iRobot - Roomba 981 Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum - Black

Name: iRobot - Roomba 981 Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum - Black
Brand: iRobot
SKU: 6500768
Rating: 4.5 (59 reviews)

Model: R981020

SKU: 6500768

This item is no longer available in new condition. See similar items below

Key Specs
- Cleaning Path Width: 7 inches
- Vacuum Type: Robotic vacuums
- Bin Capacity: 0 gallons
- Product Weight: 8.69 pounds (The out of box weight of the item.)
- Bagless: false
- Compatible Floor Type: All floors
- Corded/Cordless: Cordless
- Filter Type: Other
- Multi Surface: true
General
- Product Name: Roomba 981 Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum
- Brand: iRobot
- Model Number: R981020
- Color: Black
Dimensions
- Product Height: 3.58 inches (The out of box height of the item. Height is measured as the vertical distance from the bottom of the item to the top as it would be primarily used or placed.)
- Product Length: 13.9 inches (The out of box length of the item. Length is measured as the longest dimension of the item.)
- Product Width: 13.9 inches (The out of box width of the item. Width is measured as the horizontal distance from one side of the item to the other as it would be primarily used or placed.)
Features
- Bagless: false
- Filter Type: Other
- Voltage: 14.4 volts (Amount of power needed to support an electrical current.)
- Remote Control: false
Power
- Rechargeable Battery: true
- Battery Chemistry: Lithium-ion
Compatibility
- App Compatible: true (The product can be connected to a program or software application on a mobile device, which then receives collected data from the product.)
Other
- UPC: 885155025234

The Roomba 981 robot vacuum seamlessly navigates room to room to clean an entire level of your home, recharging and resuming until the job is done. Roomba 981 loosens, lifts, and suctions dirt with up to 10x more air power and automatically increases cleaning power on carpets, where it’s needed most. Just press CLEAN or schedule Roomba on the go with the iRobot HOME App. It even learns your cleaning habits and offers up personalized schedules, giving you one less thing to think about.

Powerful performance and powerful pick-up: Power-Lifting Suction delivers 10X the air power* for improved pick-up performance. Automatically increases suction to clean deep into carpets with Power Boost Technology. *(Compared to the Roomba 600 series cleaning system)
It won't stop till the job's done: Intelligently maps and cleans an entire level of your home. Patented iAdapt technology with vSLAM navigation actively captures thousands of precise measurements each millisecond to optimize coverage.
Navigates in neat rows: Purposefully and logically cleans in neat rows and uses floor tracking sensors to navigate your home.
Ideal for homes with pets: Unique Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes don't get tangled with pet hair. Brushes adjust and flex to stay in constant contact with carpets and hard floors. High-Efficiency Filter traps 99% of cat and dog dander allergens.
Learns your life: Learns your cleaning habits to offer up personalized schedules, while Google Assistant and Alexa allow you to start cleaning with just the sound of your voice. The 981 will even suggest an extra clean when your area’s pollen count is high or during pet shedding season.

Q: Does this iRobot Roomba 981 need a recharge station? If not, how is it recharged and have the dust and trash removed?

A: Comes with recharge station, you empty the trash bin when message displays full

Q: Does this Irobot work for 110-220 power or only for 110? I have seen the irobot 960 supports dual voltage. Would be great to know if this one does as well. Thank you.

A: Hello Daniela, Our robots that are sold in North America do not come with Dual Voltage. If you are planning to use your iRobot product in another country, please check the voltage specifications printed on any accessory that requires voltage to operate.

Q: How long should the battery last per use. Charges over night. Battery seems to be erratic Sometime less than an hour and sometimes well over an hour.

A: Roomba 981 should have a run time of around 120 minutes. If the job is done in less, it will return preemptively. If you notice your robot is declining in performance, we would suggest following all the essential care procedures to clean and maintain your robot and if the functionality continues to decline, to contact our customer service.

Q: Is this a new 981 or a refurbished Roomba for $199 Thanks Pete

A: Hello Pete, If it was a refurbished unit, it should be mentioned. Unless specified otherwise, it is a new robot.

Customers are saying

Customers consistently note the Roomba 981's excellent cleaning performance and powerful suction, making it effective at removing dirt and dust from various floor types. Many appreciate its ease of use and straightforward setup process, while some find the noise level higher than anticipated and the dustbin requiring frequent emptying. The robot vacuum's navigation capabilities also receive positive feedback.

This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.

Customer Images

The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great cleaning bot, with some minor caveats
Great robot vacuum, easy to setup and use. Its very simple to use and doesn't have more complicated features like the higher priced models. Setup was easy using the phone app. Connected to my home wifi and charged and was ready to go. I like that you can setup cleaning schedules or start a clean up manually from the app. Its missing some features higher priced models have. In example, you cannot create cleaning zones or exclusion zones. It either cleans your whole house or not. It does a good job at avoiding walls and other obstructions, although I had to come help it (it will alert you via the app if its stuck) in example when it couldn't go over a very thick rug I have. Another con is that it does not auto empties its dirt/dust container, you have to keep an eye on it and dump and clean it yourself when it does get full (will alert you via the app too). It does return automatically to its charging station though. If you can get past this small limitations, it's a great cleaning bot (and cheaper than the smarter higher up models). I really like it and the little cons don't bother me. It does a great job at keeping my floor clean of dust (I don't have any furry pets, so don't know how good it will be with pet hairs, but I assume would do well).
Posted 3 years ago by JamexRZ
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Let it do the everyday stuff
I’ve had a few different robot vacuums over the years and they have all had their differences. iRobot Roomba is certainly one of the most well known names out there so I really expect the most from them. This 981 kinda left me feeling slightly disappointed but I can see the improvement in its guidance and attempts at getting tough spots. This does really good on hard floors and probably would do better on a different carpet style. But, it takes the long dark hair of my dog and leaves it in clumps on my short carpet. I feel this is because of the rubber rollers instead of brushes or flaps like others. After five runs it managed to get more of it up, but every time it ran it managed to create a few clumps instead of picking them up. The other thing that is different from others is that there is no screen or anything before the filter, so everything is just pulled straight into the filter. Pretty much requiring you to remove it and brush it out each time you empty the container. Then it has sensors on the inside that detect if it is full that will prevent you from starting a new cleaning job if they aren’t wiped clean from time to time. You can certainly hear when this little guy is working though, especially when it transitions over to carpet and ramps up the suction. You can also see when it detects a dirty spot and continues to go back and forth over a section to try and get something up. But, it really struggled when it came to the dor hair on this carpet. The upside to the rubber rollers is that they don’t get tangled up in hair as much as a brush would though. Overall, this iRobot Roomba 981 does a detailed job in general cleaning. However, if you have a long haired dog and short carpet, it may still require you to use a regular vacuum to finish the job. If it does a full clean on a regular basis it’s still better than taking your time to do it yourself every day. Cleaning the dust bin after each use is pretty much all you are left with.
Posted 3 years ago by David
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Cleans with ease and user friendly
I've had a few robot vacuums over the past few years and this iRobot Roomba 981 is pretty impressive and I feel like it does a great thorough job at cleaning. The robot and the app work very well and have a very user friendly design. The iRobot Roomba 981 is a very attractive looking machine with it's brown/green hue on top, and clean looks. The base has a small footprint also, so it can be place nearby an outlet quite easily. The iRobot app I am currently using on my iPhone is easy to navigate with lots of features built in such as wifi mapping, control the settings and job preferences, scheduled cleanings, and a history of cleanings. I also have been using this robot vacuum with my Alexa voice compatibility in my home, but Google voice assistant is also available. The robot vacuum has done an excellent job at cleaning up the debris, crumbs, and hair on my carpeted floors and also my laminate flooring. The dust bin fills up quickly based on how dirty your area is so it requires some frequent dump outs, but it's just par for the course. I like the dirt detect technology on this robot vacuum as it helps to sense and rerun over high traffic spots that have more debris and dirt. The high efficiency filter traps 99% of the allergens and that's a great feature for me as an allergy sufferer. I think the suction power on this vacuum paired with its dual multi surface rubber brushes helps to clean up a lot of extra dirt and dust trapped within my carpets. I have enjoyed using this robot vacuum while I work from home especially. I can set it up to clean the house and I can still be working on Zoom calls while the house gets clean. Efficient to use and very user friendly. PRO: Thorough cleaning on carpet or hard surface Wifi mapping User friendly app CON: Frequent dustbin cleanouts needed
Posted 3 years ago by JKinCLT