Neato Botvac D4 Connected Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Neato Botvac D4 Connected is 'D' shaped intelligent robot vacuum cleaner that features advanced laser guided navigation and may be controlled using smart devices like smartphone, smartwatch, Google Home Assistant, Amazon Alexa etc.

Neato Botvac D4 Connected is suitable for small to medium size homes and apartments. It may be used for cleaning both bare floors and carpeted areas, supports task scheduling, features large dirt bin, wide cleaning path, supports Recharge&Resume feature, cleaning maps and cleaning history, push notifications etc.

Published: October 11, 2019.

Neato Botvac D4 Connected Features and Specifications

The first thing one notices about Neato Botvac D4 Connected is that it features 'D' shape body, unlike other robot vacuums that are commonly round in shape.

'D' shape allows Neato Botvac D4 Connected to access and clean edges and corners more thoroughly, although navigation and maneuvering it tight areas may be sometimes problematic. Also, 'D' shaped body enables the Botvac D4 robot vacuum cleaner to be equipped with rather wide brushroll of 11 inches (~28 cm) and relatively large dirt cup of 0.7 liters.

Note that Neato Botvac D4 Connected doesn't feature side brush(es), which may be helpfull when cleaning edges - side brush comes with Neato Botvac D5, D6 and D7 models.

Neato Botvac D4 Connected features two suction modes: Eco and Turbo suction modes.

Eco suction mode is used for everyday cleaning, while Turbo suction mode is used for vacuuming extra dirty surfaces and areas. Of course, Turbo mode drains the battery faster, but it also significantly increase the unit's capability to actually - clean.

Main cleaning brush is so-called 'Combo Brush' and it does very fine job on both bare floors and carpeted areas.

Wide cleaning path combined with smart and accurate laser navigation system ensures that Neato Botvac D4 Connected can clean relatively large area quickly, especially when there are no many obstacles that it has to navigate around.

Laser navigation system is based on Neato's LaserSmart technology which creates accurate map of the home/apartment, helps locate and automatically dock with the charging/docking station, and is basis of the 'Recharge&Resume' feature.

Note: Although the onboard laser navigation system is fairly accurate, when positioning charging base, in order to help the unit locate and dock with it, be sure to leave some 3 feet (~1m) of free space around the charging base.

Also, Neato Botvac D4 is able to create and store only single floor plan, making it not well suited for families living in the multi-floor homes - if that is the case, consider getting one Neato D4 per floor (with no need to move the robots up and down your home) or consider Neato D5, D6 or D7 robots that support multiple floor plans.

'Recharge&Resume' feature ensures that if the battery is discharged before the cleaning task is complete, unit finds the charging station, recharge the battery and continues with the cleaning task where it was stopped due to the low battery event.

But, one more very interesting features of the Neato Botvac D4 Connected is that it will charge the battery only as much as needed to complete the cleaning task. This 'Quick boost charging' feature can speed up the cleaning task itself.

Note: At the moment, Neato Botvac D4 Connected support up to 2 'Recharge and Resume' events during single cleaning task. Since it is WiFi enabled robot vacuum cleaner, with new algorithm/firmware updates, maybe this '2 Recharge&Resume' per single cleaning task limit will be increases over time.

Maximum operating time of the Neato Botvac D4 is ~75 minutes (Eco mode, bare floors), and charging time is ~100 minutes. It is generally suitable for 1184 ft2 (110 m2) homes and apartments - if your D4 often relies on the 'Recharge and Resume' feature, maybe you should consider getting Neato D6 or D7 (120 minutes operating time per single battery charge).

Neato Botvac D4 Connected physical dimensions are 12.56 x 13.21 x 3.92 inches (~31.9 x 33.6 x 10 cm) and it weighs 7.37 pounds (~3.34 kg).

While similar robots feature round shape and height around or even below 3 inches (~7.6 cm), Neato D4 is slightly taller, 'thanks' to the laser navigation sensor positioned on top of the unit. Nonetheless, Neato D4 can gently crawl under most beds, sofas and couches and clean there.

Also, Neato Botvac D4 Connected comes with so-called 'Extra Care Navigation' feature which may be activated via Neato App - when activated, unit navigates with extra care (larger distance between the robot's path and the objects) around the furniture, walls, stairs and other objects and obstacles commonly found at home.

Maximum obstacle climbing height is 0.75 inches (19 mm), helping the Neato Botvac D3 to transition easily from bare floors to the carpets and back and to traverse small floor obstacles as well.

Note: if there are loose wires, toys and similar small objects that can't be easily detected by laser navigation system, remove them from the floor, or your robot vacuum may get into trouble, for example, wires can get entangled around the wheels or they may jam the brushroll or similar.

Another feature available in Neato App (after mapping the entire floor) are so-called 'No-Go Lines'. These are virtual lines that user can draw on the map created by laser navigation system - they are virtual lines that the unit will not cross during the cleaning, allowing the user to set zones where robot should not go and clean.

Also, Neato Botvac D4 Connected support the use of magnetic strips, but they are not included since virtual No-Go Lines do their job well.

Magnetic strips come by default with Neato Botvac D5, D6 and D7 units.

To help the Botvac D4 navigate complex and continuously changing environment (pets are particularly interested in robot vacuums in general, at least at first!), unit comes with other sensors as well, not just with laser navigation system.

For example, cliff sensors help the Botvac to avoid falling off the cliffs/stairs. Cliff sensors do their job well with few rare (if any) 'false positives' on the dark/black surfaces, most commonly carpets.

Note: Although Neato Botvac D4 Connected is fairly simple to use and maintain unit, when it arrives, it is highly recommend to read the manual thorughly and to connect the robot vacuum to the Neato App.

Neato Botvac D4 Connected is WiFi enabled unit and the main way of setting and controlling the unit is using Neato App.

The use of smartphones, Apple Watch, Amazon Echo, Google Home and similar is supported and even recommended, since many features are available only via Neato App, like Neato FloorPlanner with No-Go lines, instant notifications, battery status, maintenance alerts, push notifications about robot software updates, easy access & control, scheduling etc.

Neato Botvac D4 Connected can be used with just control buttons on top of the unit:

- press start button once for a full house cleaning,

- press start button twice for a spot cleaning (~7x7 feet),

but in order to fully utilize all the features of this robot vacuum, one simply has to use Neato App.

Neato Botvac D4 comes with high-efficiency air filter that is able to filter out 99% of particles 0.3 microns in size, which is very important not only for people having pets, kids or issues with asthma and allergies, but for all people wanting their homes to be safer and more pleasant areas to live in.

Neato Botvac D4 Maintenance Tasks

There are several typical maintenance tasks that user has to do periodically in order to keep the unit functioning properly.

Although it comes with relatively large dirt cup (700 ml), the dirt cup can be filled quickly in homes with pets, for example, so be sure to empty it after each cleaning task.

Air filter can be quickly cleaned whenever the dirt bin is emptied - depending on the robot's use and the amount and type of the dirt, air filter should be replaced every 1-2 months.

Main brushroll should be cleaned periodically from tangled lint, fibers, pet and human hair and similar debris. Also, when it wears out, replace it with the new one.

Cliff sensors and rest of the unit should be cleaned using dry cloth, every 1 month or so, depending on the area and dirt that may prevent these sensors from operating properly.

Note: maintenance procedures are given in the manual, so be sure to read it thoroughly.

Neato Botvac D4 comes with 1-year limited warranty for the robot vacuum, and with 6-month battery warranty. Considering the price, the warranty conditions could be perhaps better.

Neato Botvac D3 vs D4 vs D5 vs D6 vs D7 Connected Robot Vacuum Cleaners

Neato Robotics manufactures several Neato Botvac units that differ in the list of available features and of course, price:

Neato Botvac D4 comes the operating time on the single battery charge long enough to clean small to medium homes, but thanks to the Resume & Recharge feature (available twice during one single cleaning task) it can clean much larger area, making it suitable perhaps even for larg(er) size homes and apartments.

Also, it doesn't come with the side brush(es), it doesn't support the multiple floor plans, it doesn't support the 'Find me' feature and it is not delivered with magnetic boundary strips.

These and few more features are available in newer and more expensive Neato Botvac models.

Note: from time to time, some of these models may be found on sale and can be even cheaper than previous models with less features and shorter operating time.

---

Long Story Short: If you need a robotic vacuum cleaner with advanced navigation system and other features based on such navigation system, and you don't mind using smartphones, consider Neato Botvac D4 Connected.

It's 'D' shape body is unconventional for robot vacuums, but 'D' shape body enables the unit to have wide cleaning path and relatively large dirt cup.

For more reviews and recommendations, check Neato Botvac D4 Connect Amazon link (link opens in the new window).