Neato Robotics and iRobot have been duking it out in the robot vacuum space. Both companies have been coming out with their designs and technology trying to outdo each other and rule the robot vacuum space. These companies have also been working hard to have a model that’s perfect for different kinds of consumers.
Roomba 690 is iRobot’s budget robot, while the Neato Botvac D4 Connected is somewhere in the middle for Neato Robotics. How does one compare to the other?
Main Differences Botvac D4 Connected vs Roomba 690
The Main Differences Botvac D4 Connected vs Roomba 690 are:
- Botvac D4 Connected runs for a longer period of time (almost 100 minutes), whereas Roomba 690 has a three-stage cleaning system.
- Botvac D4 Connected has 70% bigger brushes, whereas Roomba 690 has an edge-sweeping brush.
- Botvac D4 Connected offers LaserSmart navigation technology, whereas Roomba 690 comes with Dirt Detect technology.
- Botvac D4 Connected is perfect for people with asthma or other airborne allergies, whereas Roomba 690 is cheaper.
Neato Botvac D4 Connected
The Neato Botvac D4 Connected is one of the robot vacuums currently offered by Neato Robotics. Wedged between the Botvac D3 and D5, it is one of the company’s newer and inexpensive models. Read my full review here!
No products found.Design
The Neato Botvac D4 Connected has the D shape that this line of robot vacuums is known for. The flat sides enable the robot to go closer to walls and edges. The similarly flat front also means that the robot vacuum can accommodate a broader brush. Indeed, Neato claims that the brushes they use are 70 percent bigger than the brushes that round robots have.
The Neato Botvac D4 Connected measures 13.2 by 12.6 by 3.9 inches. It weighs 7.4 pounds. The dimensions you see on this robot allows it to go under furniture to clean there, while also covering a wider area with a single pass.
Features of the Neato Botvac D4
The Neato Botvac D4 offers the following features:
Cleaning system
The Neato Botvac D4 Connected uses an 11-inch combo brush that agitates and loosens dirt. It will then sweep it into the path of the vacuum suction. The vacuum will then send all of these to the dustbin.
The combo brush is designed for maximum pet hair pickup. It can clean all floor types. Because of its alternating bristle and rubber design, this brush can do an excellent job cleaning your floors, while also working quietly.
The Neato Botvac D4 Connected also has 23.7-ounce dustbin and a high-performance filter. The dirt receptacle is larger than the ones you see on other robot vacuums, which means that you do not have empty it as often as you will with others. It does not fill up that fast.
Meanwhile, the filter can keep all the collected dust inside the bin rather than have these circulating back into the air. The high-performance filter will be able to trap most of the dust particles and even pet dander. It is a blessing to those who have asthma and other airborne allergies.
LaserSmart navigation
The Neato Botvac D4 Connected has LaserSmart navigation technology. The robot vacuum will use lasers to scan and map your floors. It will then have a virtual map of the area that it is going to clean. This map will ensure that the robot vacuum does not miss a spot.
More than just mapping your floors, the LaserSmart technology makes it possible for you to draw virtual no-go lines. Call up the map on your mobile app, and you can draw red lines to block off areas where you do not want the robot vacuum to go. It’s that easy. You do not have to lay down tapes anymore.
What’s more, this technology also allows you to see cleaning maps on the app, showing you where the Botvac D4 has cleaned, hence proving to you that it missed no spots.
Connected
The Neato Botvac D4 Connected lives up to its name. It can link to your Wi-Fi network, allowing you to pair it with a mobile app that extends the functionality of your robot vacuum. You can now start or stop a cleaning session even when you are out of the house.
You can also use voice commands to tell your Botvac D4 what to do. The Neato Botvac D4 Connected also works with IFTTT (If This, Then That) recipes, which means that you can get it to do more things such as send you an e-mail once it finishes its job.
You can also start or stop the robot vacuum using the Facebook Neato Chatbot.
Mobile app
Checking the mobile app, you can get coverage maps that will show you where the robot vacuum has cleaned. You can also get a history of its cleaning sessions. More importantly, you set the virtual no-go lines using the app.
What’s more, you can invoke the extra care navigation via the companion mobile app. As you can see, with Neato the app does more than just allowing you to start or stop cleaning and create schedules. It provides a lot of extra features that make use of the robot vacuum’s functionality.
Battery
The Neato Botvac D4 Connected uses a lithium-ion battery that can give you a maximum of 75 minutes of cleaning. You will need to charge this battery for around 100 minutes. When the battery is full, the robot vacuum can resume cleaning where it left off.
One feature that the Botvac D4 have that most other robot vacuums do not offer is the quick boost charging. This functionality is perfect for those with larger homes. The feature allows the Botvac D4 to reduce the cleaning times. When the battery runs low, the robot will return to the charger, but instead of fully charging itself, the Botvac D4 will calculate how much time it will take to finish the job and get enough battery juice.
Once the charging is done, the Botvac D4 will launch itself off the dock to continue its work.
What’s in the box?
- The robot vacuum
- The Charge base
- Power cord
- Combo brush
- High-performance filter
Ratings and Reviews
AllHomeRobotics have reviewed the Neato Botvac D4 before, giving it high marks for the range of features it offers even at a midrange price. You can buy this robot vacuum from the manufacturer’s website for $529.99. It can clean your home efficiently, and the battery might not last as long as we’d like, it does go back to charge and resume cleaning afterward.
Verified users on Amazon are more exacting giving this robot vacuum a lower rating at 3.5 stars out 5.0. To be fair to the Botvac D4, most of the critical reviews talk about customer support rather than the robot vacuum. There is a complaint, however, that the Botvac D4 is more complicated to set up, and the dustbin is a bit more challenging to clean than other robot vacuums.
The Roomba 690
If the Neato Botvac D4 Connected is a midrange robot, the Roomba 690 is a budget model that costs $349.99 when you buy it from the manufacturer’s website. Read my full review here!
Design
The Roomba 690 is a circular robot vacuum that measures 13.0 inches in diameter and 3.7 inches in height. It weighs 7.8 pounds. In short, it looks like most other robot vacuums out there, not the least of which are its fellow Roomba models.
Features
What are the highlights of this budget robot?
Three-stage cleaning
The Roomba 690 uses iRobot’s patented three-stage cleaning system. With the dual multi-surface brushes, the robot vacuum can agitate and loosen up dirt that you see on your floors. The edge-sweeping brush will take care of edges and corners. All of these are sent by the powerful vacuum motor into the dustbin. The Roomba 960 can clean hardwood and carpeted floors.
The robot vacuum also has the company’s Dirt Detect technology that allows it to find the dirtier areas of your room and concentrate on cleaning there. That means that your floors get a more powerful cleaning where it needs it.
Lithium-ion battery
The Roomba 690 makes use of a lithium-ion battery that can give you up to 90 minutes of run time. The robot vacuum can find its way back to the charging dock when the battery runs low.
Sensor-based navigation
The Roomba 690 uses a variety of sensors to navigate around your floors. These sensors are able to keep your robot vacuum safe from rough collisions and can make sure that it gives your room a comprehensive clean without missing a lot of spots. The sensors are also responsible for making sure that the robot vacuum does not fall off the stairs.
Wi-Fi connected and mobile app features
The Roomba 690 can connect to your Wi-Fi network. Pairing it with your smartphone with the companion app, you can control the robot vacuum even when you are out of the house.
You can also use voice commands to have the robot vacuum start cleaning. More than these, you can also use the mobile app to schedule cleaning sessions with the robot vacuum.
What’s in the Box:
- iRobot Roomba 690
- Home base charging station
- Line cord
- Dual mode virtual wall barrier with batteries
- Extra filter
- Flat cleaning tool
- Owner’s guide and documentation
Reviews and Ratings
Wired.com gives the Roomba 890 a score of 8.0 out of 10.0 because of the Dirt Detect technology and the decent battery life it has, along with the range of features that are just right for its lower price. They also like it because it can get into tighter spaces and not have problems getting out. However, they do note that the Roomba 690 can sometimes get lost.
On Amazon, the Roomba 690 gets an average of 4.1 stars out of 5.0 from close to 3,000 reviewers. Around three out of every four reviews give it a 4.0-star rating or higher. People like the way it cleans and how it picks up a shocking amount of dirt. However, some people do note that this robot vacuum can bounce from one wall to another randomly. There are others who complained that the robot vacuum destroyed their hardwood
Tom’s Guide gives it a rating of 3.5 stars out of 5.0, it loses some points because of the noise it makes when cleaning, and how the dustbin can be a problem.
Neato Botvac D4 Connected vs. Roomba 690: Which Should You Buy?
Both the Neato Botvac D4 Connected and the Roomba 690 are great robot vacuums that are not difficult to recommend to anyone looking for one. However, being in different price categories, you can expect that there are some features that they offer differently.
Where the Roomba 690 Wins
The Roomba 690 is ideal for those who are looking for an excellent robot vacuum but do not want to spend too much on it. The 690 is a Wi-Fi connected robot that allows you to control everything from a mobile app or via voice command. It also cleans efficiently and includes an edge-sweeping brush that can take care of walls and corners. The D4 does not have this.
The Roomba 690 is also designed to be able to navigate around round areas. With a shorter profile than the Botvac D4, it is also able to clean under more furniture. The Roomba 690 also has a longer runtime.
Where the Neato Botvac D4 Connected Wins
The Neato Botvac D4 Connected might not have a side brush, but it does not need it because of the flat sides allows it to sidle up very close to your walls. It is also more expensive, but it has more features than the Roomba 690. Indeed, the best way to describe the Neato Botvac D4 is to take the Roomba 690 and then add:
- The LaserSmart Mapping and Navigation technology
- Cleaning maps
- IFTTT compatibility
- Facebook chatbot
- Virtual no-go lines
The Neato Botvac D4 Connected might have a shorter runtime, but that does not really matter too much because it can automatically recharge and resume when the battery runs low.
Neato Botvac D4 Connected vs. Roomba 690: A Side-by-Side Comparison
Getting dizzy with all the specs? Here’s a cheat sheet.
| Model | Botvac D4 | Roomba 690 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | (Check out the latest price here!) | (Check out the latest price here!) |
| Dimension (L x W x H, inches) | 13.2 x 12.6 x 3.9 | 13.0 x 13.0 x 3.7 |
| Main brush | Y | Y |
| Side brush | N | Y |
| Navigation system | Laser-assisted | Sensor-based |
| Wifi Connectivity | Y | Y |
| Scheduling | Y | Y |
| Auto Recharge | Y | Y |
| Voice commands | Y | Y |
| Cleaning maps | Y | N |
| Cleaning history | Y | N |
| Navigation control | No-go lines | Dual mode virtual wall barrier |
| IFTTT | Y | N |
| Lithium-ion battery | Y | Y |
| Maximum runtime (minutes) | 75 | 90 |
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I clean my Neato D4?
If you want to enjoy your robot for a long time, remember to clean it regularly. Putting your Robot upside down, and pop up the brushes, and clean them the best you can, removing all the debris and hair. Wipe all the brush blades and brush core with a damp cloth to remove any dirt. Put back the brushes and make sure they are locked up. If you see that after cleaning the brushes, it’s still not in their best performance, you can consider changing the brushes as well.
Can you use Roomba 690 without WiFi?
The Roomba 690 can definitely clean your home without being connected to a network and if it’s charged. It is important that even though it can clean, you will lose some of the best features like scheduling the cleaning missions, customize some options or receive the mapping notifications.
Does Roomba 690 remember room layout?
The Roomba 690 does a great job at cleaning around your home on different surfaces, but it won’t learn the layout of your house. Sadly, it doesn’t come with memory features.
The Final Say
At the end of the day, you can go with either the Neato Botvac D4 Connected or the Roomba 690, and you will still get outstanding cleaning capabilities. However, you should know what you need before deciding. If you do not like the idea of spending too much for your robot vacuum, then you can go for the Roomba 690.
However, the Neato Botvac D4 Connected does have additional features that you might need. If you believe that these features are worth the extra money, then you could consider buying the Botvac D4.
What about you? Which one are you going to buy? Tell us which one and why in the comments.
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