How to control the robot vacuum cleaner Xiaomi from the phone through the application: full instruction

Introduction: Why is the control over the phone more convenient than the remote?

Xiaomi’s robot vacuum cleaners are no longer a curiosity — they’ve become an integral part of the smart home for millions of users. But many still use them at 20 percent of the capacity, limited to a “Start” button on the case or a simple remote control. Meanwhile, full smartphone control opens up access to advanced features from fine-tuning cleaning areas to integrating with voice assistants.

The Mi Home app (or Xiaomi Home in the newer versions) turns your robot vacuum cleaner into a real smart assistant. You can start cleaning from another room, follow a map of the room in real time, or even adjust different wet cleaning modes for the kitchen and bedroom. And if there are several floors in the house? Easy, just save a few cards and switch between them into two taps. But how does it work in practice? Let's take a step from connecting to hidden chips that are not written in the official instructions.

Step 1: Connecting Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner to your phone

Before you control the device, you need to “tether” it to your Xiaomi account. This process takes no more than 5 minutes, but there are nuances that make it common for beginners to make mistakes. For example, a robot and a phone must be on the same Wi-Fi network at 2.4 GHz – modern smartphones automatically connect to 5 GHz, which leads to crashes.

Instructions for connection:

• 📱 Install the Mi Home app (App Store / Google Play). For models from 2023-2026, it is better to use Xiaomi Home - it supports new protocols.
• 🔌 Turn on the robot vacuum cleaner with a long press on the power button (3-5 seconds). Wait for the beep and the flashing of the Wi-Fi indicator.
• 🌐 In the app, click "Add device» (+ → Robot vacuum cleaners → Follow the hints by choosing Mainland China, which will give you access to all the features.
• 🔗 Hold the phone to the robot (distance is not more than 1 meter) and wait for the appearance QR-Scan it with the vacuum cleaner camera.

If the robot is not connected, check:

• ⚡ Turn it off. VPN Proxies – they block Xiaomi servers.
• 📶 Restart your router and make sure it doesn’t use dual NAT» (It prevents devices from finding each other).
• 🔄 Try changing the region in your Mi Home profile to Singapore or Russia – sometimes this solves server problems.

Step 2: Basic controls in the annex

After the successful connection, your robot card will appear on the home screen.

• 🗺️ Map of the room (updated in real time during cleaning).
• 📊 Status: charge level, last cleaning time, errors (e.g., "stuck" or "out of water»).
• ⚙️ Quick commands: "Start cleaning", "Return to base", "Suspend».

Let’s look at the key buttons and their hidden features:

Note the Cleaning History section, which stores maps of each session, which is useful if the robot missed the site: you can manually draw the area on the map and send it to remove it there, and if you have Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Pro, you can even display the level of contamination in different areas (based on the sensor data).

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If the robot is constantly “lost” in the same area, try adding a virtual wall in the map settings to help avoid getting stuck.

Step 3: Set up a map and virtual zones

One of the most useful features is to divide the room into zones and adjust the cleaning rules for each, for example, you can prevent a robot from entering the children's night or increase the suction power on the living room carpet.

1. After the first cleaning, the robot will create a map of the apartment. If it turns out to be inaccurate (for example, missing walls), start cleaning again - algorithms SLAM (Simultaneous localization and mapping will improve detail.

2. Click on the map in the app and select Edit. Here you can:

• 🧹 Divide the room into rooms (click Add the room and circle the contour).
• 🚫 Add virtual walls or forbidden areas (such as around a cat feeder).
• 💧 Set up wet cleaning areas (only for models with floor washing function).

For models with LiDAR (e.g. Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P), Multi-Apartment Mode is available, which means that the robot can save multiple cards (e.g., for the first and second floors) and automatically switch between them when transferred to another level to activate:

1. Move the robot to a new floor and start cleaning.
2. After creating the card, click Save as a new card.
3. Think of a name (e.g., “2nd floor”) and confirm.

Step 4: Scheduling and Automating Cleaning

You can set up a schedule to forget about cleaning forever, so the robot will work itself while you're away, but there are some things that are not mentioned in the manual, like when you clean it, you better choose the charging schedule, and if the robot doesn't get back to the base before it's discharged, it will interrupt the cleaning.

How to set up a schedule:

1. Open the robot card in Mi Home and go to the Schedule.
2. Click Add and select the days of the week (you can specify individual days or intervals, for example, "Pn-t").
3. Specify the start time and cleaning mode (dry, wet, combined).
4. Save the schedule. The robot will automatically start at the specified time, if it is on base and charged at least 20%.

Advanced settings:

• 🔄 Repetitive cleaning: You can set up multiple sessions per day (for example, in the morning and evening).
• 📱 Notifications: Enable the option “Send a report after cleaning” – the robot will send a card with the route and work time covered.
• 🌡️ Adaptive mode: Some models (e.g. Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Pro) can automatically increase suction power in dusty areas.

Base charge of at least 50%|The robot's on base.|Wi-Fi stable (no interruptions)|There are no obstacles in the cleaning area (wires, toys)|There is enough water in the tank (for models with a wash)

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If the robot is constantly off schedule, check:

• ⏰ Time zone in Mi Home settings (should match the phone).
• 🔋 Base charge level – if it is below 15%, the robot will not start cleaning.
• 📶 Wi-Fi quality at base location (signal should not be weaker) -65 dB).

Step 5: Voice Control and Smart Home Integration

Xiaomi's robot vacuum cleaners support voice control through Alice (Yandex), Google Assistant and Siri (HomeKit), which is convenient when your hands are busy or you're in another room, such as saying, "Alice, run the robot vacuum cleaner in the kitchen," and it will only start cleaning in the specified area.

How to connect the voice assistant:

1. Open the Assistant app (Yandex, Google Home or Apple Home).
2. Add a new device and select Xiaomi from the list of supported brands.
3. Sign in to your Mi Home account and allow access to your devices.
4. Once synchronized, the robot will appear on the list of devices, and now you can control it with your voice.

Examples of voice commands:

• 🎤 «Alice, turn on the robot vacuum cleaner – the beginning of cleaning.
• 🎤 «OK Google, stop cleaning the living room — a stay in a specific area.
• 🎤 «Ciri, return the vacuum cleaner to base – return to charging.

For advanced users, integration with Home Assistant or Node-RED is available. This allows you to create complex scenarios, for example:

• 🏠 Automatic cleaning when everyone leaves the house (by geolocation of smartphones).
• 🌡️ Launching the robot with increased dust levels (data from the sensor Xiaomi Air Purifier).
• 🔦 Turning on the vacuum cleaner at night, if the motion sensor in the hallway is triggered.

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Voice control works only when the Internet is active, and if the Wi-Fi goes off, no commands from the phone will be executed.

Step 6: Solving Common Problems

Even with the most reliable robot vacuum cleaner, there can be failures, and let's look at the typical mistakes and how to fix them without going to the service.

Problem 1: The robot is not connected to Wi-Fi

• 🔌 Make sure the router is running at 2.4 GHz (5 GHz not supported).
• 🔄 Reboot the robot by holding the power button for 10 seconds.
• 📵 Check if antivirus or firewall blocks access to Xiaomi servers.

Problem 2: The robot doesn’t build a map or “lose”

• 🗺️ Start cleaning in a well-lit room – sensors work better in natural light.
• 🧲 Remove metal objects from the floor (they may interfere with the work of LiDAR).
• 🔄 Reset the card in the settings and start cleaning again.

Problem 3: The robot doesn't wash the floor

• 💧 Check the water level in the tank (should be between the marks) MIN and MAX).
• 🧽 Make sure that a washing nozzle is installed (for Vacuum-Mop models).
• ⚙️ In the settings, select the “Wet Cleaning” or “Deep Washing” mode».

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If the robot starts making unusual sounds (squeaking, knocking), check the side brushes and the main roller for hair or threads that have wound, and cleaning these elements once a month prolongs the life of the device.

⚠️ Note: If the robot after updating the firmware ceased to respond to commands, try rolling back the software version. → About the device → Firmware update → Return to the previous version.This option is available within 7 days after the upgrade.

Step 7: Hidden functions and life hacks

Many users have been using a robot vacuum cleaner for years without realizing its hidden capabilities, and here are some tips that will make cleaning more efficient:

1.Do Not Disturb mode

If the robot interferes at night, activate this mode in the settings, it turns off voice alerts and reduces the power of suction, suitable for cleaning during sleep.

2.Contour cleaning

Some models (such as the Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Pro) have a wall cleaning mode, which is useful if you need to thoroughly clean the plinth of dust.

3. Preserving favorite areas

If you often clean the same areas (like around a table), save them to your favorites, so you don't have to re-dedicate the area every time.

4.Integration with Xiaomi cameras

If you have a Xiaomi Home Security camera, you can set up an automatic cleaning when the camera captures the lack of movement in the house (meaning everyone is gone).

5.Use of IFTTT

Service IFTTT It allows you to create chains of action, for example:

• 📅 «If the calendar event "Cleaning" then start a robot vacuum cleaner».
• 🌧️ «If the weather forecaster predicts rain, increase the suction power" (since there will be more dirt from the street).

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions