Wondering how to get Roomba to remap a room? It’s really simple!
Smart mapping is a vital feature, directly responsible for your iRobot Roomba functionality as a whole.
When the robot can’t find his path throughout the room, this makes the cleaning inefficient.
There are times when you need to remap the room so let’s learn more about how!
To make the Roomba Robot remap the room, you’ll need to open the Advanced Options in the application and select the Reset Map button. Then, you need to carry out a process similar to the first-time setup, by pressing the Power Button on the cleaner.
In case the process for you fails or you struggle to understand, keep reading!
About Roomba Smart Map™
The Smart Mapping feature is how your Roomba Robot remembers your home.
Users need to perform a remap of the environment upon furniture change or move the robot to another room.
Sadly, not all Roomba models come with mapping features. Series 600 and 800, will not be able to learn your home layout, therefore a remap is not needed when moving them into a new room.
- Roomba series from 960 to 980 as well as i7 and s9 do support mapping!
The only requirement for carrying out a mapping-only run is for the base station to be connected to power.
When the iRobot Roomba is ready with the mapping, the device will follow this exact path on each cleaning schedule until further notice.
Next, we’ll learn how in a step-by-step guide!
Note: The base station is the main point of reference in the entire house/apartment.
How To Get Roomba To Remap A Room?
The newer models of Roomba can map your entire home, thus users are able to tailor their cleaning schedule by adjusting the robot’s settings.
Next, we’ll cover the steps to make your Roomba remap the room in a few easy-to-follow instructions so you can learn how it’s done!
Here’s how to get Roomba to perform a remap on the room:
Step #1 Charge The Base Station!
The very first step to carrying out a successful remap is to make sure that the Base Station is securely connected to a power source.
Your iRobot Roomba will use the station as a primary point of reference and might have to return back and forth several times during the mapping.
Plug the Base Station into a power outlet during the room remapping!
This will guarantee that the Roomba Robot will be able to carry out the mapping without any issues.
Once you’re ready, let’s proceed with preparing the app, which is the main tool.
Step #2 Prepare The App
Whether or not you’ve got the Roomba Home App installed, you’ll need to acquire and open the application before we proceed.
The app is available for both iOS and Android devices in their respective app store (AppStore for iOS and Google Play for Android).
- Open the Roomba Application and Sing-In your Account.
It’s important to have your Roomba Robot connected to the application.
That happens by connecting your source device to the WiFi, turning on the Bluetooth, and selecting “Add Robot” from the application’s settings.
You can then activate the robot and continue with the next step.
Tip: Press the three dots menu > Locate to make your Roomba play a little song. This will help you understand whether your iRobot is connected to the app.
Step #3 Go To Cleaning Preferences
Once the Roomba Home App is installed, we’re signed in to our accounts and the cleaner is connected, it’s time to begin the remapping process by opening the Cleaning Preferences.
From the Roomba App Home Screen select Settings, then choose Cleaning Preferences.
This will take you to a menu, where you’ll be able to find the Map Reset feature!
Step #4 Start The Remap
In the Cleaning Preferences Page, under the Advanced Settings, you’ll find the Reset Map feature that we’re going to use to remap the room.
Select the option and wait for a few moments until the current smart map is erased, therefore you’ll need to create a new one.
The process from now on is similar to what you’ve done during the first-time installation of your iRobot Roomba, but we made sure to cover this as well in the steps that are coming next.
Step #5 Turn ON Roomba!
Press the “CLEAN” button on your iRobot Roomba to turn ON the device!
This is an essential step since the actual mapping run can be started from the Robot.
Now when we’ve deleted the already created map, the robot won’t have a cleaning schedule to follow, therefore will be able to create one.
In case the cleaner robot is already turned on, jump to the next step to map the room.
Step #6 Remap The Room
Once the Roomba Robot is turned on, the next part is to press the “Mode” button.
On the display of your Roomba Robot, you should see “Setup”. In case this is not what you see, hold the “CLEAN” button for a few moments to turn OFF the clever and attempt again.
When you’re ready and “Setup” appears on the screen, press Setup and choose a room.
Choose the environment you want to be remapped and press Begin Mapping.
Step #7 Edit The Mapping
You can later edit and remap everything from the Roomba Smart Maps app feature so there is nothing to be concerned about.
iRobot Roomba will not start to map the room and occasionally returns to its base station when the battery gets low.
That was how do I get my Roomba to remap a room and next we’re about to answer some of the most frequently asked questions in relation to the remapping operation.
Let’s learn more!
Note: The smart mapping requires time-based on the room’s size!
How Long Roomba Remapping Takes?
When you’ve taken a Roomba into a new room or replaced/moved a larger piece of furniture, your robot might have difficulties following its cleaning path.
As we’ve learned, the best option is to remap the room by following the steps we’ve listed previously in the guide.
Once the remapping has started, it could take 4 – 5 days on average.
Your Roomba will still be cleaned during that time but will be mapping the environment and improving the accessibility, thus reaching more places.
However, this is only necessary when there are big changes in the room setting so it’s really a one-time thing to do.
Note: On average 5 mapping runs are all it takes for Roomba to build the entire room plan.
Can You Adjust The Roomba’s Map?
The iRobot Roomba uses the so-called “vSALM”, which means Simultaneous Visual Mapping & Localization.
The technology is used by newer, aforementioned Roomba models and allows the robot to detect obstacles and landmarks and remember their location.
This is what created the smart maps in the Roomba Home App.
Although older models do not support the vSALM feature, they use infrared signals to detect throughout the room and follow their path.
The advanced Roomba i7 models ALL come with the persistent mapping feature, therefore you can map out your Roomba.
In the Roomba Home App tap on Clean Mapping Report or select Update Smart Map to adjust and manage your cleaning schedule.
You’ll also see the room’s layout saved as a map.
Tip: You can also check if the smart map has been recently updated or not.
Quick Recap:
Hence, the Roomba Robot can remap the room from the “Cleaning Preferences” feature, located in the App Settings. From there users need to select Reset Map and hold the CLEAN button on their robots until “Setup” appears and then press the Mode button.
Wrapping Up:
Now that we’ve learned how to get Roomba to remap a room we’re ready to create our new smart map and allow Roomba to utilize the path.
Feel free to perform a remap on each room where any major changes in the furniture have taken place to keep your Roomba aware!
In the worst-case scenario when a Roomba gets super confused, it will start cleaning the same area over and over, which is a prime indication that the device needs to be remapped.
For more iRobot Roomba “how-to” guides, feel free to check our tech blog!
