NEATO ROBOT VACUUMS SERIAL
NEATO ROBOT VACUUMS UPGRADE
NEATO ROBOT VACUUMS ANDROID

You can register its serial number, for instance, or save a photo of your proof of purchase. You can also log on to Neato's website if you want to do more than just give your robot vacuum a name. Roger got to work without delay, and when he returned to the charging station, he sent me a push notification letting me know he was finished. I went with 'Roger,' then told Roger to start a cleaning run. With the vacuum cleaner tethered to your home's Wi-Fi network, Neato will ask you to give it a name. I got an error message during this last part on my first attempt, but as soon as I started the process again, things instantly synced right up. It'll broadcast a signal that your smart phone can join up with - from there, you'll jump back into the app, reselect your home Wi-Fi network, and watch as everything finishes pairing up. You'll start by activating the Wi-Fi radio on the vacuum itself. It's clean-looking, it's easy-to-use and it works like a charm. The Neato app is the shiny new addition to the Botvac experience, and a big part of why this vacuum costs $200 more than the previous generation.

NEATO ROBOT VACUUMS ANDROID

You can switch between modes or set up scheduled cleaning runs by tapping through the settings on Neato's color LCD screen, but if you'd rather not hunch over, you can also just pull up the Neato app on your Android or iOS device. You'll lose a little bit of suction power, but cleaning runs won't drain the battery as quickly, and the Neato will run a little quieter, too. In addition to the default, full-powered 'Turbo' mode, you can now flip over into a power-saving 'Eco' mode, too. I'm fine with that trade-off - if the Neato is doing its thing while I'm away at work, I want it to take all of the time it needs.Īlso new with the connected Neato: cleaning modes. That gives the Neato ample opportunity to pick up any debris it might miss on a single pass, though cleaning runs take a little longer as a result.

In smaller rooms and spaces, the Botvac Connected is more thorough: it sweeps the center of the room in both rows and columns, and edges along the walls multiple times, too. Older Neatos were too efficient for their own good, sweeping along the walls and then covering the center of each room in a single back-and-forth pass. Those navigation capabilities seem to be somewhat refined in the connected model. When it's finished, it'll automatically return to its docking station for a recharge. From there, it'll use its laser-assisted navigation capabilities to sweep back and forth across the center of the room, nimbly dodging your furniture as it goes. That approach sends the Botvac out around the perimeter of the room, where it'll feel its way along the walls with a side-sweeping brush to tidy up the edges. It's the same, D-shaped cleaner with the same brushrolls, the same accessories, and the same general approach to covering your floors. The Botvac Connected sticks with the design of the existing line of Botvac models, with only minor tweaks to the color scheme. Neato's new robot vacuum adds in app-enabled smarts (pictures) See all photos Design and features But make no mistake: this is the best robot vacuum Neato has ever made, and the best robot vacuum money can currently buy. Robot vacuums were brainy to begin with, and I wouldn't blame you for scoffing at the addition of app controls (or the price increase). It also features a new and improved lithium ion battery, a legitimate step up from the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries of before. In fact, in the majority of our tests, the Neato Botvac Connected beat out the entire field of robot vacs. The same can be said for the app-enabled Dyson 360 Eye, which costs $1,000, but never bested Neato. However, it's also $200 less than the connected version of iRobot's Roomba - and it beat that Roomba in every test we ran.

NEATO ROBOT VACUUMS UPGRADE

Read: Roomba gets an upgrade and a new floor mopping sidekickĪt $700 (or £549 in the UK), the Botvac Connected is Neato's most expensive robot vacuum yet, costing $200 more than its unconnected predecessors in the Botvac D Series. Pair it with its app on your Android or iOS device, and you'll be able to start, schedule, and even steer it right from your phone - a welcome addition for a brand that, across all of its models to date, has yet to offer a remote control with any of its cleaners. Now, a new crop of app-enabled 'smart' robot vacuums is navigating into the picture, including the Wi-Fi-equipped Neato Botvac Connected.

Neato robot vacuums