Robot vacuums have made our life comfortable but it can be costly. Well, today we will be talking about the Neato Botvac Connected which costs under $700 where there are still more expensive bots like iRobot Roomba 980, making a tough decision for you either you should spend this much or not.
That said, the Neato Botvac Connected has several similarities with Roomba 980: Wi-Fi feature, app control with a smartphone, mapping systems, easy to use, and, most importantly, both take care of your household vacuuming chores for you.
The Neato Botvac Connected is a bit bigger in size than Roomba 980 but provides real value for the money.
Neato Botvac Connected Review
Table of Contents
Let’s discuss the Neato Botvac Connected Review in details.
Design and Features
The D shape of the Neato allows it to get into corners better. The curved back end houses an exhaust vent and two metal strips which are typically used to charge the robot while it’s docked on its station. It measures 3.9 by 12.7 by 13.2 (HWD) inches, which is a bit taller than the Roomba 980 (3.6 inches), which don’t let the bot get under the TV stands or couches.
The front chassis contains a handle allowing you to pick the robot up and move it from room to room. Furthermore, at the top, there’s a 1.7-by-1.7-inch LCD panel, Spot Clean button, four programming buttons, and a large Home button.
The LCD houses valuable information, including various indicators for battery life, Wi-Fi status, schedule set, and cleaning mode (Turbo for powerful suction, Eco for quieter cleaning).
The Home and Spot Clean buttons also indicate either the battery is full or not. There are several programmable buttons on the side of LCD which is home to different settings allowing you to do everything without using the app.
Flip over the robot and you will find a spinning side brush, a single 10.9-inch brush/blade combo roller, two main wheels that drive the robot, and a drop sensor that prevents the bot from falling down from stairs.
Furthermore, you will find an extra filter, and a blade roller in the box, an 80-inch boundary marker, which is basically magnetic tape which allows you to create custom borders for your desired place. It lacks a remote control, but the smartphone is enough.
The Neato Botvac comes with a 4,200mAh lithium-ion battery which lasts for 90 minutes while used with Turbo mode and lasts for 120 minutes in Eco mode. When runs low on battery it returns back to its docking station but takes 180 minutes to full charge.
Setup, App, and Control
The Neato Botvac Connected uses laser guidance to map out a floor plan for your entire home. When the robot is sitting on the dock, either press the Home button or use the smartphone app, the vacuum will scan the environment and then work in straight lines, moving along the perimeter of the room before it moves inward.
Connecting the robot with a mobile can be challenging in the beginning. The smartphone app which is available on the Google Play or Apple App Store is compatible with both operating systems.
After unboxing, put the vacuum on the docking station and make sure it’s connected and charging. Now follow the app’s instructions to establish the Wi-Fi network.
Make sure when you are connecting with Wi-Fi network, the Bluetooth and Location settings are off. Those settings shouldn’t make a difference in connecting to the robot.
The app is simple and easy to use. The main screen is the home of the potential fleet of vacuum ‘bots, and a + icon is used to connect new ones.
However, you will only see one vacuum on the list designated by a swatch with the vacuum’s name, status, battery life, and an icon located at the top left corner which houses all the access settings.
To move to the next screen tap anywhere on the screen, where you can press a big Play icon which is used to turn the vacuum on. To choose the cleaning modes, tap the gear icon located at the upper right corner and pick either Eco or Turbo mode.
To access more cleaning modes, tap the bottom of the app and a page will be opened showing you the default Clean House that maps every room of your house; Clean Spot, that works on specific areas; and Manual Clean, which allows you to deploy the bot where you want.
If you have shag carpet then you can choose your best vacuum for shag carpet and if you have hard floors then you can choose best vacuum for hardwood floors.
Performance
To activate the robot, press the Play icons as mentioned earlier or push the Home button located on the robot. But before, make sure the way is clear from small items like shoes, socks, and toys; to avoid the vacuum tripping or getting them dragged around.
By default the robot works in default house cleaning mode, moving in parallel lines and never leaves the area until the job gets done. You can the vacuum to concentrate on a specific area for deep cleaning using the Spot Clean mode.
With its impressive battery life of 90 minutes, it can clean bathroom, bedroom, dining area, entrance hall and a living area. From big clumps of dust to unseen dust and dirt particles it can pick up almost anything from the hardwood or other floors.
If you have cat food pellet spilled on your floors, the Neato will take care of that too. For noise, the Botvac is much quieter compared to Roomba 980. Though it is noisy but feels only when you are too close.
Robot vacuums having Wi-Fi features are more expensive than others. But the Neato Botvac brings these features but cuts the price way down from the Roomba 980 with similar features but higher price.
Overall, Neato Botvac Connected is an expensive but powerful robot vacuum that you can control using a smartphone and enjoy the stellar performance.
- Excellent performance
- Wi-Fi enables
- Easy to use smartphone app
- Powerful suction
- Expensive
- Quirky setup process
This Neato Botvac Connected Review ( Updated Now ) explains features, functions, pros, cons, and other options to help you decide what you should do with this robot.
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