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It’s not uncommon in today’s robot vacuum market to see a unit for under $300. You can even find some decent options for below $200. Of course, these devices are entry-level and provide little in the way of features. The D4 checks in at a few hundred dollars more, however, it offers features that you’re not going to find in the budget-friendly models.
Some of the features included on the D4 include virtual boundaries, personalized cleaning, a floorplan of your home, and laser navigation. Additionally, you’ll get the option to create varied schedules, IFTTT (If This Then That) integration, a mobile application, and the ability to work with both Google Home and Amazon Alexa.
Based on these features and its powerful suction ability, it’s safe to say the Neato Botvac D4 is a great option in the robot vacuum market. Let’s take a more detailed look at this device and its functionalities.
Contents (Jump to)
Design
The D4 robot vacuum is in the same D shape as nearly all of the models in the Botvac lineup. This type of design gives the vacuum the ability to clean corners and edges more efficiently. The top of the D4 consists of a black stubble with a textured finish. It measures 13.2 inches wide, 12.6 inches wide, and 3.9 inches high. The Botvac D4 weighs 7.4 pounds.
This device sits a bit taller than the typical robot vacuum because of its raised turret. Within this turret resides Neato’s laster technology. However, since it sits higher, the Botvac D4 isn’t able to get under low sitting furniture as easily as other robot vacuums. The question is whether or not Botvac’s excellent navigation capabilities make it worth it.
On the front bumper of the unit are a Start button and two indicator lights. One of the lights tells you whether or not the device is connected to your wifi network while the other one displays battery life. In the middle of the D4, you’ll notice a top-loading dustbin.
While the bin isn’t as large as some robot vacuums, you’ll find that 0.7 liters are usually enough to get you through a few cleanings. The dustbin is easy to remove and dump out, unlike some other models in the Botvac lineup.
On the bottom of the Botvac D4, you’ll notice two main treads, a wide combo roller brush, swivel wheels, and the charging contacts. From an accessory perspective, included with the unit are a charging dock, spare combo brush, and an extra filter.
Mobile Application and Setup
Your Neato Botvac D4 is easy to set up and ready to go almost immediately. Simply unbox the device, plug the docking station into a nearby outlet, and set the D4 onto it. After a few hours of charging, you can set your D4 off on its first cleaning cycle.
While you’re waiting for your unit to charge, take a moment to download the Neato app. You’ll find it on both the iOS and Android marketplaces. Once it’s downloaded and installed, follow the on-screen guide as it walks you through connecting to your wifi network. Be sure you have a 2.4 GHz channel, as the device won’t connect to 5 GHz.
In addition to having wifi connectivity, you can also use voice commands with the D4. If you have an Amazon Alexa device or a Google Home, all you need to do is enable the Neato skill, then link the accounts. Now you can tell your robot vacuum to start a cleaning, to stop, to return to its dock, or even to tell you how much battery remains.
Similar to its ability to work with Amazon Alexa and Google Home is the ability of the D4 to integrate with IFTTT (If This Then That) applets. Using IFTTT, you can use technology like geofencing to tell your robot vacuum to begin a clean after you leave your house. You can also control the D4 through an Apple Watch, as Neato offers an app for it.
The Neato mobile application is simple and intuitive, and you can use it from either your smartphone or your tablet. On the home screen of the app are multiple buttons which give you the ability to switch between various tasks. You can check the battery life of the D4, start a cleaning cycle, view cleaning statistics, look at the floorplan of your home, or change cleaning modes.
At the top left corner of the app, you’ll see the three-bar icon. This menu gives you options for creating and customizing schedules and establishing virtual boundary lines for your robot vacuum. For example, if you don’t want the D4 to clean the office because you haven’t picked up all the markers your children spilled all over the floor, all you have to do is a draw a line, and the robot vacuum will avoid that area.
Through the app, you can also choose the cleaning mode. If you have shag carpet in the living room but hardwood in the kitchen, you can select those options from the mobile application so that no matter where the D4 is vacuuming, you can be sure that it’s adjusting accordingly.
Cleaning maps with the Botvac D4 are fairly straightforward. During its initial cycle, the device creates a complete floorplan of your home. If you look at the app while the unit is cleaning, you’ll see blue lines that let you know where the robot vacuum has been. If you see a red line with a dot in the shape of a D, then you’ll know that the D4 docked successfully. Additionally, if the robot runs of our juice while it’s cleaning, you’ll see a yellow icon on the map.
You can also see the total area your robot vacuum cleaned, how long it took to clean, and the date and time of each cycle.
The Botvac D4 includes support for Neato’s No Go Lines. After the initial cleaning by your robot vacuum, which it uses to create a floorplan and map of your home, you will then have the ability to draw red lines on your smartphone or tablet. These lines prevent the unit from entering certain areas.
With its advanced navigation features, the D4 is smart enough to avoid power cords, chairs, and other obstructions as it vacuums. It can handle moving from one floor type to another as the treads on the bottom of the device allow it to crawl over carpeting, hardwood, and raised edges with little effort.
Using its laser navigation, the D4 cleans in a methodical and precise manner, ensuring that every square inch is covered. If it does bump against furniture or walls, which is a rare occurrence, the D4 is gentle enough that you won’t notice any scuff marks.
However, if you are worried about something getting bumped or scratched, you can always switch to the Extra Care navigation mode. This mode means the robot is extra careful as it cleans, so you don’t have to stress about delicate or antique pieces in your home.
The Botvac D4 offers a powerful suction that will vacuum up everything it comes across, including dirt, dust, hair, and any other debris on the floors of your home. The dustbin isn’t quite a large as some other robot vacuums, but it can still store debris from a fairly large area.
The best part is that when the dustbin is full, you can set the app to alert you with a push notification. That way, you can dump it out, reinsert the bin, and let the D4 get back to cleaning.
The battery is mid-range, and while it isn’t as impressive as some, it still provides a solid 75 minutes worth of runtime while it cleans. The D4 offers a Quick Boost feature that gives the unit the ability to return to its dock when it runs low on battery. Once the D4 charges back up, it picks up right where it left off. It makes the D4 the perfect choice whether you have a large home or you live in a small apartment.
Noise might be a concern if you prefer quieter vacuums, as the Botvac D4 is on the louder side. You won’t have the ability to listen to television shows unless you want to raise the volume enough to mask the noise of the unit.
Pros and Cons
Here are some of the pros and cons you might experience with the Neato Botvac D4 robot vacuum.
Pros
- Superior navigation and mapping
- Cleaning maps included in app
- Smart charging capability
- Voice command with Amazon Alexa and Google Home
- IFTTT integration
- Mobile application available with Android and iOS.
Cons
- On the louder side
- Shorter battery life than other robot vacuums
Conclusion
The Neato Botvac D4 robot vacuum offers excellent features. Some of these include virtual boundary lines, laser navigation, cleaning maps, and voice commands via Amazon Alexa and Google Home. However, the D4 still offers a high-quality build and plenty of features that you would only find in more expensive robot vacuums.
Overall, the Neato Botvac D4 is a moderately priced robot vacuum that will give your home a thorough clean. It has no problems navigating the rooms in your house, and even though the battery isn’t the best, the D4 can head back to its dock, charge up, and then pick up right where it left off.
It’s not the cheapest or most expensive robot vacuum on the market, but the Botvac D4 still provides a high-quality experience for anyone who makes this robot their vacuum of choice.
For Additional Information
Patrick Sinclair is a geek; make no mistake about that. He runs All Home Robotics in his spare time so he doesn’t have to think about his depressing cubicle and it gives him an excuse to buy expensive gadgets to review!
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