When the robot vacuum cleaner craze kicked off, iRobot was the name at the forefront, but I haven't seen many models from the firm recently. With the iRobot Roomba e5, the company is back on form, with a solid mid-range robot that ships with a battery-powered virtual barrier system to stop the...

Excellent carpet cleaning; IFTTT channel; Brilliant connectivity

Additional virtual barriers are expensive; Left deeper dirt on wooden floors

Between seriously powerful suction, a HEPA filter, and the two-hour battery this is one of the best robot vacuums around for sheer cleaning - except in the corners where the round design won't reach.

iRobot's Roomba vacuums have always been easy to use, but the new Roomba 980 introduces an even easier way to clean your home without getting off the couch: app control. The Roomba 980 connects to your home Wi-Fi network, so you can control it remotely from an app on your smartphone. It's iRobot's best 'bot yet, but $899.99 is a hefty price to pay for app control. The Neato Botvac Connected ($299.99 at Amazon) gets you similar Wi-Fi functionality for less, making it the better buy. And though it lacks Wi-Fi, our Editors' Choice remains the Neato XV Signature Pro for its much more reasonable balance of performance and price. Design and Features The Roomba 980 looks a lot like its most recent predecessor, the Roomba 880 . It's about as big, measuring 13.8 inches in diameter and 3.6 inches high, and weighing in at 8.7 pounds. For comparison, the Neato Botvac Connected, which uses a more corner-friendly "D"-shape instead of a circular design, measures 3.9 by 12.7 by 13.2 inches (HW...

The Roomba 980 is iRobot's best robotic vacuum yet, adding Wi-Fi and app control for even easier home cleaning, but the price for convenience is higher than ever.

Powerful; Good on rugs; Wi-Fi-enabled

Very expensive; Noisy

Firing up your robot vacuum away from home makes a novel party trick, but the Roomba 980 isn't worth its $200 premium without more robust control.

Easy to use; Good for pet hair; App controlled; Good mapping capabilities

App doesn't have a ton of features; Imperfect cleaning; Loud; Expensive

The name Roomba may be synonymous with robot vacuums, but that doesn't mean every model is the cream of the crop. That's not the say that the Roomba 980 isn't a dutiful vacuum. Like its predecessors, this device is a meticulous little helper that keeps the house spot-free, and the companion app...

Extremely user-friendly companion app; Very good at finding its way back to its charging station; Comes with HEPA filters to grab errant dust particles

Often piercingly loud; Circular shape hinders vacuum from thoroughly cleaning corners; Not the best for pet owners looking to clean up fur

Does everything you need it to do, foes not miss spots usually, really helpful if you have a busy life. However, stops working if placed on a black carpet as it recognizes it as stairs/ fall , and officially no way to disable this sensor, frustrating because about 30 squares of my house is black...

In 2013 iRobot introduced the Roomba 880 that ditched the bristled brushes but it still used the same old navigation and NiCad batteries that somewhat limited its potential as a truly great robotic cleaner that can clean your home efficiently.

Uses a more predictable and efficient back and forth cleaning pattern; Wifi connectivity ditches the remote control; Lithium ion battery will have a longer service life compared to the NiCad equipped; Lighthouses aren't as bulky and uses cheaper AA batteries; Has HEPA filtration

Very expensive; Did not exceed the cleaning performance of the 880 despite the upgrades

The long run time and the intuitive navigation of the iRobot Roomba 980 makes it a great choice for those with larger homes or multiple rooms -- or both. It syncs to your smartphone so you can start it from anywhere.

Syncs to phone; Very intuitive navigation; Long run time; Automatically returns to charging station

Pricey; Can miss some debris

I thought I'd take a break for a minute while I still sort out my next piece for the Building a Smart Home Series, and talk about something in my house that is both smart & practical. I've been using for the last couple months the Roomba 980 robot vacuum and I must say I think I'm impressed.

Robot vacuums are becoming more and more common, and with that increasing popularity comes an increase in competition. There are quite a few big names in the vacuum industry, but not many are as well known as iRobot or Dyson, the latter of which fairly recently came out with its first robotic...