the home and cleaning 100% of it, controllable through an app and through voice commands, and with the greatest power on the market, at a very reasonable price, the Conga 1690 is your robot.

If you want to buy a super configurable Spanish robot with great autonomy. If you have a lot of carpets and/or pets, and you are tired of cleaning your home and untangling hair. If you want maximum comfort when vacuuming and scrubbing your house, the Conga 1690 is a magnificent alternative, with a quality-price ratio without competition.

Overall rating: 98

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