Either it’s time to upgrade your old robot vacuum, or you’re getting your first one and you want it to be the best on the market. Either way, before you invest your hard-earned money, you need to know the details so you can make the best decision. Let’s take a closer look at these two Roombas to see which is ideal for cleaning your home.
iRobot Roomba 690 Wi-Fi Connected Robotic Vacuum Cleaner, Works with Amazon Alexa
The age of voice control has arrived. The iRobot Roomba 690 can respond to voice commands if you have it linked to your home Wi-Fi network. All you need to interface with it is Amazon’s Alexa or the Google Home Assistant.
Once you’ve connected the Roomba to your network, you can tell it to start cleaning, stop, or go back to recharge at its dock. If you install the iRobot Home app on your smartphone or tablet, you can use it to set up cleaning schedule for the robot. The app will also notify you when a cleaning job is complete even if you aren’t at home.
Although the Roomba 690 can work for up to an hour before needing a recharge, you don’t need to worry about the battery dying when the robot is under the bed. The Roomba knows when it’s time for a refill and it directs itself back to the charging base.
The 690 is only 3.6-inches tall, so it fits underneath sofas, chairs, and other furniture to clean where an upright vacuum can’t easily reach. Its 3-stage cleaning system combines agitating brushes and suction to sweep up dirt from hard floors and carpets. The spinning side brush even cleans in corners and alongside walls.
Should you have a place where you don’t want the robot to clean, you can use the included Virtual Wall Barrier in one of two ways. The Virtual Wall can block a doorway or it can create a circular barrier around objects like pet food bowls.
More features of the iRobot Roomba 690:
- Covered by warranty when purchased from an authorized reseller
- Comes with home base charging station, power cord, one extra filter, one cleaning tool for the brushes, one dual mode Virtual Wall Barrier with two AA batteries, and an owner’s guide
iRobot Roomba 980 Vacuum Cleaning Robot + 2 Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers (With Batteries) + Extra Side Brush + Extra High Efficiency Filter + More
Why would you consider getting the Roomba 980 instead of the 690? If you have allergies, you may appreciate the extra high efficiency filter and ten times the cleaning power of the 980. Or if you have a larger home, you may like that it comes with two Virtual Wall Barriers instead of only one. Or perhaps most importantly, the battery on the 980 lasts twice as long as the one on the 690, up to two hours of cleaning time.
Of course, you’ll also have the ability to use the iRobot Home app on your smartphone to schedule cleaning runs. The app will tell you the status of the current job, or let you know when the robot is done.
If the Roomba’s battery is getting low, it will automatically return to its home base to recharge. If it hasn’t finished the cleaning session, it will return to work as soon as the battery is full again.
If you have stairs, you don’t need to worry. The 980 has a cliff sensor to keep it from falling off edges. And its iAdapt 2.0 Responsive Navigation helps it create an efficient cleaning pattern around obstacles in your home.
The AeroForce Cleaning System in the Roomba 980 cleans dust and debris from any floor type, from linoleum and tile to carpet. In fact, it amps up its suction power on carpet to make sure it sucks up dirt. If you have persons with long hair living in your home, you’ll appreciate the tangle free extractors in the 980. This innovation helps prevent jams caused by hair and dirt.
More features of the iRobot Roomba 980:
- Covered by warranty when purchased from an authorized reseller
- Comes with a high efficiency filter, two Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers with batteries, an extra side brush, a charging dock, and an owner’s manual
Recommendation
If you have a large home, or you’re upgrading from an older Roomba, you’ll appreciate the extra accessories that come with the Roomba 980. You’ll also love the two-hour runtime, double that of the 690. Plus, it has a high-efficiency filter, better for homes where persons with allergies live.
Otherwise, if you have never enjoyed a robotic vacuum helping you clean your home, you may fall in love with the convenience that the Roomba 690 offers.
Click here to purchase iRobot Roomba 690 on Amazon.com!
Click here to purchase iRobot Roomba 980 on Amazon.com!