bObsweep UltraVision · iRobot Roomba Plus 505 Combo

The dock takes care of dust for up to 180 days; the mop is a cloth you wash yourself.

List price is $929 at bObsweep, yet retailer sales have sold the same model for $299, so the price paid depends almost entirely on timing.

The heated dock improves pad hygiene between runs but adds to the dock’s power draw, though not by much: a pad dryer running for a couple of hours after a mopping session is a few kilowatt-hours a month, cents rather than dollars at typical US residential rates. iRobot publishes no consumption figure for the dock.

Camera-based object recognition is what keeps the 505 clear of cords and pet waste, and it is also a camera imaging the floor of the home. The recognition runs on the robot rather than in the cloud, but the 405 one step below carries no camera at all, so the capability is bought with a sensor the cheaper machine does not have.

Homes with shag or deep high-pile rugs

bObsweep's own manual says the brush is not suitable for shag, and no published figure covers other high-pile carpet.

Households that want a mop washed and dried by the dock

The mop is a clip-on microfiber cloth with no rotation, no low-water alert and no washing station; owners wash the cloths by hand.

Long-haired households wanting no brush maintenance

Best Buy owners report hair wrapping the brush roll and weekly manual clearing, since the brush has no self-cutting feature.

Networks that broadcast only 5 GHz Wi-Fi

The owner's manual requires a 2.4 GHz connection to reach the app, maps and schedules.

Homes with sunken showers or step-downs left open

One Best Buy owner watched it fall into a shower well on its second run, and the manual warns it may stall on ledges.

High-pile or shag carpet homes

Vacuum component optimized for hard floors and low-pile carpet. Owner reports indicate pad drag and suction loss on thick carpet; shag requires manual pre-cleanup.

Homes with 5 GHz-only Wi-Fi and no 2.4 GHz fallback

Dock connectivity, autonomous scheduling, and app control all require 2.4 GHz band. Homes without 2.4 GHz cannot operate autonomous mode.

Owners prioritizing simplicity over premium features

Heated drying, camera-based obstacle recognition and multi-zone scheduling are all things to set up and keep configured. Models below the 505 cost less and ask less of the owner, but they are not the same machine: the 405 has no camera and its mop pads do not extend.