This feature-rich robotic vacuum is the last cleaning machine you’ll ever need.
For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to have a robot vacuum. Something about them reminds me of droids from Star Wars and I love the idea of having a tiny R2-D2 cleaning the house. In addition to the ‘cool’ factor of having a robot in the house, the vacuum functionality keeps me from having to do it myself. It’s not that I mind vacuuming, it’s just that I can never seem to do it enough. My 87-year-old grandmother lives in the house with us and she has respiratory issues. So, we try very hard to keep dust to a minimum. In a household of four people, it can get messy pretty quickly so having a good robot vacuum that can handle the foot traffic is a must. In the past 5 years or so, I’ve tried out at least 3 different robot vacuums. I sort of started feeling a little like Goldilocks when she visits the three bears. One vacuum didn’t clean well and had a terrible app. Another one did a great job cleaning but had a bad app interface. The third one was able to clean without supervision and didn’t get stuck, but it didn’t have strong app support. Finally, the Neato D7 Intelligent Robot Vacuum came into my life and it was just right.
DETAILS
The Neato D7 is the most advanced robot vacuum in Neato’s product lineup. It features zone cleaning, multiple floor plan mapping, and No-Go Lines as well as LaserSmart technology that helps it intelligently navigate your home. There is a Turbo mode that boosts suction to pick up things like pet hair and the vacuum has up to 120 minutes of battery life. The robot moves around the house in a logical pattern, which takes less time. The zone cleaning feature allows users to clean specific areas of the home on demand. The robot has a unique “D” shape, which allows it to get into more areas of the home (in comparison to other robot vacuums). The Neato D7 also traps allergens so users can breathe freely. It traps up to 99% of tiny dust mites and allergens as small as 10 microns. The Neato D7 has a companion app that is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. You can use the app to monitor the device and to schedule cleanings. The D7 works with all types of smart home systems including Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Siri.
What’s in the D7 box?
- Neato D7 robot vacuum
- Charge Base
- Power Cord
- Spiral Combo Brush
- Ultra Performance Filter
- Brush and Filter Cleaning Tool
- Boundary Markers (2M)
SPECS
- D7 Robot Vacuum Dimensions: 13.21 inch x 12.56 inch x 3.92 inch
- D7 Robot Vacuum Weight: 7.5lbs
- D7 Robot Vacuum Brushes: Main brush: 11-inch spiral combo brush; Side brush included
- D7 Robot Vacuum Dustbin Capacity: 0.7 liters
- D7 Robot Included Features: LaserSmart™ Mapping & Navigation, Ultra Performance Filter, Spiral Combo Brush for All Surface Types
- D7 Robot Vacuum App Features: Coverage Map, Cleaning History, Multiple Floor Plan Mapping, No-Go Lines, Extra Care Navigation
- D7 Robot Vacuum Cleaning Options: Scheduled Cleaning, House Cleaning, Zone Cleaning, Spot Cleaning, Eco / Turbo Mode
- D7 Robot Vacuum Connectivity: Wifi 2.4Ghz + 5Ghz, Apple Watch, Amazon Echo*, Google Home*
- D7 Robot Vacuum Battery: High capacity lithium-ion, Run Time: Up to 120 minutes, Charge Time: Up to 150 minutes, Quick boost charging, Battery recharge and resume (up to 2 times)
USER IMPRESSIONS
One of the first things I noticed about the Neato D7 was how easy the start-up was. First of all, it arrived approximately 90% assembled. The only parts that had to be added on were the side brush and the filter/dust bin. Once the brush was snapped into place and the filter/dust bin was inserted I set it onto the charging dock for charging. While it was charging, I was able to walk through the steps to connect the vacuum to my WiFi network and smartphone app. The app walks you through how to connect to your home network (press start button and right bumper for 10 seconds to enter the right pairing mode). Depending on how long your particular robot vacuum was sitting on the shelf, you may have a software update to complete. I did. It didn’t take long at all and all you have to do is make sure the vacuum is on its charging base. I’ve included some screenshots below of the smartphone app (I was using the iOS version). You can see how to walk through the process and what to expect from the mapping it does of your home.
I was so excited to see the Neato D7 in action that I started the vacuum as soon as I was able to. I was instantly impressed with the thorough cleaning job the vacuum does. I set the vacuum up in my home office and was watching TV in the living room. In my past experience, robot vacuums tend to move quickly through areas, but that usually means they aren’t doing a thorough job of cleaning. After about 20 minutes, I realized I hadn’t seen the D7 enter the living room so I went to check on it. I found that it was finishing up in the office (its first room) and it left definitive vacuum marks on the carpet (as shown below). It looked cleaner than when we use our Dyson vacuum and do it our selves. The D7 is a vacuuming beast!
I believe the first cleaning session did take an entire two hours, but the vacuum was mapping the house for the first time. I do want to note that it did not get stuck one time while it was running and it did not catch anything it shouldn’t (cables, rugs, etc.). I was very impressed with how much dust and debris the D7 was able to extract from our floors. The picture below shows the contents of the dust bin after the vacuum completed its sweep of the house. NOTE: We had our other robot vacuum run while the D7 was charging to see how much it was missing in comparison and in the photo below you will see just how much the D7 was able to find. I was SHOCKED at how much was collected. The new Siri shortcuts function works beautifully. Being able to quickly speak out to one of my devices and ask for the Neato to start cleaning is an absolute must-have. It’s a super nice feature. We compared the Neato D7 to the Roomba® s9, DSER ROBOGEEK 23T, and the SAMSUNG POWERBOT. NONE of them stacked up to the cleaning power, cleaning accuracy, app design, and features of the D7.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Shortly after seeing this pile of dust and debris, I made the decision to make the Neato D7 my primary vacuuming device. Even though it’s a robot vacuum, it certainly gets the job done. I will usually have some thoughts on improvements, but aside from having a sensor to detect animal messes before it runs it over, I really couldn’t think of anything. The vacuum rests nicely on a hard surface or carpet and it cleans all types of floors. I love the fact that I can use Siri to start the cleaning cycle and send it back to its base, too. The only ‘complaint’ I would have (and I don’t even think I would classify it as a complaint) is the price. At the time of publishing this review, the suggested retail price is around $830 from Neato. Because it has advanced features, I can understand the elevated price, but it’s still considered quite expensive and cost-prohibitive for a lot of consumers. While I believe the investment is well worth it, I can see how some people might be turned off by it but at the same time, it comes in cheaper than the biggest competitor and after our testing of both I can say the Neato blows the Roomba® s9 straight out of the water.
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