Operating smart appliances requires initial setup, and Xiaomi’s robot vacuum cleaner is no exception. Many users face the problem of having a device move around the apartment randomly or ignore contaminated areas. Proper zoning of space is the foundation of the efficient operation of LiDAR or vSLAM navigation algorithms.
Without a properly configured map, the device will not be able to allocate battery resources optimally, you will have to determine the boundaries of the premises yourself so that the system understands where the kitchen ends and the corridor begins, especially for the Xiaomi Vacuum-Mop and Roborock series models, which rely on precise coordinates.
⚠️ Warning: Before setting up zones, make sure the robot fully charged the battery and went through an initial scan of all available area without interruption.
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Preparation of space and primary scanning
The first step to the perfect map is to prepare the room. The robot must see the obstacles to get around them correctly and fix them on the map. Remove wires, socks and other small objects from the floor that can confuse the brush. The laser rangefinder located on the top panel should have a free 360-degree view.
Start the device in map mode via the Mi Home app. At this point, don't interfere with the gadget. If the robot gets stuck, it will report it, but it's better to minimize such situations. The scanning process can take from 20 to 40 minutes depending on the area of the dwelling.
- 🏠 Remove all obstacles from the floor, including wires and toys, to make the sensors work properly.
- 🚪 Open all interior doors if you plan to clean the entire apartment at once.
- 🔋 Make sure the base charge is 100% before starting the first scan.
Once you've completed the first pass, you'll see a draft map in the app that might look uneven or have extra protrusions. That's OK. At this point, the main challenge is to get the basic geometry of the room, which we'll edit next.
Editing the map: division and unification of zones
The most important step is to manually adjust the automatically generated map. The Mi Home app often mistakenly combines adjacent spaces, such as the kitchen and living room, into one large area. You'll need a separation tool. Go to the map settings and select edit mode.
Use virtual lines to divide spaces, draw them strictly along walls or imaginary lines where one finishes and another begins, and it is important that the separation lines do not cross doorways too narrowly, otherwise the robot may consider this an obstacle in the future.
What to do if the separation line is not drawn?
If you see the opposite, you have a room that's divided into several parts, use the unification function, select two adjacent areas, and press the merge button, which is true for studios or large halls with arches.
☑️ Checking map geometry
Configuring virtual walls and forbidden areas
No-Go Zones are critical to safety, and virtual walls are invisible to humans, but they are an insurmountable barrier to a robot, and they prohibit cleaning in places where there are animal bowls, fringe mats, or fragile objects on the floor.
Unlike physical magnetic tapes that need to be glued to the floor, virtual constraints are software-generated. You can draw a square or a line directly on a map in an app. The robot will never cross that border, even if it's driving at high speed.
- 🚫 Create forbidden areas around bowls of water and pet food.
- 🧶 Isolate areas with long curtains or carpets that can wind on a brush.
- 🔌 Go around places with lots of wires and chargers.
You also need to set up virtual walls around the legs of chairs or tables if the robot gets stuck between them all the time, so by limiting the space, you're going to make the device go around the perimeter, rather than trying to squeeze in.
Room renaming and type assignment
For ease of control and voice control, you need to give rooms clear names. Standard names like "Room 1" or "Area A" don't tell you or your voice assistant. Rename zones according to their purpose: "Kitchen," "Bedroom," "Adjournment."
This is necessary for integration with the ecosystem of Yandex.Alice or Google Assistant, and you can say, "Alice, ask the robot to clean the kitchen," and the system will know which zone on the map is being discussed, and without the correct name, voice control will not work properly.
And some models also allow you to specify the type of coating for each room, and if you specify that the living room has a carpet and the hallway has laminate floor, the robot will automatically increase the suction power on the pile surfaces, which is a smart recognition feature that saves battery life in other areas.
Set up cleaning scenarios for different rooms
Different rooms require different cleaning approaches. The kitchen often has greasy stains and crumbs, and the bedroom has dust and wool. Xiaomi's current models allow you to customize the suction force and water supply level individually for each room.
For the kitchen, set maximum suction power and minimum water supply (if a washing function is used) so as not to smear pollution. For the bedroom, on the contrary, you can choose a quiet mode and medium power so as not to disturb sleep.
| Type of room | Suction power | Water level | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen. | Maximum | Low/Mediocre | Remove crumbs and stains |
| Bedroom. | Medium/Silent | No water. | Dust and wool collection |
| Bathroom | Tall. | High-pitched | Hair and moisture removal |
| Living room | Automatic. | Medium. | Maintaining cleanliness |
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If you have a model without an electronic water tank, adjust the fluid supply only mechanically before starting, but remember that changing the level during cleaning a particular room will not work.
Scheduling and automation of processes
Once the rooms are selected and set up, you have to automate the process. You don't have to do the manual cleaning every time. The Mi Home app has a flexible scheduler. You can create a scenario where the robot cleans the kitchen every morning at 10:00 and the living room every Tuesday and Friday night.
Automation also allows you to tie the launch to other events, such as a robot can start cleaning when you leave the house (the geolocation of the smartphone shows that you are not at home), which prevents situations when a noisy machine interferes with your rest.
⚠️ Note: When setting your schedule, consider battery life. If you plan to clean all the rooms at once, make sure the robot has time to return to base for recharging before the battery sits at a critical minimum.
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A properly configured schedule allows you to keep clean without your involvement, taking advantage of times when you are not at home.
Frequent zoning problems and their solution
Sometimes the robot forgets the map or starts building it again with each launch, which can happen if you move the base to another location, or if the laser sensor gets dirty, wipe the sensor window with soft dry cloth.
If the card is constantly knocked down, try clearing the device's memory through the app's settings and scan again. Make sure there's enough lighting in the room, as some optical sensors don't work well in total darkness.