Neato Robotics - Botvac D6 Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum - Black

Really impressed so far. Got it to map the whole level and it's a pretty good size, probably 1600 sq ft or so. Navigation is way better than the budget models I am used to. It has only gotten stuck once really and that's when it ate part of a loose string on a rug. I did notice that when I had a dog bed blocking the path to the living room only leaving a few feet clearance it didn't want to go in living room. I just picked up the dog bed and made a normal pathway and it mapped and swept the area. It's worth the extra few hundred for the advanced navigation features. That older bounce off the wall thing can't compare to this at all.

NEATO BOTVAC D6 Hiding behind that cute NEATO BOTVAC name is a dirt terminator. This is a powerful, useful, and sophisticated robotic vacuum. I’m going to recommend this robot vac highly, but I’m also going to recommend you take the time to read the instructions and utilize the advanced features that are available in this NEATO BOTVAC D6. Its MAPPING with No-Go Lines mark-up features provides a level of control that lets you avoid most robot vacuuming problems. This is what you paid for. SETUP: 1- Plug in the charging module and place on the floor against a wall, near an outlet. (There’s a 6”cable, but it can be wound up and hidden partly in the module.) 2- While your NEATO charges, download the APP. (Apple/Google). Create an account if you don’t have one. It’s not complicated, but follow the instructions on the App for the quickest setup. Download the PDF of the complete user Instructions for easier reading and more complete guidance. 3- You’re ready to clean. 4- For quick spills you can choose whether to do a spot cleaning (a 7’ x 7’ area) by placing the vac and pressing the start button twice. A full sweep is initiated by a single tap of the start button, or initiating the automatic schedule you created in the App, or your direct interaction with the App, utilizing one of 3 maps you can save. How about controlling your NEATO with Facebook? Create a Neato account on their APP (Apple or Google Store), and use Neato Chatbot for Facebook to start, stop, pause, resume cleaning, plus a lengthy list of other tasks you can control with commands. ADVICE: Be thoughtful about those areas you allow the NEATO to wander into for your initial cleaning or mapping. The NEATO has a fairly powerful drive motor and suction. It’s a bit more likely to pull on a wire/cord, or push itself into a tight spot. Use the “special” MY FLOOR PLAN feature and after that create NO GO lines as described. It’ll save you some aggravation. It’s also a great feature that uses the advanced mapping and guidance system in this sophisticated robotic vacuum. Our first map took awhile to complete in the 1700 sq ft area we wanted to clean. The MAP was remarkably detailed and accurate. You can save up to 3 maps to manage your desired vac routines. Using the maps means you no longer have to fuss over problem areas. The BotVac D6 has built-in cliff sensors so it won’t tumble into stair wells or off a balcony. I was able to set up a schedule or simply initiate a cleaning cycle from my chair or from a remote location. I could pause, stop, or dock from anywhere. I could view the map and find my vac’s location or check its progress. My robot sent me messages if it was in trouble or just to let me know it’s completed a cleaning run. PERFORMANCE: The BOTVAC D6 battery seems to run forever, well beyond my patience and attention span. It will clean a large floor plan and take charging breaks when necessary. Like I’ve mentioned, it’s powerful, with sufficient traction to easily climb onto and off of thick throw rugs. It is surprisingly gentle, never hitting furniture with damaging force. After the mapping procedure, the NEATO seemed less likely to bump into furniture at all. The NEATO did get confused by my mobile monitor stand, for example, unable to back out of the U-shaped legs. The No-Go line feature in the mapping eliminated trapping issues. In some places we felt it was overly persistent cleaning. We ran a SPOT CLEANING to check how effectively our NEATO will suck up a dry cereal debris field. Our first effort was not good. Remembering that we had run a full cleaning cycle, we checked the good sized dirt bin. Oops. Jammed full. Should there be a “FULL BIN” indicator? We didn’t see one. Emptied, the NEATO was now able to suck up our debris. The more typical vacuuming performance was very good. The bin was a collection of hair, dust, dirt, and more dust. SUMMARY: We were very impressed with the NEATO’s various features and its thorough cleaning. The MAPPING function is precise and prevented many problems you might predict from a robotic approach to vacuuming, The standard suction is great. We never felt a need for the higher level that was available. The APP has been fine tuned to be relatively easy to use and understand. This is an enjoyable vac. I’m OK admitting I can be a dummy. The numerous help videos need to add explicit directions as well as illustrations on basic use issues: emptying the bin, examples of button pushes, spot cleaning, adding, deleting, modifying maps. Each of these issues required multiple tries for us to get the desired results. Finding guidance was frustrating. Videos were too oriented towards marketing, and not end user help. NEATO has a sophisticated and effective vacuum here, and they will want to reduce new user frustration. The NEATO BOTVAC D6 is definitely recommended.

This is my 3rd robot vacuum cleaner but my first NEATO, I simply awesome, under my sofa is completely clean and everything aroun. I bought Neato D6 and is fantastic I recommend 110%

This cleaner although a little pricy is well worth the money in quality and cleaning ability. I bought 2, one for my wife and one for my mom and they both love them.

The Neato Botvac D6 is a high-performance laser-mapping robot vacuum from Netao Robotics. I’ve been using it for almost a month now, and I want to give you my thoughts on the D6 in comparison to the more expensive D7, as well as my experience with Neato Robotics Customer Care. In my review of the D7, I claimed that it was the “archetype robot vacuum”, and I think that still holds true today based on my experience with other robot vacuums. The D6, however, is a great alternative for those who don’t care for some of the more luxurious features found in the D7, while also getting a cheaper price. For example, the D6 will not receive the upcoming Zone cleaning functionality—which would have allowed you to create zones on your map so that your Botvac can clean that specific zone either when you command it to, or when you set a schedule to do so. On top of that, The D6 saves a bit of cost by omitting 5GHz Wi-Fi Connectivity. Given that these Botvacs aren’t using tons of network bandwidth, this is likely a fair tradeoff; however, it’s something to consider if your home network configurations are more advanced. Lastly, the D6 does not have the capability for manual control like the D7, but honestly, that functionality was never cohesive, and it defeats the purpose of having such a smart robot vacuum. In short, the only considerable compromise I see for the D6 when compared to the D7 is the lack of Zone cleaning, which the D6 and even lesser models are technically capable of—but Neato Robotics is reserving that functionality for loyal customers who have already paid for the more premium model. With that comparison out of the way, let’s talk about what the D6 is good at. Firstly, the setup process is mostly painless. You download the app, register an account if you don’t already have one, turn on the Botvac, wait for it to broadcast a Wi-Fi connection, then connect your Android or iOS device to the D6 over an ad-hoc Wi-Fi connection. From there, the app will ask you to select your home’s Wi-Fi network and password, and the D6 will connect to your home’s Wi-Fi connection and will remain connected. At which point, you can command/schedule the D6 via the app. The D6 accurately maps the layout of your house and can even do multiple floors if you are so inclined to move your D6 from time to time. The app allows you to schedule cleaning sessions and toggle between Eco/Turbo suction modes for either extended cleaning time (great for larger houses) or more powerful suction (for a more effective clean, but at the cost of battery). Additionally, there is a Gentle Navigation mode which will slow the botvac down to better prevent the D6 from bumping into walls and potentially causing scuffs on more sensitive areas. On top of that, like the other Neato Botvacs, the D6 sends you a push notification of its completion map when it has finished a cleaning session. This map highlights the areas where the D6 has vacuumed, while leaving the unaffected areas unmarked. It even gives a sq ft. metric and how much time it took to complete. Additionally, if the Botvac has issues or gets stuck (which is rare, from my experience), it can also send you a push notification to alert you so that you can manually reposition the botvac and resume its session. From my experience, the D6 is effective at picking up dirt, dust, lint, pet hair, and so on. I make sure to clean out the bin and filter at least once a week (the app allows you to set reminders for this) so that I never have issues. The D6 has had no issues traversing floor mats, but very light, easily movable materials can cause issues, so it’s best to otherwise keep your floors clear of objects. Lastly, because of the D-shaped body and side brushes, the Botvac is able to clean up against walls and corners quite a bit better when compared to other robot vacuums. And because of its low profile, it can go under furniture that other robot vacuums could not. For my use-case scenario, I find the D6 to be just as good as the D7. Lastly, I want to talk about some issues I faced with the D6 at the beginning and how they were resolved. Initially, I had issues with the D6 staying connected to my Linksys Velop mesh Wi-Fi network, but after contacting Neato Robotics Customer Care, we eventually found that my router’s firmware was out-of-date. After performing a firmware update to my router, the D6’s Wi-Fi connectivity has been flawless. I’d also like to disclose that I provided detailed information to Neato Robotics’ engineering team about my network configuration and with my permission (which they asked for), they were able to collect error logs from my D6 and they were able to expedite a package to my address which included a software update for the D6 as well as instructions to perform the update. In conjunction with the router update, I also performed this software update on the D6, and have had no issues with the D6 staying connected to my home network. My experience with Neato Robotics has been pleasant, overall. Their commitment to helping me have the best experience is unparalleled. I asked them to step up and show me what customer support is, and they definitely did. While there were initially some hurdles, I am very satisfied with the end-result. The D6 is a very reliable robot vacuum, and I’m glad to have it in my arsenal. As someone who has enjoyed a Neato Botvac in the past (and will continue to do so in the future), I believe that Neato has an excellent product that comes at a premium price, but from my experience with other robot vacuums, the reliability, features and performance is worth the cost.

Overall: Having a robot clean your floors can be very nice, but it doesn’t completely replace a traditional model. I got it so my floors would be cleaned more often than when I could otherwise get around to it. This fits that bill. If you want a robot, this is certainly one to get! The longer battery life of the D6 over the D4 is useful. The app: Once the Neato completes its first cleaning, you can draw virtual boundaries on the map to indicate which rooms or areas that the Neato should skip. Just draw a boundary connecting two walls. The lines can intersect to create shape around a no-go zone (i.e. dog food dish). They can also be changed between cleanings to create a different cleaning patterns where rooms are open or blocked off. Lines can also be removed. Note: Don’t pick up the vacuum (i.e. to pull out a plastic bag or shoelace) during the initial run as it won’t save the map. Use Alexa, Google Home, or the app to start, stop, or pause the vacuum. Cleaning: Neato cleans like a souped up dustbuster. It picks up surface dirt from both carpets and hardwood floors. It will not replace your plug in upright vacuum. After using the Neato, I went over the same area with my old vacuum, and it still picked things in higher traffic areas. While it won’t replace your old vacuum, it will make the rooms look nicer between deep cleanings or allow you to simply use a deep clean machine, like a Rug Doctor. The robot shows a clear awareness of where it is. When cleaning an area, it first goes around the perimeter, including under chairs, tables, and cabinets. It then goes in parallel rows through the rest of the region, to assure every square inch is covered. It performed this feat in each room of my main level one after the other without additional prompting. The whole process took about 90 minutes to clean 779 sqft and fill the dust bin on the eco cycle. Neato D6 also has a deep cleaning cycle which adds a little more suction, but didn’t add any time. In both eco and regular mode, it was able to clean my entire main level on a single charge. The Neato also has a spot clean mode which lets you put it in a room and have it clean a 8’ x 8’ or 13’ x 13’ area. In this mode, it simply uses its sensors to avoid large obstacles, but otherwise ignores any no-go markings you may have put on its map. This is useful if you just have a single room that you want to vacuum while doing other things. As a gadget, it’s very cool. As a cleaning machine, there’s certainly value. Accept it for what it is, and you’ll be happy.

After trying several robotic vacuums, I didn’t find them very practical. After the initial excitement wears off, you find yourself babysitting them making sure they don’t get stuck as they wander around aimlessly, bumping into everything imaginable. The Neato Botvac D6 has proven me wrong. Thanks to it’s laser navigation (LiDAR) and mapping software, Neato provides the foundation of a proper robotic vacuum. Neato even offers an optional ‘Extra Care’ navigation mode, but after mapping my home I haven’t needed to use this mode. Though not immediately clear, you must run an initial mapping via the app under “My Floor Plan” to improve navigation and setup go lines. On my first run I neglected to do this and the botvac had a few troubles navigating and didn’t seem to run as efficiently as expected. After realizing my mistake, I setup the initial floor plan helping it along when it got stuck under a low hanging coffee table. While the Neato Botvac is only 3 1/4” tall, the LiDAR protrudes an additional 5/8”. After this was complete I was able to apply one of the best features of the D6, “No Go Lines”. These orange lines allow you to block off that low coffee table or a high pile rug for example. I have found it is especially useful to limit where the D6 runs at night so as not to disturb anyone sleeping. After completing a cleaning run, the botvac provides a cleaning summary showing you where it has cleaned so you don’t have to watch it to see if it misses any areas. I found that after specifying no go lines for difficult obstacles, the D6 navigated my home flawlessly. Where other robovacs I have owned wander aimlessly for hours, the D6 finishes the job in about an hour without getting lost. It really is a completely different experience, allowing me to schedule the D6 to run when I am asleep or away and not having to worry about it getting stuck. Besides scheduling a run, you can start a cleaning as needed from the app or even via Alexa and IFTTT. The D6 has two cleaning profiles, Turbo and Eco. I have found both to be fairly loud, but the Eco is a little quieter and provides longer run time if required. You can even have separate schedules for the different cleaning profiles. The D6 does a great job picking up dirt and hair, somehow managing to locate some every run. Fortunately, the botvac has a large capacity dust bin (.7 liters), but the seal around the filter seems a little weak. Although the ‘Ultra Performance Filter’ does a great job filtering hair and dust, the mesh screen traps lint in the filter pleats. I would like to vacuum the filter clean periodically, but this mesh prevents it from being cleaned thoroughly. Additionally, Neato does not provide a spare filter, meaning you will be purchasing a replacement filter sooner then you would like. Another gripe is how Neato artificially limits the D6 to prop up their D7. Hardware wise they seem identical, but Neato has provided additional software features to the D7 such as manual control and zone cleaning. I would like for Neato to focus on hardware improvements to differentiate the models rather then software limitations. Despite my issues with the Neato Botvac D6, I feel it is one of the best on the market. I have tried numerous robot vacs and this one is by far the most useful and reliable. Finally one that works!

I have been wanting a robot vacuum for a while and I decided to go with the Neato botvac D6. I have an average sized apartment with a tiled floor and carpet mix. I have a cat that sheds her fur coat all year around and I always find myself sweeping and vacuuming. But now that I have this little botvac I do not have to clean as much. Setup is really simple just have your smart device ready and on hand. Plug the charging base against a flat wall with enough space on both ends. Download the app on your IOS or Android device the application will walk you through the rest of the process. In the box you will find the magnetic boundary markers for places you do no want the botvac getting into. The bot vac, dock and brush comb to get dander and pet hair out of the brush. I highly recommend putting down the magnetic strip and run the special cleaning first so that the bot will map out it's cleaning area(s). After that you should not encounter any issues if you do it that way. Here are the things I like about the Botvac D6 - Small & Versatile on multi surface floors (hard wood, tile and carpet) - Smart app capable - Wi-Fi enabled - Replaceable parts (battery, brush, filter) There is not a whole lot that I dislike about the botvac I only have two gripes at the moment. - Alexa Neato skill is not D6 compatible - Sometimes the botvac gets confused during docking mode. The app is pretty great it allows you to set reminders for the replaceable parts such as the filer and brush and also a reminder to change the dust bin. This device is listed ad Alexa compatible. I attempted to get t hat working but the smart skill does not support the D6 yet. Although the Neato skill applet states that it is D5 & D7 compatible. I found that a bit of a letdown because I have a smart home with other connected devices. When I attempt to get Alexa to command the Botvac to clean it states that I have no robots linked to my account. Overall this Neato Botvac is really handy. I have set up a cleaning schedule so it can automatically clean at preset times. It is great at picking up messes that my birds leave and the fur that ends up on the floor from my cat along with other debris that builds up over time. Despite the minor issues that I listed which can be fixed with a firmware update I really can say that this is a solid product that will make a great addition to any smart home. If you are on the market for a robot vacuum then give Neato a shot.