The product ships practically fully assembled and the rest of the set up is easy. They've got it down to 4 simple steps. Remove from the box, make sure all cogs and gears are in place and any cardboard spacers are discarded. Find an outlet so you can plug in, making sure this location is also close to the previous location of your old litter box. Add ten pounds of litter until you reach the marked fill line and then let the robot run through one cleaning cycle before your cats start to use.
The 4th and only "complicated" step in the set up is getting your cats to begin using the new electronic litter box. Both my cats took to the litter robot in very different ways. Clawd, for example, as soon as I let the litter robot complete it's first initial cleaning cycle, he jumped right in the globe and took a poo like he was a pro. Proud momma moment for sure. Quinn, on the other hand, was a little hesitant. So I followed the suggested transition steps to coax her into using the new, self-cleaning litter box. I kept the old litter box available for the next couple days, and I stopped cleaning it. With the combination of an alternative litter box, and the fact that the one she preferred was getting pretty soiled, she started using the litter robot consistently about 4 days after I introduced her to it. And since I have had the robot in my home for about a month now, I am very happy to say that they have not had a single incident of going outside the new litter box.
The Open Air model adds a larger opening in the globe, a nightlight, a larger waste bin, and an improved litter containment. If you have 2 or more cats, expect to empty the bagged waste drawer twice a week, or every 4 days. With one cat, you would probably be able to go A WHOLE WEEK before needing to empty the bin.
The only thing that I've found is that there is actually more litter spread around the house than there used to be. My next step will be trying one of the add ons, like the Litter Fence or the Step Ramp. But overall, we love it and would highly recommend making the investment not only for your cats, but for yourself.