Robot vacuums are very popular right now. It seems like a new model hits the market every day. This makes it hard to know which one is the right one for you. Two of the most well-known robot vacuum producers, Roomba and Botvac, have a couple of robots that might be right for you without breaking the bank.
Heres a closer look at the Roomba e5 and the Botvac D5. We’ll take an in-depth dive into the features and capabilities of each vacuum, as well as how they stack up against one another. So without further ado, let’s get started.
Main Differences Between Roomba e5 vs Botvac D5
The Main Differences Between Roomba e5 vs Botvac D5 are:
- Roomba e5 is shorter and better to clean under furniture, whereas Botvac D5 has an Ultra Performance Filter.
- Roomba e5 has better suction, whereas Botvac D5 does a great job in walls and corners.
- Roomba e5 comes with an “invisible wall” setup, whereas Botvac D5 has a navigation system.
- Roomba e5 has a round shape, whereas Botvac D5 has a “D Shape”.
Roomba e5
The Roomba e5 smart robot vacuum is part of the iRobot line of smart vacuums. With this robot vacuum, you’ll get a device that provides smart home abilities and great performance at a decent price. The specs and software of the e5 are similar to those of the 890. However, the e5 provides a much stronger cleaning experience.
If you’re in the market for a robot vacuum, but don’t need all the latest and greatest features and technologies, the e5 is a great option that will provide an excellent clean.
Design
If you’re at all familiar with the Roomba robot vacuum design, then you’ll recognize the same design with the e5. Overall, the device is similar in design to that of the 890, however, the e5 is an upgrade in other areas.
On top of the Roomba e5 are three buttons, which your eyes are naturally attracted to. These three buttons, located in the center of the e5, all have a purpose. The button in the center is the “Clean” button, which serves as both a way to start a clean and as a power button for the vacuum.
The buttons located to the left and right of the center button are the “Home” and “Spot Clean” buttons.
- Home – Pressing this button will tell the e5 that it needs to return to its home base and start charging
- Spot Clean – This button puts the e5 into spot clean mode. In spot clean mode, the robot vacuum will move in small circles over a particular spot until it deems the area clean.
On the bottom of the vacuum, you’ll notice similarities to the new Roomba i7+. Basically, the only difference between the two is that the e5 does not have the automatic suction vent that the i7+ sports. You’ll still find three wheels, a spinning brush, two rubber brushrolls, the dustbin, and the battery.
Dimensions
The Roomba e5 stick pretty close to the same size and shape as its predecessors. Not much has changed in that area. The e5 is 13.3 inches in diameter, 3.6 inches tall, and 7.2 pounds. These are all pretty standard measurements for an iRobot model vacuum.
Parts and Accessories
With your Roomba e5 robot vacuum, you’ll also get a charging base and a virtual wall. The charging base is the standard base for most Roomba robot vacuums. When the battery gets low on the vacuum, it will head back to its base and start charging up automatically.
The virtual wall barrier is also part of the e5 package. This invisible barrier creates a “wall” which prevents the Roomba from entering certain areas. The barrier creates linear or radial lines which keep the vacuum from crossing them. Linear lines can extend up to ten feet while the radial lines are four feet in diameter.
Features
You won’t get a ton of features with the Roomba e5, however, there are several that will be useful to users. Most importantly, you can set up a schedule with the Roomba e5 robot vacuum. This is perfect for those that are always on the go. If you don’t have time to mess with starting and stopping the vacuum each time you need to have your home vacuumed.
With the e5, you can set up either a one-time scheduled cleaning or create a daily/weekly schedule. With daily/weekly scheduling you can determine a schedule that works best for you. If you want the vacuum to clean while you’re at work, then you can set it up to do so. If you want it done every Tuesday and Thursday, that’s an option as well.
Whether you’re home, away, at work, or on vacation, the Roomba e5 smart robot vacuum will clean when you tell it to. It will automatically begin its cleaning cycles, then return to its base when it’s done, and you don’t have to lift a finger to get it done.
Unlike daily/weekly scheduling, one-time scheduling is the ideal feature when you want to have your floors vacuumed at a specific time on a specific day so you don’t forget to do it.
So, for instance, if you have family arriving for the holidays, you might want to set up a one-time cleaning a few days in advance, so that you know for certain that your floors will be clean before they arrive.
App Controls
The Roomba e5 also has a smartphone application which can be used to control the robot. Through the app, users can set up a daily, weekly, or one-time cleaning schedule. The app also lets users put the device into spot cleaning mode or tell it to return to its home base to charge.
Setting up the app is painless. It takes just a few minutes to connect to your phone, via wifi, and once it is set up you are able to control every aspect of your Roomba from your phone.
The home screen of the app resembles the main user interface of the actual robot vacuum, where there is a large “CLEAN” button housed in the middle of your screen. Once again, you can press this button to send the e5 off on a cleaning mission, or you can select to have the e5 return to its base or do a spot clean.
Performance
With the Roomba e5, you’ll get a very impressive clean. No matter what type of flooring you have, or what type of mess you’ve made, the e5 takes care of it with ease. The device cleans hardwood floors with no problems, sucking up dirt and debris quickly and easily.
Low pile and high pile carpets are no problem for this robot vacuum either. It’s cleaning performance is fantastic and the device is a workhorse as it goes about tackling even the most challenging tasks. It can be said without a doubt that you will be satisfied with how well this Roomba e5 gets your home clean.
Pros and Cons
The Roomba e5 is a solid device, however, it’s not the perfect device. Here’s a quick look at some of the pros and cons of this robot vacuum.
Pros
- Wifi connectivity allows users to control the device via mobile app
- Smartphone app works with both Android and ios
- Powerful cleaning cycle
- Set daily/weekly or one-time schedule
- Virtual barriers prevent vacuum from entering certain areas
- Spot clean mode cleans only certain areas
Cons
- No onboard camera
- Cannot map out your home
- No charge and resume option
Wrap-Up
The Roomba e5 robot vacuum offers plenty of features and technologies that make it a solid option if you’re in the market for a robot vacuum. Its strong cleaning performance propels it above other robot vacuums in the same category. The e5 isn’t as expensive as other Roomba vacuums, so you’re stretching your money if you decide to go with this device.
You are sacrificing some of the newer, fancier bells and whistles that come with some of the more expensive robot vacuums, however, the Roomba e5 is still an impressive vacuum that will get your house clean.
Botvac D5
The Neato Botvac D5 Connected sits smack dab in the middle of the Neato robot vacuum lineup. In comparison to its siblings in the Neato lineup, the D5 is without a doubt, a middle-of-the-pack device. While it has no problem sucking up pet hair unlike other models, it won’t get your home as clean as some of the more expensive robot vacuums on the market.
The D5 does not offer special cleaning modes, it does not have a camera to create a coverage map, and it does not offer smart assistant support for Amazon Alexa or Google Home. By all standards and measurements, this is a solid, middle of the road robot vacuum.
What you will get from the Botvac D5 is a good automatic floor cleaner, along with the ability to control the device through the mobile app, and you’ll get it at a decent price. Additionally, you’ll get a rechargeable battery that will have enough life to clean your home for more than two and a half hours.
Features and Design
If you have seen a Botvac robot vacuum before, then you know that most of their devices have the familiar “D” shape. The Botvac D5 is no exception, and from a pure design perspective, has a lot in common with the Botvac D3.
Both robot vacuums offer users a simple control panel with only one button labeled “Start.” Next to the “Start” button are LED lights which indicate battery status and general alert information. While it doesn’t have the fancy features that the Botvac Connected offers, it does offer some of the best robot vacuum features available.
The design of the D5 also puts the dustbin in the center of the vacuum, which means you can remove it by tilting the robot back and pulling forward on the bin itself. Thanks to this design, you can empty out the bin without interrupting the D5 while it sits on the recharging dock.
The D5 also boasts an enhanced filter which Neato calls an “Ultra Performance Filter.” This filter improves the overall cleaning performance of the D5 while also providing a better outgoing air flow. For what it’s worth, the Botvac Connect also includes the same air filter.
This robot vacuum cleans floors in much the same way that other Neato vacuums do. From the moment that D5 heads out of its dock, it’s clear that it has a plan of attack. The first thing the robot vacuum will do is pause for a moment while is activates its navigation system.
After this, the D5 will rotate back and forth slowly a few times to gather information and prepare for cleaning. Once it’s ready to go, it will start by running along the edges and corners of your room. When that is finished, it will then systematically clean the interior portion of the room in both horizontal and vertical lines.
As long as its battery is fully charged, the D5 will perform multiple passes throughout each room. It will make note of, and avoid any obstructions or obstacles it encounters as it goes. The D5 will keep a close eye on its battery level and will head back to its dock to charge if need be.
This robot vacuum is designed to clean at least 4,500 square feet, so if it detects an open doorway, the D5 is smart enough to head into other rooms and cleans those as well.
Mobile Application
Just like with other smart robot vacuums, including those in the Neato Botvac line, the D5 is equipped with wifi capabilities. With wifi, the D5 can access the wireless network in your home and communicate with the Neato smartphone application.
The application is available for download from both the iOS and Android marketplaces. Once you have it downloaded and installed, you’ll notice that it has a nice, clean layout that is very user-friendly. With the app, users can control their robot vacuum from their smartphone or tablets whenever they want.
You can view both the activity and battery status of the D5 in real-time via the mobile app. The app also lets you start, stop, pause, or schedule a cleaning cycle. Additionally, the app will push alerts to you, so if your robot vacuum needs a software update, you’ll be notified and can take care of it promptly.
Unfortunately, the D5 doesn’t have other advanced features, like Alexa or Google voice commands. While other, more costly models have these capabilities, the D5 does not. You will, however, discover that the D5 tracks cleaning stats. It doesn’t have a map to show you where it has been, but you can see when and how long it cleaned.
Performance
The performance with the D5 is a little disappointing, especially considering the cost of the robot vacuum. While it doesn’t choke if it vacuums up pet hair or heavy debris, it doesn’t seem to pick up much more dirt than its predecessors, which makes it hard to argue that you should spend the extra money.
The D5 does work well on all types of flooring. It can handle hardwood, tile, and low and high pile carpeting. It doesn’t get tangled up when vacuuming, it just doesn’t seem to suck up as much dirt and debris as you would hope. Overall, the performance of the D5 is decent on any type of flooring you might have in your home, but it definitely leaves you wanting more.
Pros and Cons
The D5 has some work to do, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its good features as well. Here’s a quick summary of what you can expect from the Neato Botvac D5.
Pros
- Long run time
- Cleans up to 4,500 square feet
- Advanced filtration system
- Mobile application for both iOS and Android
- View cleaning history in the app
- Large dustbin
- Wifi connectivity
Cons
- No virtual boundaries
- Does not perform as well as expected
- Fewer advanced features
Wrap-Up
Just like you’ll experience with other middle of the pack devices, the Botvac D5 gives you some of the quality you expect but not for the price you might hope for. It does a great job of moving throughout your home and ensuring that all areas are hit, however, it doesn’t quite get rooms as clean as you would hope.
It has wifi connectivity and a nice large battery, but unfortunately, the purpose of a robot vacuum is to get your floors clean, which the D5 doesn’t do very well. In this situation, you’re better off either spending a little less money and sacrificing a few features but getting the same cleaning performance, or paying a little more and getting the cleaning performance you want.
Comparison Chart
Here’s a quick look at how the Roomba e5 and the Botvac D5 stack up with one another.
| Roomba e5 | Botvac D5 | |
| Length | 13.3 inches | 13.2” |
| Height | 3.6 inches | 3.94” |
| Width | 13.3 inches | 12.4 inches |
| Weight | 7.2 pounds | 7.5 pounds |
| Battery | 1,800 mAH | 4,200 mAH |
| Dustbin Size | 0.5L | 700mL |
| Flooring Type | All (indoor) | All (indoor) |
| Wifi Capable | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Walls | Yes | No |
| Recharge & Resume | No | Yes |
| Mobile App | iOS, Android | iOS, Android |
Frequently Asked Questions:
Will Roomba E5 fall down the stairs?
The Roomba E5 comes with a Cliff Detect system that will ensure your robot won’t be falling down from the stairs or tumbling over drop-offs.
Does Roomba e5 work on carpet?
The Roomba E5 can deal with almost any kind of surface. No doubt the Roomba E5 will do a great job on your carpet. This robot is capable of getting rid of debris, pet hair, and other allergens that get stuck in surfaces such as carpets.
How do I know if my Neato is charging?
The Neato’s body has a light that will turn green when the robot is completely charged. Take in mind that it takes about three hours to get fully charged.
Conclusion
While both the Roomba e5 and the Botvac D5 are solid robot vacuum options, choosing between the two depends on what makes the most sense for you. If you don’t mind sacrificing a little performance for longer battery life, then maybe the D5 is the right vacuum for you. Or, if you prefer to have better suction, but don’t mind that the vacuum might run out of juice before it’s done, then you might consider the e5.
Either way, you’re sacrificing some of the fancier and more advanced features available on today’s robot vacuums in favor of saving a few dollars, which is fine. When it comes to these two robot vacuums, you’ll either have to live with their shortcomings or wait till you can save a few more dollars and find a device that really fits your needs.
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