A repeated loss of connection must rank among the most annoying faults of any smart home device – and this is especially true with robotic vacuum cleaners.
Without a connection to the internet, your smartphone or their base station, even the best robot vacuums will have trouble working. They’ll either fail to follow your pre-set cleaning schedule, ignore commands from your phone, or even go on strike while out on a cleaning mission.
#1. Check the basics
Before we dig too deeply into settings menus and learn all about the differences between two types of Wi-Fi frequency, let’s cover the basics.
It sounds obvious, but have you checked that the robot’s charging dock is plugged in and has power? You should also check any notifications or status lights on the dock and robot itself. Are they red, indicating an issue, or are they the usual color (often green or white)? My Eufy X10 uses a red light to indicate all manner of issues, from connectivity to a full bin or a leaky water supply.
Next, is your phone on the same Wi-Fi network as the robot? Have you recently changed your Wi-Fi network settings, bought a new router or installed networking equipment like a Wi-Fi extender or mesh network? All of these could be the cause of your robot’s connectivity issues.
#2. Reboot and reset Wi-Fi
Robotic vacuums usually have a physical way of performing a quick reboot or, if required, a more thorough reset. There’s often a way to quickly reset the robot’s Wi-Fi connection too – this is typically done by pressing and holding two of the buttons on the robot itself for a few seconds. These are usually the two most prominent buttons on the top of the robot (or indeed, the only two), and they’re often labeled something like Home, Start, Pause or Wi-Fi.
For several models from Eufy and Dreame, it’s the Spot Clean and Recharge buttons that you’ll need to press and hold. For Roborock models it’s the Self-Clean and Charge Mode buttons, while Roombas reset their Wi-Fi with a press of the Home, Spot and Clean buttons together.
Hold the relevant buttons until you hear a beep or a voice prompt that tells you the Wi-Fi connection has been reset. Next, open the smartphone app and follow the prompts to reconnect the robot to your Wi-Fi network. Don’t worry about losing any data, as once it’s reconnected the robot’s name, settings and cleaning map should all reappear as before.
Other robots, like my Eufy X10, have a pinhole button beneath their top cover. Lift the lid, then use a suitable tool to press and hold the button for a few seconds. This should force a reboot without the robot losing any data.
#3. Check your software is up to date
App developers like to push out frequent software updates, so it’s worth checking that yours is fully up to date. Head to your phone’s app store, run all updates, then go into the robovac’s own app and check for new firmware updates there too.
Firmware updates tend to be less frequent, but often take longer to perform than a quick app refresh. Naturally, if you’re having connectivity issues then updating the robot’s firmware – or even checking if there’s an update available – might not be possible. Try a reboot and/or a Wi-Fi reset first, then if that works you can look at checking the app and firmware are up to date.
Force-closing then reopening the app can also help, along with rebooting your phone and deleting then reinstalling the app. Basically, you want to give the robot every opportunity to establish a fresh connection without going down the nuclear, factory-reset route unless you absolutely have to.
#4. Move the dock to a new location
A steady connection relies on a clear line of communication between your Wi-Fi router and the robotic vacuum’s charge station. If the connection is patchy, try relocating the dock so it gets a stronger, more consistent wireless signal.
Also be conscious of large metal objects or appliances, like your refrigerator, boiler and washing machine or dishwasher, as these can interfere with Wi-Fi connectivity. If you have a large home, try completing the initial setup (or troubleshooting reset) of the robot with it on the same floor as the router.
If this isn’t convenient, try boosting your Wi-Fi coverage with a mesh network or signal booster.
#5. Check which Wi-Fi band you’re using
Most robotic vacuums only connect to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks. If your router is only operating at 5 GHz, the robovac simply won’t work.
Ideally, you should configure your router to run a dual-band Wi-Fi network, where devices will connect with either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz depending on their compatibility. If you’re seeing connectivity issues, try disabling the 5 GHz band, at least temporarily, and see if that fixes the problem. If the robot now connects, then try creating two separate networks, with different names to indicate their operating frequency, and connect the vacuum to the one running at 2.4 GHz.
#6. Perform a factory reset
If nothing else works, your last option before seeking outside help is a factory reset. This will remove your cleaning map and schedule, and return the robot to like-new condition. After a factory reset, you’ll have to set the robot up again, add it to your Wi-Fi network, create a new map of your home and reconfigure preferences.
This process varies a little by brand. Some models can be factory-reset by holding the Start and Home buttons for up to 15 seconds, until there’s a beep or voice confirmation. Confusingly, this is sometimes the same action as a Wi-Fi reset, but with a factory reset requiring the buttons to be held down for longer.
Ecovacs Deebot owners can perform a factory reset by opening the lid of their robot, locating the pinhole button (which is sometimes under a rubber plug) and pressing it for five seconds. For Roborock models, press and hold the Home button, then simultaneously use a tool to press the pinhole reset button.
Many Roomba robots can be factory reset from the app. But if connection issues prevent this approach, press and hold the Home button for five seconds, then you’ll be told to do that again to perform a factory reset. For iRobot’s Roomba J Series, press the Home, Spot Clean and Clean buttons for seven seconds, then press the Clean button twice to confirm.
I can’t list every reset procedure here. So if you decide a clean-slate factory reset is the only option left, dig out the instructions that came with your robotic vacuum, or head to the manufacturer’s website and look for guidance on exactly what button combination to use. Alternatively, if it’s an intermittent problem and you manage to connect via the app, go to the settings menu and remove the robot from your system. This usually acts as a factory reset, with the robot now ready to be added afresh.
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