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The Botvac Connected is the most expensive and premium robot vacuum in the Neato offer. It is the smartest model they have and one of the best we’ve tested in terms of volume of debris picked up and suction power. It has extremely intuitive and intelligent mapping and navigation abilities and a very user-friendly app. It does have its limitations when it comes to thick carpets or reflective furniture and it is among the most expensive robot vacuums you can find, but also one of the best on the market today.
The Neato Botvac Connected is manufactured by Neato Robotics, an American company based in California. Neato Robotics specializes in robot vacuum cleaners and came up with the first D shaped and WiFi connected robot vacuums that support Amazon Alexa.
The first robot to be released by Neato was the XV-11 model, which was launched in 2010. The Botvac models were introduced only in 2014.
Now, the two main categories of robot vacuums available from Neato are the Botvac Connected model and the Botvac D series, which come in several available models (D3, D85, D5, D7). The Botvac Connected series are also D shaped but are more expensive and have a more premium design and finish.
The Botvac Connected robot vacuum is D shaped and it has WiFi connectivity.
Specifications:
Weight: 9 lbs.
Height: 3.9 inches
Width: 13.2 inches
Cleaning coverage in one cycle: up to 5000 sq ft
Battery type: High capacity lithium-ion
The Botvac Connected is by far the most expensive and smart model released by Neato so far. It comes with app control (both iOS and Android compatible), a manual drive remote control and Amazon Alexa and Google Home support, IDTTT and Neato Chatbot.
It has a multitude of features: scheduling options, statistics, cleaning history and cleaning summary with Coverage Map, Spot Clean and more.
The robot is also self-charging, meaning it automatically returns to its charging station by itself when the battery is low. The D shaped design helps it to get easier in specific areas like corners.
This Botvac Connected comes with a small display with the menu and it has 4 navigation buttons. On the screen you can see the battery level, which cleaning mode is enabled as well as certain errors. There is also manual control, if that works better for you.
The run time of the Botvac is around 2 hours, and the charging time 2 hours and a half, if you want to have a full battery. It has two cleaning modes: eco and turbo. In eco mode it runs approx. 2 hours and 1 hour and a half in turbo mode.
When you use the Botvac on eco mode, it will also be less noisy. We recommend using the turbo mode especially for harder to clean areas such as carpets, where you need more power to perform a thorough cleaning.
As for the cleaning abilities of the Botvac Connected, we found it to be among, if not the best unit we’ve tested so far, in terms of the volume of debris picked up. It has an overall suction power far superior than all the other major competitors, regardless of the surface: wood, carpet, etc. Its advanced mapping technology and laser system allows it to systematically clean all the areas of the room, in well-defined back and forth patterns, in row and columns, and avoid any obstacles it detects. While it doesn’t have a camera, the sensor can detect obstacles even in the dark, which is actually a very useful thing. There are also edge sensors which prevent it to fall down the stairs.
A minus of the Botvac is the fact that it struggles with reflective furniture, so it will be hard for it when it comes across mirrors for example. Another drawback be the fact that the robot isn’t that effective in cleaning fine particles such as sand, especially from carpeting. It does make up for it though when it comes to pet hair.
One thing we really liked and had fun messing around with was the app. It is extremely user-friendly and you can figure it out in less than 10 minutes. Once you connect the robot you also get to name it whatever you want. On the interface you will see how full the bin is and the level of the battery.
As a conclusion, the Botvac Connected is without a doubt the most advanced model released by Neato so far. It is also among the priciest on the market, although the Roomba 980 from iRobot is even more expensive.
Botvac Connected is very high-tech and its cleaning abilities are top-notch. Its weakest points would be thick carpeting and reflective furniture.
On the official Neato website, the Botvac Connected goes for $799. For this price you also get a USB cable, the charging station, a spare brush, a magnetic strip and brush cleaners.
Phone: +1-877-296-3286 (toll free)
+1-720-785-5047 (toll and from outside US)
Contact form: https://www.neatorobotics.com/contact-us/reseller/
You can contact the customer support team from Neato via phone, live chat or e-mail. Their response time with e-mail is max. 48 hours.
You can also find extensive documentation and guides on their website related to all their products, information on warranty and repair, helpful ‘how to’ videos and more.
Our editorial staff evaluates products and services independently, but ReviewFyer may earn money when you click on links. Read our advertising disclosure.
By: Kelly | Last updated March 1, 2018 
