OV 5480 iQ
Limited evidenceRead the findings →The top of Zodiac's Vortex range, a corded four-wheel-drive robot with app control and a jet that helps you lift it out. It's aimed at awkwardly shaped pools. It's hefty, and its two-year warranty is shorter than on Zodiac's Voyager and Alpha iQ robots.
Updated
See the alternatives below, or switch market.
Where it sits in Zodiac’s range
- Vortex OV 5300 SWSame four-wheel drive and filter, no app or lift jet
- Zodiac OV 5200Entry Vortex 4WD model without the swivel or app
- OV 5480 iQThis model
- Voyager RE iQApp-connected Voyager on tracks for the same pool size
- Alpha iQAlpha iQ flagship for pools up to 20 x 10m
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What we know
Per Zodiac and its Zodiac, the OV 5480 iQ is a corded robot with four-wheel drive for awkward pools, rated for pools up to 12 x 6 metres. A large filter with cyclonic suction should resist clogging, you run and schedule it from the iAquaLink app over home Wi-Fi, and a jet makes it lighter to lift out. Shop listings repeat the same spec sheet. It weighs 9.5kg dry and has a two-year warranty.
Four-wheel drive for awkward pools
The Zodiac says four-wheel drive lets it move with agility in the most challenging pools, cross obstacles with ease and adapt to all surface types. It runs on gears with three motors and cleans a 24.5cm strip on each pass. Zodiac lists in-ground pools and above-ground pools with rigid walls, of any shape and floor, up to 12 x 6 metres.
App control and flexible cycles
The iQ in the name means Wi-Fi. Zodiac says it joins your home network so you can run and schedule cleans from the iAquaLink app. The Zodiac lists cycles in 30-minute steps up to three and a half hours, set to the floor only, the floor, walls and waterline, or the waterline alone. That's more choice than the two fixed cycles on the OV 5300 SW. Check your Wi-Fi reaches the pool before you rely on the app.
A big filter and a lift jet
The standard 5-litre canister has a 100-micron filter and a light that tells you when it's full, per the Zodiac. Very fine, fine and large-debris filters are sold separately, so you can match it to leaves or fine dust. Cyclonic suction is meant to keep debris spinning so the filter clogs less. To get it out, the Lift System fires a strong rear jet that makes the robot lighter as you lift, which matters on a 9.5kg machine.
Still to be proven
Our search found shop listings that describe it, but none where the writer used it in a pool. So the basics are open: how it copes with steps, drains or a steep slope into the deep end, how reliably the app connects at the far end of a garden, whether the cyclonic suction really keeps the filter from clogging, and how much the lift jet helps. The Zodiac page explains the design, not the results.
Our take
Should you buy the OV 5480 iQ?
Best for: In-ground pools whose owners want scheduled cleaning from an app. Skip it if: You want a stronger record in independent tests before buying.
wait for a proper test unless you already know and trust Zodiac's Vortex range. For a corded robot with an app and two tests behind it, the Hayward AquaVac 650 is the safer bet, and if you don't need an app testers rate the Dolphin Premier's waterline scrubbing highly.
The OV 5480 iQ is the top model in Zodiac's Vortex 4WD range. It's corded: a control box by the pool powers it through an 18-metre cable with a swivel to stop twisting. Four-wheel drive takes it across the floor, up the walls and along the waterline, and cyclonic suction keeps debris spinning in its big filter so it clogs less. Over the OV 5300 SW it adds Wi-Fi control from the iAquaLink app, scheduling, and a Lift System that pushes water out through a rear jet as you pull it from the pool.
Zodiac rates it for pools up to 12 x 6 metres, with cycles set in half-hour steps and a five-litre filter with a full indicator. The catches are weight and cover: it's hefty to lift dry, and its two-year warranty is shorter than the three or four years Zodiac gives its Voyager and Alpha iQ robots.
Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
Does it climb walls and clean the waterline?
Zodiac says it cleans the floor, walls and waterline, and it has a cycle for the waterline alone, per the specifications. We couldn't find a test of how well it climbs or scrubs, so for now that's the maker's word.
Do I need the app?
It comes with a control unit, but Wi-Fi and the iAquaLink app are what set it apart from the cheaper OV 5300 SW. The app lets you start and schedule cleans remotely, per Zodiac. If you won't use the app, the OV 5300 SW has the same drive and filter.
How do I get it out of the water?
Zodiac's Lift System uses a powerful rear jet to push water out as you lift, making the robot lighter, per the specifications. It still weighs 9.5kg dry, and it comes with a trolley to wheel it away. How much the jet actually helps hasn't been tested.
Will it work in an above-ground pool?
Zodiac lists in-ground pools and above-ground pools with rigid walls, of any shape, floor and surface, up to 12 x 6 metres, per the specifications. That rules out soft-sided above-ground pools.
Does it handle leaves as well as fine dirt?
The standard 5-litre filter is rated at 100 microns, and Zodiac sells very fine, fine and large-debris filters separately, per the specifications. Cyclonic suction is meant to stop the filter clogging. We couldn't find a test with a heavy leaf load yet.
Alternatives
Other robotic pool cleaners to compare.
Vortex OV 5300 SW
Why consider it: The same Vortex four-wheel drive, 5-litre filter and swivel cable, if you don't need the app or the lift jet.
The compromise: It's just as untested, and you're stuck with two fixed cycles on the control box.
AquaVac 650
Why consider it: A corded robot you control from an app over Wi-Fi, and both testers praised its cleaning and filterless canister.
The compromise: Neither tester could make its tug-the-cable recall work.
Premier
Why consider it: A long-running corded Dolphin with a choice of filters, including a big leaf bag, and testers rate its waterline scrubbing highly.
The compromise: It has no app, and it's heavy to lift out.
Specs
Full specifications
Each specification names its source. Manufacturer claims are not independent test results; unconfirmed figures are labelled.
Owner reviews
Do you own the OV 5480 iQ?
Tell people how it’s held up: cleaning, maintenance, faults and support. Owner accounts are shown separately from independent reviews.
Sources
Where this page’s findings come from
Sources
Videos
- Kiosque das piscinas: Conheça o Aspirador Elétrico Vortex OV 5480 iQ – Zodiac / Kiosque das Piscinas ↗
- Search YouTube for Zodiac OV 5480 iQ ↗Search results may include company demonstrations or similar models. Check the source and model name; a demonstration is not an independent performance test.