Neato Botvac D7 Connected Review, A Comprehensive Guide to This Smart Robot Vacuum

The smart home is full of appliances that make living easier than it used to be, and robot vacuums are always a fundamental player in the mission to make our environments safer, cleaner, more hygienic … yet more relaxing and convenient. The Neato Botvac D7 Connected is one of the most innovative and powerful robot vacuums in a quickly growing field.

A Closer Look at the Neato Botvac D7 Connected: Features That Matter

But now you can see that the Neato Botvac D7 Connected robot vacuum isn't just another robot vacuum – it’s a new type of smart solution for ending your struggle to clean your home. With a host of smart features, the Botvac D7 Connected robot vacuum includes:

• LaserSmart Technology: The LaserSmart technology, integrated into D7 Connected’s core, defines what a truly intelligent robot vacuum features, and that is to create accurate maps of your home using Laser technology that allows the robot to navigate strategically and cover thoroughly while minimising the time it takes cleaning a room or a floor. That is typically a very important aspect to be noted: how does your robot vacuum navigate your home, and what kind of technology it uses to determine its cleaning path? While the concept of a robot vacuum being truly intelligent seems to be grounded on the idea that it manages different floors using memory and mapping, ultimately, the cleaning performance is still determined by its approach to cleaning your home. Many robotic vacuums today still use a traditional random-walk navigation system that selects its next cleaning spots in a random pattern. 
• No-Go Lines: Use the D7 Connected’s virtual No-Go Lines to form a map of those areas you don’t need cleaning, such as a delicate carpet or fragile objects, or to keep furniture free of obstacles for walking. Perfect for people with pets, you can set some no-go zones to avoid pets’ sensitive areas, such as a bed or food bowls. The Neato app makes creating No-Go Lines easy so that you can be flexible and adapt with your changing needs.
• Room-to-Room Cleaning: Now you can segment parts of your home into individual rooms or optimised areas for cleaning, giving you full control over your cleaning routine. Need to get your living room clean in a pinch? No problem. Want to focus on a single specific hallway or bedroom? You can. This feature is great for large homes with lots of separate rooms and individual cleaning requirements. Optional spot cleaning is available for large homes with pets or other rooms where specific areas can use more attention, such as kitchens or high-traffic zones.
• Smart Home Integration: Connect to your smart home to make your life easier. D7 Connected works with Alexa and Google Assistant. Now you can control your D7 Connected by just giving vocal commands such as: ‘Alexa, start cleaning the kitchen’. With such tech innovation, D7 Connected adds another layer of convenience for you so you can control your robot vacuum with ease from anywhere you are. Furthermore, through the smart home platform, you can also set routines or build schedules for your home to be cleaned as you like.
• Amazing suction: The amount of seesion provided by the D7 Connected will have your floors underneath clean and devoid of all the dust, dirt, pet hair or even some bigger lwer debris that can get trapped in this machine. The suction power is enough to clean your stairs as well as the embedded dirt and pet hair. Not only can the floor looks better, but any danger of allergens in your household will be of none. The manufacturers try and tell us it’s a pet that makes the house messy or always dirty, but in fact it’s the dirt that that attracts a pet.
• Self-Emptying Base: The D7 Connected works with the optional self-emptying base (sold separately). The self-emptying base empties the dustbin automatically after each cleaning session, with the option of customising the cleaning frequency from once a day to once a week, or a convenient ‘full’ setting and notifying you when it’s time to remove the waste. This self-emptying base saves time and effort by eliminating the need for frequent manual emptying and reduces your exposure to dust. The self-emptying base is a great addition to the cleaning device and paves the way for a truly automatic cleaning experience. You wouldn’t have to reach into the dustbin as often, which is convenient if you have allergies or are sensitive to dust and allergens.
• Neato App Control: The Neato app is a central hub from which you can control your D7 Connected. From scheduling cleanings to monitoring cleaning progress or adjusting settings, the app lets you control your robot vacuum from the convenience of your smartphone. The layout of the app is fairly intuitive and easy to use, making it a snap to manage your D7 Connected. The app is a powerful tool for customisation. You can create specific cleaning schedules in order to clean zones, styles and times to suit your needs, making sure your home is taken care of while you’re away at work, for example. You can toggle between different cleaning modes; deciding if you want the Botvac to suck or brush or both. You can even create custom cleaning zones in order to designate specific areas of your home you want the Botvac to ensure is always spotless. The Neato app allows you to see a timeline of your D7 Connected’s cleaning history at a glance, keeping you apprised of your D7 Connected’s performance over time.

How Does the Neato Botvac D7 Connected Perform?

Altogether, this isn’t just a vacuum with a bunch of fun bells and whistles – the Neato Botvac D7 Connected is a phenomenal performer in the actual, nanobot-free world around you. Here’s the breakdown.

• LaserSmart Navigation: The D7 Connected’s navigation abilities are one of the highlights of the LaserSmart technology. It’s especially good at navigating your home around furniture, corners and pretty much every obstacle that Mother Nature has thrown in the way of homeowners. This allows the robot to build maps as detailed as you want them to be about all the nooks and crannies in your home. Every little spot of dirt will get cleaned thanks to the D7 Connected. 
• Superior Cleaning Power: The ultra-powerful suction of the D7 Connected digs deep into carpets, hardwood floors, tile and more to get rid of dirt, dust and pet hair, using less water than typical full-size home vacuum cleaners. The result is floors that are cleaner with fewer allergens. Our cleaning power is second to none.
• Smart and Adaptive Cleaning: Your D7 Connected doesn’t just run around crazy cleaning everything. It actually adapts to you, your home, your needs. It learns your environment and schedules by allowing it to automatically optimise its cleaning based on floor type, dirt amount and time of day. So you’ll get the right clean at the right time, every time! Adaptability to different floor types and different situations result in better efficiency and efficacy. 
• Quiet Operation: Although robot vacuums can be very noisy at times, the D7 Connected operates more quietly than some competitors – to the point where you will not mind cleaning when you are at home and in the vicinity of your D7 Connected. The quiet operation of the D7 Connected allows it to be noticeably less intrusive than many other robot vacuums, even in the highest suction setting. 

Neato Botvac D7 Connected: Pros and Cons

Because it’s a product like all others, it is important to take into consideration its pros and cons, to clarify whether it’s right for you. Below is an outline of its positive and negative aspects. Keep reading.

Pros:

• Sote Advanced Laser Navigation and Mapping: a The Connected’s LaserSmart technology automatically maps your home and navigates with precision.
• Smart Home Integration: It can be controlled by voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant so you can keep your hands free for other things.
• Tough suction: the D7 Connected has a suction power that picks up dirt, dust and pet hair.
• Custom cleaning: Define cleaning areas and schedules for extra flexibility and control.
• Excellent App Control: The Neato app is easy to use and provides excellent control of your D7 Connected.
• No-Go Line: you can ensure your robot stops short from damaging fragile objects or furniture.
• Room-to-Room Cleaning: Let’s say you’d like to programme the D7 Connected to clean the living room first and the bedroom afterwards. This is absolutely possible. Thus, you can program the device as desired to enable customised cleaning tasks in your home.
• Super Silent: Noise levels are low, so you can welcome the D7 Connected as a fellow cleaner far more hospitably.

Cons:

• Price: The D7 Connected is a high-end robot vacuum, and as such, has a fairly steep price point.
• Self-Emptying Base Sold Separately: That self-emptying base is great, but it costs extra.
• No-Go Line Limitations: Although No-Go Lines are useful, they are functionally more limited than some competing models).
• Not for Very Compact Homes: Its considerable dimensions mean the D7 Connected isn’t for people who live in very compact apartments or in tight quarters.
• No Mopping Functionality: The D7 Connected focuses on vacuuming and doesn't offer mopping capabilities.

Neato Botvac D7 Connected vs. The Competition: Standing Out From the Crowd

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but the Neato Botvac D7 Connected stands out from the robot vacuum crowd despite having multiple competitors in the same space, namely the Roomba i7+ and the Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI. Botvac D7 Connected is a great robot vacuum cleaner that can be compared with the Roomba i7+ or Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI: Botvac D7 Connected vs Roomba i7+:

• Neato Botvac D7 Connected vs. Roomba i7+: Navigation, mapping and powerful suction on par, with smart-home integration and a self-emptying base to plan care chores around. In addition to features like smart mapping and room-by-room cleaning, the D7 Connected creates more comprehensive maps of your home, with greater control via the No-Go Line options. The Roomba i7+, by comparison, may be the best choice for owners who don’t need the detail of smart-mapping or room-by-room cleaning too badly but count the self-emptying base as their most desirable feature. If, for example, you need to care for an elderly parent with their own home, the Roomba i7+ may provide the perfect solution since you won’t need to visit as regularly. However, the D7 Connected’s more detailed mapping and room-by-room cleaning will allow you to take greater control over your home cleaning. This flexibility might well suit you if you don’t easily fit into the schedule of others.
• Neato Botvac D7 Connected vs Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI: The Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI has sophisticated AI-powered navigation and mops floors. However, the D7 Connected has better mapping and No-Go Line functionality, along with more effective suction. If mopping most concerns you, the OZMO T8 AIVI might be more suitable. If, on the other hand, vacuuming is what really matters, and you value sophisticated navigation, the D7 Connected’s mapping is more detailed and advanced, and allows for a greater No-Go Line. It also offers more fluid movement around your home with its superior suction power.

Is the Neato Botvac D7 Connected Right for You?

The Neato Botvac D7 Connected is a feature-rich and powerful robot vacuum that users should consider if they want sophisticated navigation, precise mapping, and full control over each cleaning session. It is ideally suited to larger homes with several rooms and intricate floor plans. The steep cost of entry and the need to purchase the $300 self-emptying base may turn some users away, though. Now for your decision: should you buy the D7 Connected? To sum it up, here’s a rapid-fire rundown of the main reasons for and against it.

• Great For: Homes with 2,500 square feet or more, heavy-duty carpet cleaning, straight-line navigation (if you don’t like mapping), room-by-room cleaning, embracing smart-home compatibility, and those who want serious suction and deep cleaning.
• Not Recommended For: Budget-conscious shoppers, mop’ers, and buyers with very small apartments or tight spaces. The D7 Connected isn’t necessarily your best bet if you want one robot vacuum that vacuum and mops. Ditto on very small apartments, given its dimensions and tight spot navigation.