12.5.2019

This is our second robot. Our other is the Samsung PowerBot VR7000, which this year has dropped to about the same price as the Neato. This review will compare them.The Neato D4 sits in the middle of the range, with the D7 at the top.The Neato comes very nicely packaged, and with more spare brushes than with the Samsung, so a plus there. Neato makes some play about its D-shape, but it is almost identical in size and shape to the Samsung, and for the same cleaning-related reasons. Basically, a round unit can’t reach into a corner. It’s a round-peg-in-square-hole situation, meaning the D-shape is a big advantage.The Neato is easy to operate. Press a button and it starts cleaning.It cleans much quicker than the Samsung, but I don’t think it is as thorough. The Samsung makes more of an effort to get close to complex shapes, such as toilet bowls and bins, and around table and chair legs. The Neato seems to do better at a quick clean. The Samsung adjusts for carpeted and hard flooring, whereas the Neato does not. Both are good at coping with cliff edges, such as the stop of the stairs. Both have a lift-up feature to raise itself off things it has got stuck on.One big plus with the Neato is that it is MUCH better at handling rug fringes and shoe laces than the Samsung. For the Samsung, we have to remove all such obstacles because it will get tangled in them. Neato recommends folding over rug fringes but I’ve found that’s not necessary.The Neato returns to base much quicker than the Samsung, though it does sit for a while to think about where it is before heading for the base. However, the base seems to need much more space around it than the Samsung base.The Neato cleans very well despite not being cyclone. It picks up dirt from hard a soft floors as good as a conventional vacuum cleaner, but the Samsung’s power adjustment is better. The Samsung is better at picking up bigger bits, but the Neato seems better on pet hair. However, the Samsung has an impressive edge-cleaning feature that extends out automatically to get right into edges. The Samsung also gets through narrower gaps, which means it reaches parts of rooms that the Neato simply does not.Now for control. The Neato wins convincingly in every respect except spot cleaning. The Samsung has a dedicated remote control unit. This allows you to simply point at a place on the floor, and the Samsung will go to that point, cleaning it, and then return to base. Both machines are mainly control via smart phone apps and Wi-Fi. Samsung uses Smart Things, whereas Neato uses in-house software. I found Smart Things a pain to set up. The Neato was relatively easy. Neato uses a map, which you can draw on to mark no-go areas. The Samsung simply does not have this, and relies on sentries that you place a no-go barrier. Neato’s solution is vastly less expensive magnetic boundary marker tape.Alas, I haven’t got Alex here, so could not try it. However, I do hear good things about it.We use the Samsung downstairs and the Neato upstairs. Interestingly, if you put them both on the same floor, they get along well, even when they collide, and the controls and apps don’t seem to conflict.The VR7000 is more sophisticated and powerful cyclone machine. It came out in January2018. The D4 came out in August 2018. In this very fast-evolving market, eight months has seen prices fall and features rise. The Neato is easier to use, quicker to do the job, and has better. The Samsung is more thorough and gets into tighter spaces.Of the two, I have to say I prefer the Neato D4. Spot cleaning is a faff but, apart from that, it is quicker, handles tangle dangers better, is easier to control, is better for pet hair, and the Neato no-go barrier solution is far more cost-effective.

27.4.2019

The Neato Botvac Connected D4 arrived for review just after Mrs Helpless had vacuumed our downstairs rooms with a rechargeable vacuum cleaner. Mrs Helpless is not keen on connected technology and as I spent a few minutes downloading the appropriate Neato App to my phone she showed her sceptical side and said she didn’t see the need for this because she had already been round with a cleaner. She rolled her eyes and went to make herself a cup of tea.In the time she made her cup of tea, I had the charging base unit plugged in, the App downloaded and connected by WiFi, went through a quick naming ceremony giving the Neato D4 an identity and then was registered and ready to go.It was seriously easy and quick with simple to follow instructions.Then it was all hand on deck, I opened all the downstairs doors, opened the App and hit the start button. Boris the Botvac bleeped, wiggled and he was on his way.In operation Boris the Botvac isn’t particularly noisy and does not drown out the television. I kept it running on the Eco setting, but there are two others to choose from, Extra Care or Turbo. Runtime is around 70 mins though if on the Turbo setting operating time is somewhat reduced.It follows the edges of the room using radar and then fills in the gaps, it moves from room to room. In around 26 minutes it had covered 23 square metres on a mixture of surfaces, carpet, wood floor laminate and rugs. Mrs Helpless stood by the door with her cup of tea in hand and curious look on her face. She said she didn’t see the point as she had already done the work.Boris the Botvac had vacuumed the designated areas, the brush head stopped spinning the vacuum switched off and he drove himself back to the charging station and then with a wiggle reversed to connect for a recharge. Finally he produced a graphic on the App of all the areas that had been cleaned. At that point I updated the software to the latest build.I’d also like to point out that if the Botvac is running low on charge it will return to the base station for a recharge before carrying on where it left off. The graphic is excellent and tells you where the device has cleaned, the time taken and the area covered.I checked the dust container and triumphantly sought out Mrs Helpless and asked if she had really vacuumed the house earlier on. She was not entirely amused by my smug smile.Ok, so the Neato D4 has a couple of minor downsides. We have a couple of raised areas downstairs and it cannot climb steps or stairs so like the early model of Dalek it has a small disadvantage.Also, there are future running costs involved. Firstly, there are filters to be changed every few months and the brush heads may need replacing every 8 months or so. These consumables will depend on how much you use the D4. The brush heads are not cheap at around £36 but at least you can get alternative filters that will save you quite a bit of money. The battery should be changed after 1-2 years depending on usage and costs around £50. It also has a one year guarantee.In conclusion I think it is a great device and it vacuums really well and I do think Mrs Helpless has seen the benefit in using it as she has already got it programmed for scheduled vacuuming while we are all out at work. On alternate days it deals with downstairs and then we relocate it to upstairs.There is the cost of the unit, but this one comes with a replacement brush head and two extra filters so it should see you through the first year of operation. I really do have to forgive its shortcomings and give it 5 stars.

3.5.2019

This is an adorable little robot that cleans your house effectively. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel having a robot trundling around the house cleaning up after me, however I have grown to look upon him with something approaching paternal affection. There is something surprisingly endearing about the way he bleeps, trundles off, mooches round then, almost magically, heads back to his docking station and does a *perfect* reverse manoeuvre towards the charging points then shuffles himself back until contact is made. It really is very clever.Set-up is no fuss. Get the app, charge him up (he’s fully set up out of the box), pair your device to the bot, and you’re away. You can then start cleaning,either with the button on his top, or through the app. My flat downstairs is quite a complex layout, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a hallway, with slight differences in levels depending on the flooring (there is a combination of hardwood, carpet and tiles) and plenty of nooks. Neato managed them all fine, covering an area of 29 sq metres in half an hour. He did seem to duplicate one area near the docking station, but this was maybe him just orientating himself to his surroundings.At the end of the cleaning, his battery was showing red, and he headed back to the docking station. I’m assuming from the floorpan that these two events were coincidental, as complete cleaning coverage is shown, he didn’t stop before finishing every available piece of floor. I was a bit surprised that the battery was getting low after half an hour when it’s meant to last up to 75 minutes, but this could be due to being its first use, or perhaps the differences in terrain. This was in Eco mode. There is also a Turbo mode which provides greater cleaning suction but reduces running time.The wheels are very cleverly designed, they rise up when needed in order to allow Neato to overcome obstacles, small changes in floor level (up to 19mm) or tight corners. It really is fascinating to watch. It’s hard to see how he could come a cropper. He only got stuck once, when a piece of thick string got caught in his wheel - I just pulled it out and pressed start again, and off he went.The dirt bin was full to the brim when he had finished, so I am really impressed with the cleaning ability.I’m not convinced I will be replacing the filters as often as every 1-2 months. This sounds like a money-spinner to me, however you do get 2 spares in the box, which is nice. Also included are a replacement brush designed for pet hairs and a filter cleaning tool. You are advised to replace the battery every 12-18 months, this might well be a pricey exercise so we’ll see. I plan to use this once per week so will monitor how the battery performs over time.You will need to decide whether the cost of purchasing and maintaining the Neato will outweigh the advantages. It takes me 10 minutes to do the same area manually. But for me it is just useful enough to warrant its keep.I didn’t feel the need to connect this to Alexa, but the app is really nice, clearly laid out and does what you need it to. There are no real instructions other than a quick start guide, but you can access these through the app. It really is very simple to use.I love this little guy!

3.10.2019

I was new to the concept of having a robotic vacuum cleaner but I am completely won over with ‘Dave’ (you name yours so Alexa can tell it what to do) I have physical disabilities and this really is a great help to me. The vacuum strength is great, it cleans equally well wool carpet and Lino, and navigates my small flat in 9 minutes, producing at the end a map of the areas it’s cleaned. I have tucked the charging station away under the table. The instructions say that you should leave space either side, however I’ve found this is fine and keeps everything looking tidy. Dave runs on 4 wheels, which together with his curved backside enables him to pirouette in place and clean right up to edges,and the sweeper bars (only good for wood or Lino) gets in close to the edges and flings the dust into its path. These bars are cleverly designed, being a magnetic slot in clip, enabling easy swop out when you replace them. (4 months in and I don’t have to change mine yet despite half the floor being wool). The vacuum bin itself is really easy to empty, and the filters it uses are HEPS rated and cheap to buy replacements for when the filters get filled with fluff. I think this would be an absolute game changer for disabled and elderly people, as long as they can bend down to physically lift out the dustbin then they’ll be able to use the system. I have linked mine to Alexa enabling me to voice activate it, however there is an equally fantastic app (IPad, iPhone Android). (and also I think.... Mac and Windows PC’s too, though I cannot say that for sure).The suction seems to be honestly fine, Dave cleaned and then I used my Dyson handheld and it was only light dust from the stairs which obviously this cannot do, together with the edges tool.You can also lift the unit up and put it on your second floor, it’ll plod on round their too, however because it’s not starting from the base station you have to physically press the blue button. A map is then produced there too.Now, it can get caught up on tassels. Also on throws on the sofa if they drape. Socks and laces are also it’s nemesis. However you simply lift it up and gently unravel the tangle.The technology in these are astonishing, revolving laser scanning, 3D mapping, memory of your rooms, voice activated via Google home or Alexa. You are also able to schedule cleaning during the night if you want so you come down every day to a freshly cleaned floor. It’s all Truly Astonishing. .Yet really really simple to use. That’s the real key. Some tech is great.... but it takes so long for you to get it started your quicker doing it yourself. This is the complete opposite.It also comes with replacement brush bars and filters to get you started.In conclusion.... wow! I’m definitely not going back.

2.5.2019

Item arrived packaged in a box, in a box, in a Neato box. Fortunately the majority of the triple packaging is recyclable. The Neato Botvac Connected D4 is an impressive fellow - very reminiscent of the robots that populate most of the Star Wars stories.It took only a few minutes to unpack, read the informative instructions, download, register and connect to the Neato app and then add the Alexa skill. This was a stress free and relatively simple process.You can stick with the default name, or give your Botvac a name of your choosing. You can also choose 'quiet' (Eco) or 'turbo' mode, as well as 'Extra Care'.After a couple of hours charge Ed 209 was ready for his first mission.

13.1.2020

This is our first robot vacuum cleaner so I’m comparing it against having to use a manual vacuum, and in that regard it is definitely worth a 5 star rating. In how it compares against other robot hoovers other reviewers might be able to help. There is plenty good about this robot vacuum:* Having this saves me time. No longer do I need to hoover the house. The robot does it for me. Almost all of it. He still can’t do my stairs. And there are other things he can’t do, he can’t hoover my car or inside drawers and things like that. But in covering the floors he is doing the majority of the hoovering. So that is great although you’ll still need a second hoover for the other,

6.5.2019

I think it is everybody’s dream to be able to do the cleaning with little to no effort.Well this goes a long way to fulfilling that dream.Easy to setup. You plug in the charging station in a part of the house that is out of the way but gives it easy access and then place it’s back again the charging station and it happily charges. No plugging the vacuum cleaner in direct.Once fully charged it is ready to go. You press its button and it shuffles forward a bit. Makes a noise and then starts off.It starts working it’s was around the room. I think it is working out the rooms dimensions here and spends a fair time going around before it will start going back and forth in strips doing the central parts.I am actually quite impressed with its ability to get into little corners.

3.5.2019

+ Great suction+ Thick pile rug and wildly uneven floorboards no problem+ Life massively improved- A little bigger than I thought- App not the greatestLet's get over the fact I LOVE this machine and it has changed my life.I have a small, cluttered cottage, and it's been really hard to find a vacuum with enough flexibility to get under the beds and into the inaccessible places. This charming little bot totally does that, and it had solved more or less all my annoyances in one go.You have to download an app in order to instruct it, after which it does a little exploratory clean, and maps out your floorplan using its laser sensors. You can then set 'no go' areas if you choose,

14.5.2019

"Alexa, ask Neato to clean the house". That's it, off it goes. So easy!Initial set-up via the app is just a matter of registering an account with Neato (from California, of course) and getting it visible on the WiFi. Find a space to put the charger/docking station, charge up and off it goes. It explored and mapped our complex, cluttered ground floor and did a good job of cleaning all surfaces from hardwood flooring through carpets to a very long-pile rug. It gets over the thresholds well with a rise of its wheels and makes a valiant attempt at getting over Ikea chair frames 30mm high.If it runs out of charge it goes back home, charges up and then goes and finishes.

10.5.2019

I've had 'Bob' and 'Bert' for some time now. Bob was a Neato from 2 years ago and Bert is the new PET version of Bob.So things you need to know.1. Make sure all your cables are off the floor. Bob and Bert love to try and eat these and can get tangled and stuck. Same for long curtains or curtains with tassels.2. Make sure ALL doors are WIDE OPEN. Remember the robot will try and clean behind the door and may nudge the door closed and effectively trap itself in the room.3. You may want to set Bob running before you go to bed ... *but* remember if the robot gets stuck he'll text you again and again saying he's stuck and come and help him. Not so much fun if it's 4am. Best let them run around when you're out shopping.4.

3.7.2020

Really good robot vac, the standard filter that came in as standard is poor however the premium ones that were in the box are miles better as they are easier to clip in and it has a netting over the filter to stop hair getting stuck in the fin design.Battery life is good and lasts about 30-40 minutes. Enough to do a standard ground floor of a house.The amount it picks up is really good and it's surprising how much dust has been picked up after you empty it. It struggles to pick up debris in corners a bit which is a slight let down.The app is brilliant and the ability to map out your house and set no go lines is really helpful. Just a shame no go lines are not enabled with Google assistant.

1.7.2020

This is my second robot cleaner and I am impressedIt has a more powerful suction than I expected and learnt the layout of the downstairs quicker than my previous robot.It really comes into its own with getting under sofas, we have three in our living roomMoving sofas to vacuum is just the pits and this as its predecessor is just the job, admittedly we have decent sized legs on our sofas but it zooms underneath them getting all that dust and cat fur really well.It also manages to get up onto our deep pile rug well and gives it a right going over.The charge is good enough for the downstairs which is hard floored, I assume carpets would be more draining but I could believe it would still make it around them all in one charge.You still have to move obstacles and wires,

25.11.2019

I am amazed how good our Neato is! I didn’t hold out much hope of it getting round our large ground floor on one charge and it didn’t quite make it but the fact it can charge and resume resolved that issue. I also know we can upgrade the battery to one that lasts longer. I didn’t expect edge to edge cleaning but it gets pretty close and as it cleans daily there is very little dust accumulating at the edge of rooms. As it can’t climb skirting I dust those and flick any dust from the edge, behind doors etc further into the room. I can see carpet being more of an issue but we only have hard floors downstairs. The no go lines took a while to get right but they stop it climbing into the dogs water bowl etc.

6.5.2019

This is a superb little botvac.The pet edition from Amazon includes extra filters and brush bar making it great value.It was easy enough to setup as was the alexa integration.The vac itself is well made and quite frankly a little marvel!Once you have it setup the vac just cracks on. I set mine to go when I leave and it does a pass across the bottom of the house.It seems to cope well with objects and the integrated wifi allows for remote use. The way the wheels adjust to overcome changes in floor ie hardfloor to carpet etc is fascinating.There are a couple of cleaning modes and despite already having cleaned it surprised me how much additional dust and debris it found.Superb and clearly the

27.6.2020

I have used it for a couple weeks now. It has caused us a couple damage when we didn't set up the no-go line for some area and it has broken the cables on the floor and have a bit of front door mat screw off. So no doubt on its sucking power. However, what i think it annoys me is that, you can only have the zone function if you get the more expensive version. It's obviously not the mechanical limitation of the product. They just want to spend extra hundreds pounds for a little hardware improvement but mainly the software function. It shows the company itself isn't aiming for the customers but money.

Neato Robotics 945-0343 - Reviews

Info

Analysis

Detail