A Closer Look at Neato Botvac Connected: Design, Features, & Performance

We’re all aware of robot vacuums and the impact they have had on clean floors over the past recent years. They’re certainly a cool, modern twist on traditional cleaning needs and methods. But, if we’re being honest, robot vacuums are becoming more common, which means that newer models will have a harder time impressing – after all, once a robot vacuum can clean the floor, what possible improvements would make me need anything else? The truth is, however, that not all robot vacuums are created equal, and Neato Botvac Connected is one of the most advanced robot vacuum cleaners on the market today.

Get it from Amazon: Neato Botvac Connected.
Neato Botvac Connected Wi-Fi Enabled Robot Vacuum

What is the Neato Botvac Connected?

Essentially, Neato Botvac Connected moves beyond the basic laser mapping of previous robot vacuums. It connects to your wi-fi network, which allows it to communicate with you via your smart phone app. It integrates with Amazon Alexa, meaning that you can basically start vacuuming your floor while you lie in bed, just by stating the command

A feature of Botvac that is as useful as it is just plain fun is the fact that, through the app, you can steer the robot vacuum like you would steer, say, a remote-controlled car. Sure, you probably won’t make much headway in trying to chase your pet remotely, but this feature is incredibly helpful if you notice a section of floor that could use a manual spot-cleaning boost.

Neato Botvac Connected Wi-Fi Enabled Robot Vacuum

Pros & Cons of Neato Botvac Connected

Neato Botvac Connected – Pros.

So, what are the advantages of Neato Botvac Connected when compared to other robot vacuums? Here, in a nutshell, are a few pros:

  • Is a low-profile robot vacuum, allowing it to travel underneath furniture and thus clean more and better.
  • Great cleaning capacity, working particularly well on hard floors and able to pick up clumps of pet hair even on carpet.
  • Has a good battery life, anywhere from 90 to 120 minutes, depending on the cleaning mode selected.
  • Is designed effectively with useful, usable smart features such as LIDAR triangulation for efficient mapping and navigation.
  • Proactive at getting itself out of awkward or difficult situations and maneuvering steadily over uneven surfaces.
  • Integrates with an easy-to-use app, with plenty of stats and options, on android and iOS smart phones.

Neato Botvac Connected – Cons.

It all sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? The truth is, hardly any product on the market today has only advantages. A couple of disadvantages of this robot vacuum include the following:

  • Works less effectively to clean thicker and/or higher-pile carpets and rugs.
  • Has a relatively large footprint, which makes getting into/under and cleaning smaller spaces a challenge.
  • Sometimes views floor transitions as obstacles, resulting in Botvac’s turning away from, say, a rug after navigating a room with hard floors.
  • May suction objects that shouldn’t be suctioned, such as cords.
  • Somewhat noisy, operating at about 72 decibels.
Neato Botvac Connected Wi-Fi Enabled Robot Vacuum

Design & Key Features of Neato Botvac Connected

Neato Botvac Connected is designed specifically to look like a serious in the smart cleaning devices category. Some key features also allow the vacuum to walk the walk, as it were.

Functional & Sturdy Design.

Here is a list of what Neato Botvac Connected offers aesthetically, as well as functionally, within its design:

  • An all-black color scheme, punctuated with some shiny metallic accents, give it a utilitarian, modern look.
  • A wide, flat body allows it to penetrate a variety of hard-to-access, below-furniture spaces. It measures 32cm x 34cm x 10cm (12.6” x 13.4” x 3.9”) and weighs 3.4kg (7.5 pounds).
  • A small LED color screen is located on top of the robot vacuum, accompanied by four touch-enabled navigation buttons, a setup that allows for manual control of adjusting settings and scheduling cleaning cycles. Two other large buttons allow for basic manual controllability for spot cleaning and/or full home cleaning.
  • It’s a hefty design. There is a mix of suction and power brushing in the cleaning capacity of Neato Botvac Connected. The 27.7cm (10.9”) brush bar has two components: (1) a spiral rubbery blade, and (2) a tough-bristled combo brush, which combine to cut up tangled hair and dust as it’s caught. Additionally, a small spinning brush on one edge not only facilitates edge cleaning, but it also is able to toss dirt and debris into the path of the big brush.
  • The dust bin has a 0.7-liter (or nearly 3-cup) capacity. It is located on top of Neato Botvac Connected, for easy removal, emptying, and reattachment.
  • Magnetic strips to mark boundaries are included, which allow you to create specific “no trespassing” zones for Neato Botvac Connected.
  • The robot vacuum comes with a spare filter.

 

Neato Botvac Connected Wi-Fi Enabled Robot Vacuum

Key Features for Solid & Steady Reputation.

The following bulleted list details some of the key features you should consider when studying Neato Botvac Connected:

  • Neato Botvac Connected uses wi-fi connectivity capability with accompanying smart phone app controllability. This means that you can connect Botvac to your wi-fi and then control it from virtually anywhere.
  • The robot vacuum is compatible with Amazon Alexa, meaning you can simply control it with your voice.
  • Through the app, you can steer the robot, a la remote-controlled toy cars. Terrific for spot cleaning.
  • Two physical buttons on Botvac allow you to control spot cleaning (the robot vacuum will then take two perpendicular passes over the room) and return to the charging/docking base.
  • Botvac uses LIDAR (laser) technology for mapping and navigation, allowing it to effectively and efficiently traverse your floor and clean all the inches.
  • Edge sensors keep Botvac from falling down stairs.
  • Options for power settings (Eco and Turbo) allow you to command the level of cleaning intensity your floors want and need. Of course, this choice affects battery life, but you can get the level of clean that your floor actually needs.
  • Once the battery life runs out during a cleaning cycle, Botvac will return itself to the docking/charging station and then, once charged, resume its cleaning cycle wherever it left off.
  • There is a touted 90- to 120-minute battery life: the 90-minute life comes with Turbo mode because greater power is required and, therefore, more motor is used. The 120-minute life comes with Eco mode, which gets the job done while preserving battery capacity.
Neato Botvac Connected Wi-Fi Enabled Robot Vacuum

 

Neato Botvac Connected Wi-Fi Enabled Robot Vacuum
Neato Botvac Connected Wi-Fi Enabled Robot Vacuum

How Does Neato Botvac Perform ?

The following performance measures have been discovered to illustrate the performance capacity of Neato Botvac Connected:

Intelligent & Systematic Navigation.

Neato Botvac Connected Wi-Fi Enabled Robot Vacuum

Neato Botvac Connected will pause momentarily when starting a cleaning cycle. During this time, it is using spinning infrared laser technology to assess the space. Once done, Botvac will then proceed to navigate the space systematically. It will cover the perimeter edges of the room and work in an efficient and thorough grid, running rows and columns. This methodology helps the robot vacuum to cover every part of the floor, without missing large chunks or gaps, as happens with a more random approach. It can clean up to 415 square meters (4500 square feet) over the course of three runs.

Strategically Designed Shape.

Neato Botvac Connected Wi-Fi Enabled Robot Vacuum

The D-shape of Neato Botvac Connected is, for a vacuum, genius. It’s got curves to help it flow smoothly around furniture and other obstacles, and it’s got corners to really reach into those corners for maximum cleaning. The low profile is also key in the robot vacuum’s ability to provide thorough cleaning coverage, as it easily fits under sofas, cupboards, radiators, you name it.

Powerful Cleaning Capability.

Neato Botvac Connected Wi-Fi Enabled Robot Vacuum

Neato Botvac Connected carefully but effectively attacks the debris on your hard floors to leave them utterly clean. It sweeps up rice, salt, and whatever else it may encounter on the kitchen floor within one pass. Carpets are not Botvac’s particular forte, but Turbo mode amps up the cleaning power sufficiently to get the job done well on regular carpets and rugs. Thick carpets are a struggle for Botvac.

Get it from Amazon: Neato Botvac Connected.

Conclusion – The Bottom Line

Neato Botvac Connected is a great little robot vacuum, particularly when compared to its wi-fi-connected peers and when you take into consideration its relatively low price. Task-oriented and functional design aspects, coupled with key features, help to keep this robot vacuum solid and steady. While a home with lots of thicker-pile rugs and carpets probably wouldn’t be a great fit, if you live in a place that is mostly hard floors, or if pet hair is a regular challenge for you to keep under control, Neato Botvac Connected could very well be the perfect robot vacuum for you.