Robot vacuums work best in small spaces and 4,000 sq. ft is going to give it a hard time for sure. Whatever limitations it may have, at the end of the day, iRobotâÂÂs Roomba is still the best robot vacuum and changing to Neato or any other alternative is just not going to give better results. I couldnâÂÂt clearly understand why you canâÂÂt limit the Roomba to an area but I guess there is something wrong with your lighthouses and they are not working the way they should. There are two possible reasons why the virtual lighthouses may not be not working: 1-)They have a range of about 6â 6âÂÂâÂÂ. If the gap you set them to cover is larger than that the robot vacuum will find the spot where the lighthouse ray cannot reach and pass through. The solution to this could be to put two lighthouses 6 feet away from each other but two of those so close can confuse the robot. Another solution is to place some object in the middle of the gap where you do not want the Roomba to pass and place the lighthouses on both ends so their rays donâÂÂt make contact. 2-) Roomba 530 is not compatible with lighthouses. But if you have lighthouses they will still work as virtual walls. You need to set to wall. This post was edited by patricc on Thu, Sep 25, 14 at 13:40

My DH bought me one for my birthday (2?) years ago..He purchased it from Roomba and it was the 590? series. It came with a programable thing and several towers. He paid nearly $500 for it. The first few months, it had numerous problems (cant remember all of them but in general the brushes had issues and the battery would not hold a charge, also it would crash into the furniture when it was supposed to have sensors etc to avoid that. It was under warranty (very very limited warranty time wise) but they sent one part of the main brush thingie and a new battery. not too much later, something else went wrong with it, but now it was no longer under warranty so I had to purchase replacement parts. After talking to the customer service people, she conveyed that when the brush housing stopped working the first time or had issues, that the whole thing should have been replaced because by now it was completely damaged (so the replacement part was only a $40 bandaid) somehow, she managed to get permission to send me a whole new unit. This "NEW" unit would barely clean one room before pooping out. (the other one was designed to clean up to 3 rooms in one run and it usually came close unless I had too many obstacles for it). It is now not being used at all. I will say when it was working that it was handy for pet hair (houseful of cats and dogs) but it always had trouble transitioning from hardwood floors to rugs, and as such would half way "clean" itself off on its way up and over the edge of the rugs, leaving clumps of cat fur behind. If I had to do it over again, I would absolutely NOT spend $500 on it, but IF I could have gotten a decent one second hand, then I'd probably use it every now and then. I dont know if it was this forum or elsewhere but this topic has been discussed before and I do recall that someone had purchased one from some particular place that offered a lifetime warranty, knowing the multiple issues mine has always had, I'd DEFINITELY buy it from them over any other vendor, if I had a do over. I do not recall the place though.

That suggests regular use of a sweeping robot may be very handy for some but perhaps not the best thing for allergy or asthma sufferers. As someone who has serious allergies and non-serious asthma the best thing about the robot vacs is that they stir up the dust when I am not home. My problem with traditional vacuums, even with HEPA filters, isn't the air quality of the house, it is the air quality of the house immediately after vacuuming. I can't be in the house for a couple of hours after vacuuming happens. I used to fix this by having the cleaning lady come when I was at work but the $85 per week adds up quickly. I still do my stairs and a few areas like closets with a traditional vacuum and I immediately leave the house when finished. While I do use a HEPA filter on my Botvac, I am making no claim that my air quality is as good as those with Rainbows but it has been fine so far.

I’ve had my Roomba 960 for a year now. I did research them and also watched my sis’s inexpensive Roomba in action randomly cleaning her floor. I love my Roomba so much I am giving one to my daughter for Christmas this year. I thought about getting her a cheap one but she has a big house and a cat so the added features are better for her situation. I threw my back out 18 months ago and vacuuming is now disallowed. My DH has taken over, but like you I try to minimize what I rely on him for. I also like a clean floor. This bot does an excellent job cleaning. I have a mix of hardwood, LVP, tile, and area rugs. Bot handles them all just fine. I have a thick jute rug and flat weaves and it has never had a transition problem. This model keeps track of where it’s been and is thorough. The most I have to do is empty the bin and move it to different floor levels. It needs maintenance a few times a year to keep it cleaning optimally but it’s not difficult. One of the reasons I went with Roomba is that replacement parts are available so hopefully it can last many years. I also believe the brand and model will make a big difference in your cleaning experience. I run mine every 2-3 days. Both times I made my purchases through Bed Bath and Beyond watching for super sales. I got the last one on cyber Monday for over $100 off. I’d be happy to answer any specific questions for you.