Why not? Even if the 550 is priced down to the same as a 4260 scheduler, i will still go for the 4260. Sometimes the latest may not be the greatest. The product i purchase has to meet my needs. Here's why i chose the 4260...
1) I have an existing pool of 4XXX series accessories ranging from virtual walls (schedule and non schedule) to Roomba rapid external charger => Tons of spares for everything, including batteries thereby eliminating down time
2) The new lighthouse technology does not do much for me. I dont need the Roomba to be stuck in 1 room for 30+ mins, thats absurd as i dont have a super large house/cleaning area. Segmenting it into areas does not cut it for me as well as 30+ mins for 2 rooms is also an overkill. Putting 2 rooms as 1 area also does not ensure adequate cleaning in BOTH rooms. Enlarging the area is senseless as its as good as not having the lighthouse there in the first place.
3) As with all iRobot products, it takes years for them to iron out the kinks. Like the Discovery series, its only from 2.1 models onwards are they relatively 'reliable'. The current 5XX has its fair share of problems, ranging from broken side brushes to gear box crammed full of dust. It will take 1 or 2 more revisions to refine the 5XX series (if iRobot history is anything to go by). A robotic vacuum cleaner to me is a work horse. I cannot afford to pay $$$ to iron out the kinks for the manufacturer. 2 Weeks w/o my Red has already been a whole lot of inconvenience for me.
why not top up a bit more to get a 550?
wake up early morning and saw the Roomba dock back itself drawing 6W again to idle. it was 3W for the dock when it's on action.
took out the dust bin and very surprised of the dust it's collected compared to magic clean....really much better.
Just curious, how do you guys position your dock and plan your schedule/coverage? My roomba manage to sweep finish the living/dining area, then went into 1 of my bedrooms via the passageway (I closed the doors for the other 2 bedrooms), come back to living/dining hall to vacuum again(i guess it's double confirming the position) before entering kitchen (then I went to rest liaoz). Will share the floor map later.
Do you guys use just 2 lighthouse or more? I am wondering if it's able to serve more than 2 lighthouse coz by right it will spend 30mins+ on each "room".
very interesting fact find, when I take the roomba away from the dock and place it on the floor, it will go back to the dock by itself lol!
what end caps, got pics?
