Comparing the Botvac Connected vs Botvac D80 – Which is the Best Value?

Neato bills their vacuums as the robot vacuums with a brain. Use the Neato Connected App to clean your floors from wherever you are. Start, stop, pause, schedule, and receive notifications on the go. Neato calls the Connected, “The smartest, most powerful, robot vacuum.”

It uses LaserSmart mapping and navigation to scan the room, plan the most efficient course and complete the job up to four times faster than round robots.

In a hurry? Check out the key advantages of both in the table below. Otherwise, read on for the full details.

Botvac Connected Advantages	Botvac D80 Advantages
Has an App you can use to schedule and monitor the cleaning process of the Botvac Connected.	The Neato Botvac D80 is considerably less expensive than the Botvac Connected (Check here for the latet pricing)
Long lasting Lion-Ion battery (LU)	The Neato Botvac has the same CornerClever technology, real-time object detection, LaserSmart Mapping technology, ultra performance filter and D-shape as the Botvac Connected.
Two cleaning modes: Eco and Turbo	One cleaning mode.

Neato Botvac Connected Features & Specs

There is no two ways about it, the Botvac Connected is an impressive robot vacuum.

• Has an App: Take control of the Botvac Connected from anywhere in the world. Start a cleaning cycle, stop one, pause and re-schedule, all while you’re sitting in your favorite cafe. When you’re at home, have the vacuum notify you when its dust bin needs changing. (Or not. The notifications are configurable.) I loved this particular feature. Sometimes my two cats shed a lot and sometimes hardly at all. I liked being able to trust the vacuum to tell me when I needed to empty the dirt bin, something which allowed me to forget about this particular chore allowing me to check it much less often. On top of all this, the app also acts as a remote, allowing you to assume complete control of the Neato to guide it to high-use areas. Sometimes my cats like to roll around in a patch of sunlight leaving, it seems, half their hair behind! These spots require extra cleaning. Last but certainly not least, you can also use the app to schedule cleanings throughout the week. (Though the Eco setting is so quiet I found I didn’t mind running the vacuum while I was home.)

• Corner Clever technology: The Neato’s D-shaped design means that it can whisk dirt out of corners and along walls.

• Long Lasting Battery: Long lasting Li-ion battery. In Eco mode, the Botvac Connected lasts for 120 minutes.

• Real-Time Object Detection: LaserSmart mapping and navigation combines with real-time object detection to enable the Connected to navigate even the messiest room. The Neato scans and maps a room, which allows it to actually plan out where to clean, allowing it to finish up to four times faster than other robot vacuums.

• Two Cleaning Modes: Eco and Turbo. Choose Eco for a longer, quieter, energy-saving cleaning cycle (battery lasts for approximately 120 minutes). Choose Turbo for super powered cleaning with lots of power left over for picking up tricky things like hair (battery lasts for approximately 90 minutes).

• Ultra Performance Filter: The filter is easy to remove and clean. The Connected comes with a brush and filter cleaning tool.

• D-Shape: The square edges allow the Connected to clean within 14mm of walls and hug corners which allows it to clean where other vacuums can’t. The folks at Neato promise that with the its “unique shape and 50% larger brush than round robots, the Botvac connected cleans within 14mm of walls and deeper into corners.” Very nice.

• Low Profile: The low profile of the Botvac Connected—it’s 3.9 inches high—enables it to clean under beds and other hard-to-reach places.
• Powerful Suction: Powerful suction combines with precision brushes to get your floors cleaner than ever before. In Turbo mode the Connected does a good job even on deep shag carpet, picking up dirt and even pet hair. If you don’t need that kind of power and want a quieter, longer, cleaning cycle just use Eco mode.

• Dirt Bin: The dirt bin is extra-large (0.7-litre) and holds more dust and dirt then round vacuums. Also, it’s super easy to empty. For me this was a definite plus. At the moment I have an older robot vacuum and, when my pets are shedding, it seems like I have to empty the dust bin after every room. Little things like a larger dust bin can save one a lot of time.

• Filter: The Botvac’s new ultra performance filter captures twice the particles (as small as 0.3 microns) as any round robot. Also, the filter is easy to remove, which makes cleaning a cinch.

• Set it and Forget it: The Botvac Connected allows you to forget about it. Whenever the Botvac runs low on power, it returns to its charging base, recharges, and then returns to cleaning right where it left off. The only thing you have to do is empty the dust bin. The manufacturer’s specs say that the Connected will clean a 3,000 square foot home as easily as an 800 square foot one. To test this out I took the Botvac over to my friends 3,000 foot rancher. It took two charges, but the Botvac had no difficulty cleaning my friend’s place. When it ran out of charge after 124 minutes, it went back to its charging base, recharged, and then resumed its previous cleaning pattern—brilliant!

• Hair: I know I’ve mentioned hair before, but hair—both pet and human—is notoriously tricky for vacuums and this was one area where I thought the Connected really shone. In Turbo mode it sucked it right up making this vacuum ideal for pet owners and allergy sufferers.

NOTE: For my full review of the Botvac Connected, check out this page.

Neato Botvac D80 Features & Specs

We’ve already taken a look at the Connected, but there’s a lot to be said for the Botvac D80, starting with the fact that it’s significantly cheaper.

• LaserSmart object detection: Like the Botvac Connected, the Botvac D80’s navigation system scans and maps a room then uses this information to plan its route. This allows the D80 to clean methodically rather than randomly and makes it vastly more efficient than other vacuums which take a random approach.

• Hair: Although the D80 doesn’t have the power of the Connected’s Turbo setting, it still does a good job picking up hair, even on thick carpet.

• Set it and forget it: Even though the Botvac D80 is significantly less pricey (Check here for the latest prices) than the Connected, it has one of the Connected’s best features, one found on high-end robot vacuums: autocharge allows the D80 to charges itself and then automatically resume its cleaning cycle. That’s right. When the D80 needs to recharge it automatically returns to its charging base, recharges, and then resumes its cleaning pattern and finishes the job. The only thing you need to worry about is emptying the dirt bin. Nice!

• High Performance Filter: Captures particles as small as 0.3 microns, particles such as mold and pet dander. Good for anyone who has allergies.

• Does a great job on all floor types: Whether you have hardwood, laminate, tile or the deepest of plush carpets the Botvac D80 does a great job.

NOTE: You can also read my full review of the D80 right here.

Differences: The differences between the Botvac Connected and the D80 are few but significant. The main difference between them being that the Botvac Connected is WiFi enabled while the D80 isn’t. As a result, the Botvac Connected has an App one can use to communicate with it remotely. There are other, less significant, differences as well. For instance, the Connected has an improved battery, an improved filter, and two cleaning modes—Turbo and Eco—rather than just one.

Similarities: In my opinion there are many more similarities than differences between the Botvac Connected and the D80. They both have massive dirt bins (a definite advantage over other brands), are wonderful on hardwood, laminate and even deep carpet. They do a great job with hair—both human and pet—and they come with easy to use boundary markers to direct the vacuums away from areas you want them to avoid.

Botvac Connected vs Roomba 980

There is no question that the Roomba 980 is a top-of-the-line vacuum. The problem is that it comes with a hefty price tag (see here). Compare this with the Botvac Connected’s more modest cost here. The question is, what does the Roomba 980 give you that the Botvac Connected doesn’t?

My answer: If most of your floors have carpet then having Carpet Boost is nice. If I was willing to spend a bit more and had carpeted floors, the Roomba 980 would be my choice. Otherwise the Botvac Connected might be the way to go.

Which Is a Better Buy?

Both the Botvac Connected and the Botvac D80 have proven themselves excellent vacuums, it really comes down to how important it is to have the ability to control your vacuum remotely. If that’s essential and you don’t mind paying a higher price then your choice is clear, go for the Botvac Connected. On the other hand, if controlling the vacuum remotely doesn’t really matter to you and you wouldn’t mind saving a bit of money, then the D80 is an excellent, cost-effective, choice.

How do these models compare to newer Botvac models? Find out our pick of the top Botvac models here!