How to scan an apartment with a robot vacuum cleaner Xiaomi: full instructions

Creating a digital replica of your home is the foundation for smart appliances to work efficiently. When you first turn on a Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner, it doesn't know the layout and has to explore the space. The initial scanning process determines how accurately the device will navigate in the future. Without a quality map, you can't work with virtual walls, zoning and building optimal cleaning routes.

Modern models, such as the Roborock S50 series, Xiaomi Vacuum Mop 2 or Viomi, use a laser rangefinder (LDS) or visual navigation to build a circuit. The user only needs to provide free access to all rooms and start the device, the system will automatically divide the room into zones, assign them numbers and store data in the cloud.

Mistakes in the first run often result in the gadget being lost or building “double” maps. It is important to understand that the navigation system requires clean sensors and a stable connection to the Wi-Fi router. In this article, we will discuss every step, from floor preparation to fine editing the saved circuit.

Preparation of the room for the first navigation start

Before you start scanning, you need to do a space audit, and the robot builds a map based on the obstacles, so that the extra objects on the floor can be perceived as stationary objects or, conversely, temporary interference, remove wires, socks, toys and other small things that can wind on the brush.

Provide access to all the doors you plan to clean. If the Mi Home or Roborock app has Multi Card enabled, the device will be able to remember multiple floors, but to start with, it's better to limit yourself to one level. Open all the interior doors so that the vacuum cleaner can move freely between rooms without human assistance.

Check the battery before you start. To fully scan a large apartment, the charge must be at least 80%. If the device sits in the middle of the process, the map may not be saved or cut off. Also wipe the LDS sensors with soft dry cloth, as the dust on the sensor distorts the distances to the walls.

⚠️ Warning: Do not run the scan in complete darkness if you have a model with visual navigation (camera (LDS) The light is not critical, but the camera may lose orientation in the dark.

The process of creating the first map in the annex

After physical preparation, we move to the software part: make sure the vacuum cleaner is connected to the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network. Go to the app and select your device. The main menu usually displays the current status and, if you already have a map, visualization of it. For a new device, the interface will suggest you start cleaning.

Start Quiet Cleaning or Auto mode, which is the standard mode, and you don't have to interfere with the gadget, it starts to move around the perimeter, scanning the walls, and then fills the interior with zigzags, and the real-time diagram will be displayed on the smartphone screen.

It's important to keep the process in place until it's finished. If you pick up the device or it gets stuck, the scan will stop. Once the vacuum cleaner returns to base and announces that it's finished cleaning, the map will automatically be stored in memory. The app will notify you of the new map creation.

☑️ Checklist before scanning

Done: 0 / 4

Editing and separating rooms

After the first pass, the circuit may not look perfect. Algorithms do not always correctly define the boundaries between the kitchen and the living room unless there are obvious doorways or thresholds. To correct the situation, you use the map editing function. In the application, go to the map settings and select "Edit".

The Divide tool allows you to draw a line where one room goes to another, so that in the future you can send a vacuum cleaner to clean only the kitchen or only the bedroom, and the Connect tool works the opposite way, blurring the boundaries between adjacent areas.

Room renaming is also available, and you can name areas by clear names: "Kitchen," "Corridor," "Children's," which makes it easier for you to voice control and customize your scripts, so you can say, "Alice, turn on the kitchen cleaner," for example, and the device will know which zone it's talking about.

📊 How often do you edit the vacuum cleaner map?
Never, never, never.
After each reshuffle
Only once when setting up
I change zones regularly.

Configuring virtual walls and forbidden areas

One of the most useful features is creating virtual constraints, and this is for places where the robot is better off staying away from: fringe mats, areas with frequently scattered toys, or places under low furniture where it can get stuck, virtual walls that are invisible to humans, but the robot perceives them as insurmountable barriers.

In the map editing menu, select the "No-go zone" tool (red square) or "Virtual wall" (red line). The square usually indicates places where you can't go at all, and the line - boundaries that you can't cross. The accuracy of the installation is critical, so use zoom in the application.

There's also a no-cleaning zone and a no-wash zone, and if you have a wet-cleaning combined vacuum cleaner, you can let it go on the carpet to collect dust, but you can't wet it with water, and you can create a zone that limits only the washing function.

Setting up the no-go zones requires careful attention, and if you get the wrong coordinates, the robot can start ignoring a large part of the room, and after setting the restrictions, run a test cleaning to make sure the device responds correctly to the virtual barriers.

What if a robot ignores a virtual wall?
If a Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner enters a restricted area, check if the map is updated accidentally. Sometimes when a strong shift in the base or rearrange the furniture, the device creates a new map, ignoring the old settings. In this case, you need to re-impose restrictions on the current circuit. Also make sure that the bumper and wheel sensors work properly.> Saving several cards and working with floors will be useful for owners of apartment buildings or cottages. Modern Xiaomi models are able to store up to 4-5 different cards in memory. This allows you to transfer the device between floors without having to re-scan the robot, then re-turn the new card to the first level, after it is re-s, it will create a new function. When you return to the first floor, the device automatically recognizes the location and loads the corresponding map. It is important to correctly position the charging station. On each floor, the base must be in approximately the same position relative to the walls to make the navigation work correctly. If the base is chaotic, the robot can search for it for a long time or make a mistake in determining the floor. The option Multi-card Number of floors 1 to 5 Saving zones Automatically For each floor separately Base Recognition Memory Use of Memory Minimory Increased Card Reset and elimination of navigation errors Sometimes the map accumulates errors, "float radically after the complete restoration of such cases, but it often stops from normal operation." To reset, go to the device settings in the app, find the card settings, and select Reset the card or Delete the card. After that, the device will forget all rooms, zones and restrictions, you will have to do the full scan again, as when you first turned on. Before resetting, make sure that the problem is in the map, not the sensor contamination. If the laser rangefinder is clogged with dust, no reconfiguration will help - it will build a distorted reality. Also check if the wheel is jammed, which can lead to the demolition of the trajectory. ⚠️ Warning: When you reset the card, all stored virtual walls and room names are permanently deleted. Make sure you have time to rezone the room. Frequently asked questions (FAQ) Can two separate cards be combined into one? Unfortunately, the standard Mi Home and Roborock apps don't allow you to program two different cards into one, and if you have two pieces, the easiest way to reset the map is to scan the apartment again, allowing the robot to pass through the entire perimeter. Why can't the robot see the map after the reboot? This can happen if the device loses communication with the base, or if the card has been accidentally deleted. Check if the card indicator in the application is on. If "Maps not found" burns, try to start a full cleaning - often the robot recognizes the room and loads the stored circuit automatically. Does the color of the floor affect the construction of the map? Laser rangefinders (LDS) work regardless of the color and texture of the floor, as they scan walls and large objects at the level of the belt. However, the drop sensors (which are on the bottom) may not work properly on black glossy surfaces, mistaking them for a cliff. In such cases, sometimes you need to tape the fall sensors. How often do you need to rescan the apartment? If you don't re-scan the furniture, it doesn't take years to re-scan, and the robot adapts to small changes (shifted chair, fallen box) in real time, and the reason for the new scan is only a global change in the geometry of the rooms. 💡A well-built and edited map is a guarantee that the robot vacuum cleaner will clean efficiently without missing areas and getting stuck in inappropriate places.