How to add a room in Mi Home for Xiaomi vacuum cleaner: detailed instructions with pictures

Xiaomi’s robot vacuum cleaners have long been an integral part of smart homes, but their real potential is only revealed when properly configured in the Mi Home app. One key feature is the separation of space into rooms, which allows the vacuum cleaner to clean selectively, avoid restricted areas and optimize its route. However, many users face challenges: the app does not recognize walls, rooms merge into one zone, and virtual barriers are ignored.

In this article, we will discuss all the ways to add rooms to the Mi Home for the Xiaomi vacuum cleaner - from automatic scanning to manual map editing. LDS-Lidar (e.g. Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Pro) and budget options with infrared sensors, and you will learn how to fix typical errors: why rooms are “reset” after an upgrade or why the vacuum cleaner does not see new areas.

Preparation of vacuum cleaner and applications before adding rooms

Before you start marking rooms, make sure your Xiaomi vacuum cleaner is ready to work with maps. Without proper preparation, even the perfect markup can "fly" after the first cleaning.

First, check the vacuum cleaner firmware version and the Mi Home app. Outdated versions often don't support multi-room cleaning features or work with bugs. Update the software through the Profile menu → Settings → Update firmware. For models with LDS (Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P is the minimum supported firmware version — 3.5.8_0042.

Second, calibrate the sensors:

1. Place the vacuum cleaner on a flat surface (not on the carpet!).
2. Press the power button for 5 seconds before the beep.
3. Wait for the process to be completed (the vacuum cleaner will scroll the wheels and emit a long signal).

This procedure resets gyroscope and lidar errors that can distort the map.

⚠️ Warning: If the vacuum cleaner has been used in another home, remove old cards through your device settings → Map. → Delete all maps. Residual data may conflict with new markup.

• 📱 Install the latest version of Mi Home (for Android – no less than 6.4.500, for iOS – 6.3.400).
• 🌐 Connect the vacuum cleaner to a 2.4 GHz network (5 GHz not supported by most models).
• 🔋 Charge the vacuum cleaner to 100% - at low charge, the card may not be stored correctly.
• 🚪 Close all doors in the apartment during the first scan.

Automatic Room Creation: How It Works and When It Works

Most modern Xiaomi vacuum cleaners (starting with the Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 series) support automatic room recognition thanks to the technology. SLAM (It's a way of analyzing wall spacing, angles and obstacles to divide space into zones, but automatic separation doesn't always work perfectly.

To initiate an automatic scan:

1. Run the vacuum cleaner in Full Cleaning mode (not Zone or Point).
2. Wait until it goes around the apartment (usually 10-20 minutes).
3. After cleaning, open the Map tab in Mi Home.

If the rooms are recognized correctly, they will be surrounded by dotted lines with a suggestion to confirm or edit the boundaries.

When automatic recognition fails:

• 🔄 Vacuum cleaner previously removed from another map - residual data interferes with new scans.

⚠️ Note: If the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Lite vacuum cleaner (without lidar) does not recognize rooms automatically, this is not a mistake - budget models require manual markup. Automatic separation is only available for devices with a low-end model. LDS-sensory.

Manual marking of rooms in Mi Home: step-by-step instructions

If automatic recognition doesn't work or you don't like the boundaries, use manual mode, which is suitable for all models, including budget ones.

How to add a room manually:

1. Open the Map tab in the Mi Home app.
2. Click on the Edit icon (pencil in the lower right corner).
3. Select the Add room tool (image «+» cup-cup).
4. You can circle the boundaries of the room along the outline of the walls on the map — 1×1.
5. Confirm the creation by assigning a name to the room (e.g., “Kitchen”, “Bedroom”).

Tips for accurate marking:

• 📐 Use the map scale – zoom in to circle corners accurately.
• 🔄 Check the closure of the contour – if the line is not closed, the room will not remain.
• 🏠 For complex shapes (such as a bay window), divide the room into several rectangular zones.
• 🔄 After saving, run the vacuum cleaner in Zone Cleaning mode to check the correctness of the boundaries.

All walls are lined without passes

No overlays with other rooms

Names (not "Room 1")

Vacuum is connected to Wi-Fi

Battery charge > 50%-->

If after saving the room "dumped" or disappear, check:

1. Internet connection stability (vacuum cleaner syncs maps with the cloud).
2. Firmware updates (save bugs fixed in versions after 3.3.9)
3. No conflict zones (for example, a virtual wall crosses the boundary of a room).

💡

If the vacuum cleaner constantly “loses” the room, try to reset its settings to the factory (Settings) → General. → Reset) and rescan the apartment, which helps 80 percent of card bugs.

Adding virtual walls and forbidden areas

In addition to rooms, you can configure virtual walls and forbidden areas in Mi Home – this is useful to limit the vacuum cleaner’s access to certain areas (for example, to children’s toys or animal feeder).

How to add a virtual wall:

1. Open the map editor (Edit) → Add a virtual wall).
2. Draw a line between two points (maximum length - 10 m).
3. Keep the wall by giving it a name (e.g. Balcony).

The vacuum cleaner will bypass this line as a physical obstacle.

Differences between virtual walls and forbidden zones:

• 🚧 Virtual wall – a line that the vacuum cleaner does not cross (suitable for doorways).
• 🚫 The forbidden zone is a rectangular area that the vacuum cleaner bypasses (for example, around the Christmas tree).
• ⏳ Time zones – you can set the schedule (for example, ban on cleaning the kitchen from 12:00 to 14:00).

⚠️ Warning: Virtual walls don't work in point cleaning mode, the vacuum cleaner ignores them, and they are reset after updating the firmware, if not tied to the stored card.

For models without lidar (Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Lite), virtual walls are created differently:

1. Place physical beacons (company) or buy Xiaomi Mi Smart Home Gateway.
2. Connect the beacons in Mi Home and link them to the map.
3. Set the range (default - 1.5 m).

Set up a cleaning schedule for rooms

Once you add rooms, you can schedule the cleaning selectively, like cleaning the kitchen daily and the bedroom once a week, which saves time and vacuum cleaner life.

How to set up a schedule:

1. Go to the Schedule (the calendar icon in the main vacuum cleaner menu).
2. Click Add and select the days of the week.
3. In the Cleaning Zones section, mark the desired rooms (for example, only the "Corridor" and "Adjournment").
4. Specify the time, cleaning mode (Silent, Balanced, Turbo) and the number of passes.

Examples of flexible schedules:

• 🕘 Weekdays: cleaning the kitchen and corridor at 7:00 (quiet mode), bedrooms at 10:00 (after your departure).
• 🏡 Weekend: Complete cleaning of the entire apartment at 9:00 (Turbo mode).
• 🐾 Daytime: Ban on cleaning the living room from 12:00 to 15:00 (to avoid scaring the cat).

For models with mopping function, you can set separate schedules for dry and wet cleaning, for example:

• Monday/Wednesday/Friday – Dry + kitchen-cleaning.
• Tuesday/Thursday is just a dry bedroom cleaning.

1) Is it plugged in (for models with docking station).

(2) Whether the charge level is sufficient (>30%).

3) Are there any conflicts with other devices in the Mi Home (e.g., a smart lamp using the same timer).-->

Solving the Problem: Why Rooms Aren't Saved or Merged

A frequent complaint of users is that the Xiaomi vacuum cleaner “forgets” the rooms or combines them into one zone.

Problem 1: Rooms merge after map update

• 🔄 Solution: Manually divide the rooms again and save the card under a new name (Map 2026).
• 📱 Reason: The firmware update resets user data if the card is not tied to a Mi Account.

Problem 2: The vacuum cleaner can't see new rooms

• 🔋 Solution: Reboot the vacuum cleaner (hold the power button for 10 seconds) and re-save the card.
• 🌐 Reason: The synchronization bug between the vacuum cleaner and the Xiaomi cloud (especially relevant for users from Russia).

Problem 3: Virtual Walls Are Ignored

• 📏 Solution: Increase the thickness of the wall in the settings (default - 5 cm, set 10 cm).
• 🤖 The reason: Vacuum with infrared sensors (Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Lite) does not recognize thin virtual boundaries.

If the problems recur, try alternative apps:

• Mi Home Lite is a simplified version, but with more stable synchronization.
• Roborock (for Xiaomi models released after 2020)
• Home Assistant – for advanced users (requires customization skills).

Tips for optimizing the map for accurate cleaning

To make the Xiaomi vacuum cleaner as efficiently as possible, follow these recommendations:

1. Optimize the location of the docking station:

• 📍 Place the station in the center of the apartment - this will reduce the time of return to recharging.
• 🚫 Avoid corners and narrow passages (minimum free space is 1 m on each side).
• 🔌 Do not put the station near heat sources (batteries, refrigerator) – this reduces the battery life.

2. Set the cleaning priority:

• ⚡ In the map settings, mark rooms as “Priority” (the vacuum cleaner will clean them first).
• 🕒 For frequently contaminated areas (kitchen, hallway) increase the number of passages to 2-3.

3. Use multicard functions (for models with lidar):

• 🏢 If the vacuum cleaner cleans several floors, keep separate maps for each level.
• 🔄 Switch maps manually or geolocate (if supported).

4. Regularly update the map:

• 🗺️ Start a full scan once a month (Settings) → Map. → Update the map).
• 🛋️ After rearranging the furniture, edit the map manually.

💡

For models with cameras (Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Ultra) is available 3D-It's more accurate at determining the height of obstacles (e.g., distinguishing a chair from a table), which improves room recognition.

FAQ: Frequent questions about adding rooms to Mi Home