Most of us are familiar with the name Roomba, one of the robot vacuums that can map your house and perform cleaning sessions.
Isn’t it right?
Yes, it is!!
But even this advanced robot vacuum can get into some issues like its Mapping run.
In this article, I will break down the term Mapping run, how many mapping runs Roomba needs, how you can get Roomba to remap your home and how long does it take for the remapping.
But before we get into re-mapping, let’s know what a mapping run is!
What is Roomba Mapping Run?
The Mapping Run is a feature in Roomba that creates a digital map of your house by using its sensors, cameras and other smart scanning technologies. Roomba uses this digital map to navigate through your rooms and clean them more efficiently.
It is mostly like a cartographer creating a map of your house, here a robot using its cameras and sensors and creating a map for itself.
You may also say it is a digital layout that the robot creates for itself for easy navigation and better performance.
Know About Roomba Imprint Smart Maps
The iRobot Roomba Smart Map is a special feature that enables your Roomba to remember your house.
A mapping run is a special feature that allows your robot to navigate through your room without cleaning and generate a map of your house so that it can run for a longer time on a single charge.
You may need to do this whenever you change your furniture or your robot vacuum placement
Unfortunately, all Roomba models don’t have this feature. The Roomba series 600 and 800 can’t lean your home layout and therefore a remap is not needed.
Roomba series that support the smart mapping features are i7 and s9 and from 960 to 980.
Remember that if your house is not so big and the robot cleans your house in a single change then you don’t need to start a remap.
The only thing your Roomba needs while its mapping run is that the base station should be connected to the power.
How To Get Roomba To Remap A Room?
Remapping a room using Roomba is simple and straightforward and doesn’t take more than 20 minutes.
Here’s how you can start Remapping on your Roomba:
- Open iRobot Home App.
- Click on the Map icon.
- Select training/mapping run and click on Start.
Now, Roomba will leave the base station and start the mapping process. It will move through each and every corner of the house and map your house. This map will be saved to the device and the cloud.
Now, Roomba will go back to the base station to charge itself. You can now see a basic map of your house in the App which is not complete.
Roomba takes around 3-5 training sessions to complete a full map of your house so you should start another mapping run.
My Roomba took 4 mapping runs to complete the map of my house and once it is done you will get a notification.
Customizing Roomba Map
Once Roomba finishes its mapping run, you need to customize the map and this can be done in 2 steps. But first, open your iRobot App.
Step 1
- Once you have opened the iRobot App, Name your Roomba.
- Now, it’s time to set up the Roomba Map, simply click on “Add Divider.” You can move the map by dragging and rotate the divider by twisting.
- If you have to edit or delete a divider, hold on to it to get the options.
- Save the Map after you have divided your rooms.
Step 2
Now that you have divided the rooms, it’s time to label the rooms like living room, bedroom etc.
- Tap on the room you want to label.
- Click on Save.
To get started, choose from instant cleaning, scheduling, or adding it to your favorites based on your preferences.
Once you’ve made your selection, you’re ready to dive into all the mapping features and experience the joy of spotless cleaning.
If you are having trouble locating the mapping icon in the App, try scrolling down.
In case you find the guide difficult to understand, I have a video below where I explain everything in a simple and easily comprehensible manner.
How Long Does It take For Roomba To Run Mapping?
irobot states that 3-5 mapping runs are enough for your Roomba to learn your house layout. But this can be more or less depending on how big your house is and how many obstacles Roomba has to face while creating a complete map of your house.
For me, it took 4 mapping runs to complete my house map.
One Helpful Tip: When you see your Roomba repeatedly cleaning the same area, it means you have to start remapping.
Adjusting The Roomba’s Map: Can You Do It?
The iRobot Roomba robot vacuum utilizes a cutting-edge technology called “vSALM” – an acronym for Simultaneous Visual Mapping & Localization.
This innovative technology is incorporated in the newer Roomba models, enabling the robot to effortlessly identify obstacles and landmarks while accurately storing their locations in its memory.
The smart maps in the Roomba Home App are a result of this technology.
While older models don’t have the vSALM feature, they rely on infrared signals to navigate and track their path throughout the room.
In contrast, the advanced Roomba i7 models offer a persistent mapping feature, allowing you to create a detailed map of your house.
To adjust or manage your cleaning schedule, simply access the Roomba Home App and choose either the Clean Mapping Report or Update Smart Map options.
How To Get Roomba Remap A Room Again?
When I bought a Roomba vacuum for the first time and set it to remap my space it did great and the cleaning sessions were fine.
But after a few days, I found that during a cleaning session, the robot left one of my rooms. I had no idea why this happened.
I searched on irobot website but got no clue how to fix this issue so I called customer support.
The customer support executive told me that I should look into the map first and see whether the map has that particular room it has not been cleaned.
When I checked the map inside the App, I came to know that a specific room was not showing on the Roomba map now.
This might be a software glitch or somehow it got deleted from there.
So, I had to remap that room again and here’s how I did it.
- Open the iRobot Home App and Go to Settings.
- Then select “Cleaning preferences”.
- Go to “Advanced Settings” and click on Reset Map.
Now, repeat the mapping process as you did earlier.
Navigate to the Setup option on the App’s home screen. From there, you will be prompted to choose a room.
Once you’ve made your selection, proceed by clicking on Start Mapping, which will initiate the mapping process for your Roomba once again.
How Do I Map A Second Floor With Roomba?
You might be thinking that there is a lot of work involved to clean different floors with your Roomba. In reality, the robot vacuum is smart enough to do all these itself.
Here’s how you can map a new floor plan home’s layout of your home:
- Place the Roomba anywhere on that floor
- Order a cleaning job. You have the option to either press the Clean button on the robot vacuum or start the cleaning session using the iRobot App.
Remember to keep your charging station at the same place as Roomba and use the base station as the reference point. However, if you need a new charging station on your other floor, you can get a new one from iRobot.
How Long Does It take Roomba To Clean 1000 Square Feet?
The Roomba i7+ takes around 75 minutes to clean an area of up to 1000 square feet. We tested it ourselves on our 1000 sq. ft flat. This time can vary depending on the Roomba model you are using and the obstructions and furniture that your Roomba gets on its way.
During our test, we found that the battery level of my i7+ model went from 100% to 40% and the cleaning was performed in one go.
Anyway even if your Roomba is not enough charged, you don’t have to worry as it will resume the cleaning sessions from the same place where it stopped.
Why is My Roomba Not Saving The Map?
If your Roomba is not saving its map, it may be because you have moved Roomba during its mapping or cleaning session. However, there could be other reasons too.
- Low battery levels: Your Roomba needs a full charge to save its maps accurately. Make sure you keep an eye on the battery level and charge when necessary.
- Wrong settings: If you are having trouble with the mapping function, it could be due to the wrong settings. Make sure all of your Roomba settings are correctly configured and that you don’t have any conflicting settings.
- Obstructions in the way: Your Roomba needs clear pathways to map accurately. If obstructions are blocking its path, it won’t be able to save an accurate map. Make sure to remove any obstacles in the vacuum’s path.
It is also important to regularly check for software updates that may improve your Roomba’s mapping capabilities.
Keeping up with the latest software releases can help ensure that your Roomba is operating at its full potential and saving maps correctly.
Conclusion
I hope this article clearly states how you can get Roomba to remap your house. Always keep in your mind that whenever you change or move furniture in the house, you should perform a remap.