How to add rooms in Mi Home for Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner: a complete guide with pictures

Xiaomi’s robot vacuum cleaners have long been an integral part of smart homes, but their real potential is only revealed after properly configuring the map of rooms in the Mi Home app. Without dividing into rooms, the device will move randomly around the apartment, waste time on already cleaned areas or skip contaminated areas. This article will help you understand how to add rooms to the Mi Home for any model of vacuum cleaner – from the budget Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Lite to the flagship Xiaomi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Ultra.

The setup process seems simple, but in practice, users face typical problems: the app doesn't save changes, rooms overlap, or the vacuum cleaner ignores virtual boundaries. We'll take a detailed look at each step, from the first start to fine-tuning the cleaning areas, and also explain how to avoid common errors.

Preparation for setup: what to do before adding rooms

Before you start marking up rooms, make sure your Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner is ready for this process. Without proper preparation, you risk getting an inaccurate map or losing all settings after the first reset.

First, check the device firmware version. Outdated software may not support room splitting or work with bugs. Update the firmware through Device Profile → Settings → Software Update in the Mi Home app. For models older than 2020 (such as Mi Robot Vacuum 1S), manual firmware may be required via Mi Home Developer Mode.

• 🔋 Charging up to 100%. The vacuum cleaner must be fully charged - the mapping process takes 15-40 minutes and requires maximum autonomy.
• 📶 Stable Wi-Fi. Robot constantly syncs data with Xiaomi servers.Use 2.4GHz network (5GHz not supported by most models).
• 🧹 Clean space. Remove small objects, wires and high-pile carpets from the floor, which interfere with the laser scanner (LDS) Camera (from models with TrueMapping).
• 🚪 Closed doors, all doors in the apartment must be open so that the vacuum cleaner can inspect all rooms in one cycle.

If you have a laser-based model (LDS, like the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P), avoid direct sunlight, which distorts the sensors. For camera vacuum cleaners (TrueMapping, like the Xiaomi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Pro), good lighting (but not blinding!) is important.

Creating the first room map: step-by-step instructions

Now, to the most important thing, map building, which is the same process for all Xiaomi models with laser navigation or TrueMapping support, but there are nuances for budget devices (for example, Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop Essential can build a map only in cleaning mode).

1. Start cleaning. Press the Cleaning button in the app or on the vacuum cleaner case. For accurate mapping, select Full Cleaning (not Zone or Point).
2. Wait until it's done. The robot has to go around all the rooms available. Don't interrupt the process, it'll lead to a fragmented map.
3. Save the map. Once you've finished cleaning, the Mi Home app will notify you that the new map is saved. Click on it to open the editor.

If the card does not appear automatically:

• 🔄 Restart the vacuum cleaner (hold the power button for 5 seconds).
• 📱 Reinstall the Mi Home app (sometimes the cache interferes with synchronization).
• 🌐 Check the region in Xiaomi account settings – some features are only available for China or Europe.

Important: if you have a two-story house, create a separate map for each floor, and then take the vacuum cleaner to another level and repeat the process. In the app, the maps will appear as Floor 1, Floor 2, etc.

Dividing the map into rooms: tools and techniques

Once the map is ready, you can start marking up rooms. The Mi Home app has two basic tools for doing this:

1. Separate rooms – automatic separation according to the Xiaomi algorithm (suitable for simple layouts).
2. Add a room by hand – drawing borders with your finger (necessary for complex interiors).

Automatic separation works well if:

• 🏠 The rooms have clear rectangular shapes.
• 🚪 The doors are arranged standardly (not arches or wide openings).
• 📏 The area of the premises is at least 4 m2 (small rooms the algorithm ignores).

For manual separation:

1. Click Edit the map → Add a room.
2. Finger around the contour of the room. Minimum area is 1 m2.
3. Name a room (e.g., kitchen, bedroom) and use Latin—Cyrillic may not appear in some versions of the app.
4. Save the changes.

Tip: If room boundaries overlap, use the "Combine Rooms" function, select both rooms with a long press and select the appropriate option.

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If your vacuum cleaner constantly “loses” rooms after updating the firmware, export the card manually through Settings → Backup map. This will save all zones and virtual walls.

Additional settings: virtual walls, cleaning areas and forbidden areas

Just dividing into rooms isn't enough to clean effectively. To make the vacuum cleaner work like a real smart assistant, set up:

• 🚧 Virtual walls, which restrict the vacuum cleaner's access to certain areas (such as an animal cage or a children's arena) to add a wall:

Cleaning areas

Edit the map → Add a cleaning area

No-go zones

Edit the map → Add a no-go zone

For models that support moping, you can customize humidity zones, which is true for Xiaomi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Pro and later, and in these areas, the vacuum cleaner will waste more water to wash the floor.

Important: Virtual walls and no-go zones are not saved when you reset your card. Always back up via Settings → Backup the card after significant changes.

Set up a cleaning schedule for different rooms

One of the key benefits of room separation is that you can have flexible schedules, like having a vacuum cleaner every day and a bedroom cleaner every three days.

To set up the schedule:

1. Go to Cleanup. → Schedule.
2. Click Add Schedule.
3. Choose the days of the week and the time.
4. In the Cleaning Zone section, mark the desired rooms.
5. Select the mode: Quiet cleaning (at night), Standard or Intensive.
6. Save the settings.

For TrueMapping models (such as Xiaomi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Ultra), Adaptive Schedule is available. The vacuum cleaner itself analyzes the level of pollution in each room and adjusts the cleaning frequency. To enable it, go to Settings → Smart Cleaning → Adaptive Schedule.

⚠️ Note: if the schedule indicates several rooms, but the vacuum cleaner removes only one, check: Is the charge level sufficient (to clean several rooms you need to clean) ≥Is the virtual walls between the rooms still standing? Is the firmware updated (old versions had a bug with multi-room cleaning).

Solving Common Problems When Working with Maps in Mi Home

Even after you set it up properly, users are faced with bugs and non-obvious limitations, and here are the most common problems and solutions.

• 🗺️ Card not saved after cleaning: Check if Save card after cleaning option is enabled in vacuum settings. Make sure vacuum cleaner is back on base - only after that card syncs with server.
• 🔄 Rooms are constantly being dropped: This is typical of models with a weak processor (for example, Mi Robot Vacuum 1). The solution is to update the firmware to the latest version. If the problem persists, use Manual markup mode instead of automatic.
• 📵 App doesn't show map: Check you're connected to the same Wi-Fi as vacuum cleaner. Restart Mi Home app and clear cache in phone settings. For iOS users: give app access to Local Networks in privacy settings.

If none of these things worked, try resetting the vacuum cleaner to the factory.

1. Hold the Home button and power for 5 seconds.
2. Wait until the vacuum cleaner emits an audible signal.
3. Connect the device again via Mi Home.

After the reset, all maps and settings will be deleted, so export the backup beforehand (if the feature is available for your model).

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Always use the same starting point (base station) to make mapping work smoothly, and moving the dock will result in a new map.

Hidden Mi Home features for experienced users

Beyond the basic settings, there are hidden features in Mi Home that the manufacturer doesn’t document, and they’re available through Developer Mode or special commands.

For example, for models with TrueMapping, you can:

• 🔍 Increase the accuracy of the map. Enter into Settings → About the device → Software version (click 5 times) and activate High Precision Mode.
• 📊 Export the card in format SVG. It's useful to create. 3D-Model apartments. Use Mi Home. API or third-party utilities like Valetudo.
• 🤖 Custom voice commands can be set up, and Mi Home Automation can program phrases like "clean up the kitchen" to start zone cleaning.

To activate the Developer Mode:

1. Go to Profile → Settings → Region and select China.
2. Return to the main menu and hold the blank space on the screen for 10 seconds.
3. A developer menu will appear with additional options.

⚠️ Attention: changing hidden settings can lead to unstable vacuum cleaner operation. Before experimenting, back up your map and firmware. Some features (such as High Precision Mode) increase the load on the processor and reduce battery life.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions