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If you are thinking of buying a Roomba, you should buy one of the newer Roomba models with WiFi connectivity. You will be able to control the robot and schedule cleaning sessions remotely using the iRobot Home App. You can also connect the vacuum cleaner to smart voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
As with most WiFi connected appliances, connecting a Roomba to your home WiFi network can be a pain. So here is a quick guide to help you setup your WiFi-connected Roomba vacuum cleaner and control it from anywhere. For more information, visit iRobot’s help page on WiFi connectivity and remote control.
Make sure you have the Right Model
Not all Roomba models are WiFi connected so make sure you have the right model before you attempt this process. The WiFi connected models are; Roomba 690, Roomba 890, Roomba 960 and Roomba 980. You can also check your product manual for information on whether it can be connected to WiFi.
Make Sure You Have the Right Router
Roomba vacuum cleaners do not work on 5GHz networks. So you need to make sure that you either have a 2.4GHz router or a combo 2.4GHz/5GHz router. Most modern routers support both frequencies so you should have no problem connecting your Roomba.
Download the iRobot Home App
You’ll need to have the iRobot Home app on your phone to control and schedule your robot vacuum cleaner remotely. The app is available free for both iPhones and Android phones. You’ll need to have iOS 9 and higher or Android 4.4 and higher.
Setup the Roomba and Its Home Base
The vacuum cleaner needs to be on for you to setup a WiFi connection. Before you continue, first setup the home base and plug in the Roomba.
Place the home base on a flat surface, near a power supply and where there is good WiFi coverage. Make sure there aren’t any obstacles on the front or sides of the home base. Don’t place it near the stairs or on a rug. Plug in the home base into the power supply.
Next, turn over the Roomba and remove any wrapping or plastic tabs. Then place the Roomba on the charging base and check that it’s on. If you just bought the vacuum cleaner, it will take a few hours to get to full charge but you can set up the WiFi immediately.
Connect the Roomba to WiFi
Fire up the iRobot Home app on your phone. The welcome screen prompts you to enter your country and language and accept iRobot’s terms of use. Log in with an existing account or sign up in the next screen.
Once you have signed in, select your Roomba. You will be taken through the basic setup steps.
The app will automatically detect your home network and ask you to confirm whether it’s the one you want to use. Once you confirm, the app will ask for the WiFi name and password.
When you have successfully setup your home network on the app, it’s time to connect the network to the Roomba itself.
Making sure the robot vacuum is on, press the 
home and target (spot) buttons simultaneously for a couple of seconds. You should hear a tone and see a flashing green network icon. The robot will automatically connect with the app and attempt to join your home network.
The app will tell you when the robot has connected successfully. You can then personalize your robot with a name, language and even birthday.
If you are unable to connect the app or the robot to your WiFi, check your user manual and iRobot’s website help pages for WiFi connection troubleshooting tips.
Try It Out
Now you can use the app from anywhere, whether at home in the office or on the road, to check on the vacuum cleaner and control it. You can change settings, check its status and schedule cleanings. You can also view past cleaning history and get notifications when the robot finishes cleaning or gets stuck.
It’s much more convenient than pushing buttons on the Roomba or a remote control.
The intro in “About The Author” says that Vicky Nichols covers the real-world impact of the latest technologies on consumers. I would like to acquaint you with the impact of technologies on consumers when the the technology applied is handled poorly or is incomplete. The product I am referring to is the iRobot Roomba 980, supposedly a WiFi enabled device. In reality it is saddled with a number of WiFi issues that it seems iRobot can’t or won’t address. The issues are these
When referring to WiFi, iRobot are referring to a 2.4Ghz network on a single SSID (Service Set ID that identifies the network that can be seen by a wireless device). In other words a single modem/router possibly bristling with WiFi antennas, that broadcasts a 2.4Ghz WiFi network with a unique SSID. Most modem/routers also deliver a 5.0Ghz network, but Roomba won’t work with that. By the way, the 2.4Ghz network is heavily congested with connected WiFi devices, and other legacy devices like microwave ovens, cordless phones and baby monitors often use it too.
Modern houses with multiple rooms may have spotty WiFi when it comes from a modem/router located near where the internet cable enters the house. So next-gen WiFi is available, which uses multiple Access Points (network-connected devices that transmit and receive a WiFi signal evenly throughout the house. Imagine an open umbrella representing each Access Point (AP)). These could be called mesh networks, range extenders, satellites or even sentinels. Google WiFi, Linksys Velop, Netgear Orbi are examples. Such systems are designed to allow fast roaming between Access Points when highly mobile devices like laptops, iPhones and iPads move with the users. A new term, BSSID identifies Access Points and the attached devices called clients
When you physically move your laptop or mobile phone from one room to another, the BSSID you use can change because your device looks for the strongest signal as you move from the area covered by one access point to the area covered by another access point, but this does not affect the connectivity of your laptop or phone. I can open on my iPhone or laptop to, say, a You tube video and stream it, and open another app that shows the BSSID of the nearest Access Point. Then I walk from one end of my house to the other watching the video uninterrupted, whilst keeping my eye on the other app to see the BSSID change as I approach then leave the “umbrella” of each AP.
Therefore the laptop or the phone is aware of the BSSID and connects to the strongest signal automatically so there’s seamless connectivity, which is exactly what should be happening with Roomba, but instead it is tied to a single congested 2.4Ghz network’s SSID, ignoring Access Points as it moves around. If ever there was a need for maintaining continuity between the Roomba and the network, irrespective of the BSSID
It’s difficult to cover a topic like this without delving into the underlying technology and its jargon. Nevertheless, I do hope the essence of the issue I raise is clear.
How long (how much time) does it take to finish the setup? The Roomba says it’s connected, and my app says it’s setting up… How long for this???? running on 30 minutes and no end in sight ?????