Neato’s Botvac Connected series of robot vacuums continues to impress with the latest software updates, which continue to bring about several new features for existing owners of Neato’s entire product line. Today’s update comes in the form of the zone cleaning concept that Neato announced a few months back, and adds some brand new functionality to go along with the software update that was delivered in late Summer. Zone cleaning might be a feature you’ve heard of on some other robot vacuums but it’s clear that Neato is looking to differentiate itself from the crowd by offering deeper integration with the saved maps as well as additional functionality and customization above and beyond what others offer. This new feature allows the Botvac D7 Connected to clean specific rooms or other custom areas of the house via in-app commands, available with the software update that begins today, November 20th, and is scheduled to finish rolling out to all Botvac D7 Connected robots by the weekend.
Just in time for the Holidays and the inevitable extra dirt that will make its way into homes throughout this festive time of year, Neato’s latest update allows users to define specific zones throughout the house by selecting a predefined room name or even creating your own custom name for each area. Zones don’t have to just be rooms though, they can be any size and shape you’d like throughout the home, including the ability to overlap zones. This could be useful when creating a cleaning schedule, as some areas will inevitably require additional cleaning on a regular basis, like the kitchen or entryway to the house. Overlapping zones are extra handy because they could include the hallway leading to an extra messy room, all while not requiring adjustment of individual room zones themselves.
Neato’s most recent update was to add no-go lines to the less expensive Botvac D5 Connected and D3 Connected series of vacuums and while this latest update doesn’t apply to those vacuums, it shows that Neato is committed to adding value for customers, even long after they have purchased the vacuum. These no-go lines can be used in conjunction with the new update on the Botvac D7 Connected to help keep certain sensitive or unsafe areas in each zone from being disturbed, such as the dog bowl full of water in the corner of a room, or the pike of stuffed animals in a child’s room. Zone cleaning also works with the multiple floor plan option, meaning you won’t be restricted from adding advanced zone control features just to the main floor plan, but can also define specific zones on that upstairs or downstairs room. You’ll need an additional charging base to take advantage of multiple floor plans, which will also work in conjunction with the turbo charge feature. This turbo charge feature calculates the percentage of battery needed to clean each area or zone of the home and will only charge the vacuum as much as it needs to complete a cleaning cycle rather than requiring to wait for the battery to be charged in full, even though there may only be a single room left to clean. It all adds up to a very powerful experience that’s super customizable and user friendly as well, adding serious value and quality of life features to an already value-packed product.