Why is voice control of a robot vacuum cleaner convenient?
Imagine you're lying on a couch with a cup of tea, and Xiaomi Vacuum Mop Essential is cleaning the apartment at your voice command, and you don't have to take out your smartphone, open the app, or press buttons on the body of the device. You just have to say, "Alice, turn on the vacuum cleaner," and in a couple of seconds, the robot will start cleaning. Sounds fantastic? In fact, it's a reality that's easy to set up in 10 to 15 minutes.
Voice control saves time and makes it even more comfortable to use a robot vacuum cleaner, especially for large homes where the device works in multiple rooms, or for people with disabilities, but to work smoothly, you need to properly link Vacuum Mop Essential with a voice assistant — whether it is Yandex Alice, Google Assistant or Siri (via Mi Home). In this article, we will analyze all the ways of connecting, typical errors and secret commands that the manufacturer does not always advertise.
It's important to understand that voice control is not a separate function of the vacuum cleaner, but an integration with the smart home ecosystem, so you'll have to set up the device in the Mi Home app first, and then connect it to the voice assistants. If you haven't done the basic setup of the robot, go to the appropriate section.
Step 1: Basic setup of Xiaomi Vacuum Mop Essential in Mi Home
Before you set up voice control, make sure that the robot vacuum cleaner is properly added to the Mi Home app and connected to your Wi-Fi network. Without this, further manipulations simply will not work.
Here's the step-by-step instruction:
- 📱 Install the Mi Home app (available for Android and iOS) and log in to your Xiaomi account (or create a new one).
- 🔌 Turn on the robot vacuum cleaner by pressing the power button on the case. Wait for the beep and the Wi-Fi indicator to flash.
- ➕ In the Mi Home app, click "Add Device" (Icon «+» in the upper right corner) and select the category "Vacilities».
- 🔍 In the list of models, find the Xiaomi Vacuum Mop Essential (sometimes it can be displayed as Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop Essential).
- 📶 Follow the instructions on the screen: connect to the robot’s temporary Wi-Fi network (the name will start with mirobot-), then return to the main network.
If there are problems at this stage (for example, the app does not find the device), check:
- 🔋 Battery level of the robot (must be at least 20%).
- 📶 Wi-Fi network stability (robot does not support 5 GHz, only 2.4 GHz!).
- 📱 Mi Home App Permissions (Location, Wi-Fi and Notifications).
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If the robot is not connected to Wi-Fi, try resetting it, and then press the power button for 10 seconds until you hear a double beep.
Step 2: Connect to Yandex Alice via Mi Home
Yandex Alice is the most popular voice assistant in Russia, and it works great with Xiaomi devices. To link Vacuum Mop Essential to Alice, you need to:
- Open the Mi Home app and go to the robot vacuum cleaner settings (stamp its icon on the home screen).
- Select the item "Smart home Yandex".
- Log in to Yandex account (if not authorized) and confirm access.
- Wait for the synchronization of devices (can take up to 5 minutes).
And then the robot will appear on Alice's device list, and you can check it out.
- 🗣️ And he said, Alice, show me my devices».
- 📱 In the application Yandex (section "Smart home»).
If the device is not displayed, try:
- 🔄 Update the list of devices in the Yandex application (swipe down).
- 🔌 Reboot the robot vacuum cleaner (turn off and turn on power).
- 📵 Make sure that the Mi Home robot is tied to the same region as the Yandex account (for example, both are Russia).
The device added to Mi Home|
Xiaomi and Yandex accounts from the same region|
Robot connected to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi |
In the application Yandex allowed access to a smart home-->
Step 3: Voice commands for Xiaomi Vacuum Mop Essential via Alice
Now that the robot is connected, you can give commands to it by voice, and here's a full list of supported phrases (both in Russian and English):
| Category | Team in Russian | Team in English |
|---|---|---|
| Starting the cleanup | Alice, turn on the vacuum cleaner Alice, start cleaning | «Hey Alice, start vacuuming»«Alice, turn on the robot vacuum» |
| Cleaning stop | “Alice, stop the vacuum cleaner” “Alice, finish the cleaning” | «Alice, stop vacuuming»«Hey Alice, pause the robot» |
| Return to base | "Alice, send the vacuum cleaner to charge." | «Alice, send the vacuum to dock» |
| Cleaning a specific area | “Alice, vacuum in the living room” (requires pre-setting rooms in Mi Home) | «Alice, clean the living room» |
| Cleaning mode | “Alice, set the washing mode” “Alice, turn on the quiet mode” | «Alice, set mopping mode»«Alice, turn on quiet mode» |
Important: Teams with specific rooms ("kitchen vacuum") only work if you have previously created a map of the room in Mi Home and saved the zones, without which Alice will not understand where the "living room" or "bedroom" is.
Also pay attention to the nuances:
- 🔊 Alice may not recognize a team if there are errors in it (for example, “turn on the looter” instead of “vacuum cleaner»).
- ⏱️ There can be a delay of up to 10 seconds between the team and its execution – that’s normal.
- 🚫 Some features (such as voice suction power setting) are not available – they can only be changed in Mi Home.
How to add alias (pseudonyms) to a robot in Alice?
Step 4: Connect to Google Assistant (for Android and smart speakers)
If you use the Google Assistant (via an Android smartphone or a Google Nest smart speaker), the connection process is a little different.
- Open the Mi Home app and go to the robot settings.
- Choose "Smart Home» → «Google Assistant».
- Click “Connect” and log in to your Google account.
- Allow access to Xiaomi devices.
- Wait for the synchronization (it can take up to 10 minutes).
Then the robot will appear in the Google Home app. To check the performance, say:
- 🗣️ «Okay, Google, turn on Xiaomi vacuum cleaner».
- 🗣️ «Hey Google, start cleaning up».
Google Assistant supports the same commands as Alice, but there are a few features:
- 🌐 Commands can be given in English, even if the assistant's primary language is Russian.
- 📍 To clean rooms, you need to download a map of the rooms in Google Home (synchronized from Mi Home).
- 🔄 If the robot doesn’t respond, try turning it off and reconnecting it in Google Assistant settings.
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Google Assistant is better at recognizing English commands for Xiaomi Vacuum Mop Essential than Russian ones. If Alice doesn't understand the request, try switching to English: "Hey Google, start Xiaomi vacuum."
Step 5: Set up Siri and Mi Home (for iPhone)
iPhone users can control the robot vacuum cleaner via Siri, but this will require an additional Mi Home app and a shortcuts setup.
- Make sure the robot is added to the Mi Home and connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone.
- Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.
- Click on "Automation» → «Create personal automation».
- Select “Siri” and write down a phrase like “Run the vacuum cleaner.”
- Add the “Start in Mi Home” action and select a robot command (e.g., “Start cleaning”).
- Save the automation.
Now, when you say, "Hey Siri, start the vacuum cleaner," the robot will start cleaning. Unfortunately, Siri doesn't support direct integration with Xiaomi, so this method is the only working option for iOS.
⚠️ Note: When configuring with Shortcuts, make sure that Siri's settings allow "Tags" and "Automation." Without this commands will not work.
Step 6: Common mistakes and their solution
Even with the right setup, there are sometimes failures, and here are the most common problems and ways to fix them:
| Problem. | Possible cause | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Alice/Google doesn't see the vacuum cleaner | The device is not synchronized with a smart home | Reconnect the robot to Mi Home → «Smart home» → select an assistant |
| Commands are executed with a delay | Weak Wi-Fi signal or Xiaomi server overload | Restart the router or repeat the command in 1-2 minutes |
| Robot does not respond to room commands | Not saved a map of the premises in Mi Home | Run a full cleaning to create a map and save areas |
| Voice assistant says "Device unavailable" | Robot disconnected from the network or discharged | Check power and Wi-Fi connection |
If none of these methods worked, try:
- 🔄 Update the firmware of the robot in Mi Home (section "Device settings» → «Update of the PO»).
- 📵 Reinstall the Mi Home app and reset from scratch.
- 📧 Contact Xiaomi via in-app chat (attach screenshots of errors).
⚠️ Warning: If the robot stopped responding to voice commands after the firmware update, reset it to factory settings (press the power button for 10 seconds) and reconfigure.
Additional features: automation and scenarios
Voice control is just the tip of the iceberg. With Xiaomi Vacuum Mop Essential, you can set up automatic scripts that will start cleaning without you.
- 🕒 Cleaning according to schedule (every day at 10:00 am).
- 🚪 Starting a vacuum cleaner when you leave home (via geolocation).
- 🌡️ Cleaning up when dust levels rise (if you have Xiaomi air quality sensor).
To create a script:
- Open Mi Home and go to Automation.
- Press "Add» → «Custom automation».
- Select a condition (e.g., “Time”) and an action (“Start cleaning”).
- Save the script.
You can combine these scenarios with voice control, like creating a command, "Alice, start the cleanup," which will:
- Turn on the vacuum cleaner at maximum power.
- Send notification to the smartphone.
- Turn on a smart socket with an air purifier.
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Automating your cleaning schedule extends the life of the robot, because it works optimally, not because you're forgetful, for example, doing daily cleaning in your absence prevents dust from accumulating and filters from overloading.