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Roomba Vacuum Won’t Connect to WiFi (How To Fix)

Roomba robot vacuums are also under the name iRobot. They overall work great but when first setting one up, issues can occur connecting it to WiFi. This is what to do if your Roomba vacuum won’t connect to WiFi.

In general, first restart your WiFi modem, and verify the WiFi is working by using it on another device such as a smartphone. If the WiFi is working then ensure the base is located close enough to the WiFi modem, and move it if required. After that do the steps below.

Vacuum cleaning the floor

Restart your iRobot/Roomba vacuum, reset your smartphone, and uninstall and reinstall the iRobot home app. A list of online versions of the owner’s manual can be accessed on this page of the official iRobot/Roomba website. To restart your Roomba vacuum use the specific instructions for your make and model.

Reasons Why Your Roomba Vacuum Won’t Connect to WiFi

Vacuum cleaning the floor

Overall, there are 7 main reasons why a robot vacuum won’t connect to WiFi. Here is what they are.

Your WiFi router has a glitch, the base is too far from your WiFi router, there is a software issue with your smartphone/tablet, your robot vacuum, or your robot vacuum app, your Wifi router is set to the wrong frequency, or there is a glitch with the network settings on your smartphone/tablet.

Below is why each of these will cause your robot vacuum to not connect to WiFi. As well as, how to fix each of these issues. Start with step one and do each step until you identify what was causing the issue.

1. Your WiFi router has a glitch

The software on WiFi routers can crash or freeze. When this happens the WiFi signal won’t connect, and it will commonly say connected but no internet. But, the WiFi name won’t show up at all when you search for networks.

In other cases, it won’t allow new or existing devices to connect to it. Each of these issues is fixed by restarting your WiFi router. Resetting your WiFi modem is very simple.

Turn off the wall outlet, and then unplug it from the wall. Then wait about 30 seconds, and plug it back in again. A WiFi modem takes 5 minutes to fully connect to the internet again.

While this is happening the lights on your WiFi modem will be flashing. After about 5 minutes attempt to pair your vacuum to the WiFi again by putting it in pairing mode.

2. The base is too far from your WiFi router

The base of the robot vacuum needs to be within a certain range of your WiFi router (modem). The reason is that WiFi can only travel so far, and depending on where your router is located it can have a hard time receiving a signal from your WiFi router.

For example if your WiFi router is at one end of the house but the base for your robot vacuum is on the other end of the house. You should position the base closer to your WiFi router to get a strong WiFi signal.

3. There is a software issue with your smartphone or tablet

The app you are using on your smartphone or tablet to connect your robot vacuum to your WiFi router can have a glitch. Also, the operating system on your smartphone or tablet can have a glitch. This can be caused by a range of things, such as a failed app or operating system update.

Or apps and browser windows that are open in the background but have crashed causing a software conflict with other apps. This is easily fixed by manually closing your robot vacuum app, and opening it again. As well as, power cycling your smartphone or tablet.

First start by closing all the apps that are open on your tablet or smartphone. And try to connect it again.

After that if it’s still not working, power cycle your phone or tablet. Doing so will close and restart the operating system and all the apps on your smartphone or tablet.

4. There is a software glitch with your robot vacuum

The software on your robot vacuum can also glitch. If it has a glitch certain features can freeze and not work anymore. Turning your robot vacuum on and off again will close and open the software on your robot vacuum again, and can fix this issue.

But, many robot vacuums also have a restart switch on the underside. However, it differs by model. If you’re unsure, refer to your paper owners manual, or download an online PDF version by going to the manufacturers website and find the relevant model.

In my research only one brand does not publish their owners manuals online which is Eufy. But, they do have live chat support. So, if you can’t find your owners manual and have a Eufy robot vacuum contact live chat support.

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on February 9, 2023.

5. The software for your robot vacuum app has a glitch

The files that run your robot vacuum app on your smartphone or tablet can get what is called ‘corrupted’. When this happens some of the files will not work at all, and as a result the app won’t work properly. There are three things you should do to see if this is what is causing the issue.

Clear/delete your robot vacuum app cache, and app data. And uninstall and reinstall the robot vacuum app. This is done by going into the settings on your smartphone or tablet, and selecting ‘Apps’ or something similar.

Then, click on your robot vacuum app. There will be 2 options, one to clear the app cache, and delete the app data. The exact steps do depend on what smartphone or tablet you are using.

However, many people are familiar with how to do this themselves because it’s a common troubleshooting step when apps aren’t working properly. If you can’t find the setting do a Google or Youtube search for how to clear the app cache and data for your specific phone or tablet make and model. For example, how to clear app cache and data on a Samsung Galaxy S6.

After doing that see if you can now connect your robot vacuum to your WiFi. If it still doesn’t work uninstall the robot vacuum app on your smartphone or tablet, and then install it again.

6. The WiFi frequency your WiFi modem is set to is incompatible

Robot vacuums are a bit different to other devices you connect to WiFi because they only work on particular WiFi bands. It’s common for robot vacuums to work on 2.4 GHz WiFi but your WiFi modem might be set to 5.0 GHz as an example. WiFi routers operate at only two frequencies, 5.0GHz, and 2.4GHZ.

It needs to be changed manually in the settings on your WiFi modem. Also, some WiFi modems will send out two WiFi signals that you can connect to.

One will say the network name, and another will say 5GHz, 5, 5G, 5g. As an example, if your WiFi network name is ‘Bob’s Home WiFi’, it will have 2 connections:

  • Bob’s Home WiFi – (this is the 2.4 GHZ connection)
  • Bob’s Home WiFi (5G, 5, 5g, 5GHz – (this is the 5GHZ connection)

If you’re connected to one of the connections try the other one. It’s also possible the frequency can be changed in the settings on your WiFi modem. But, the people that can best help you with it is your internet service provider.

They can advise you over the phone how to know what frequency your modem is on. After that, you should double check what frequency your robot vacuum can receive. To do that contact the customer support team over live chat on the official website for your robot vacuum.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on February 9, 2023.

7. There’s a glitch with the network connection settings on your smartphone/tablet

Smartphones and tablets typically connect to many different WiFi connections over time, such as when you are out and about, and use public WiFi. When this happens, the software only our smartphone or tablet can develop a glitch with the network settings, and it won’t work properly. It’s possible on virtually all smartphones and tablets to do a network connection reset.

This deletes all of the current connections. You then need to add them again manually by putting in the password for your WiFi network. Before doing this step you should first get the username and password for your WiFi network.

After that, on most smartphones and tablets you go to Settings > Connections > Network Connection Reset. But, it can differ slightly. It’s best to Google how to do a network connection reset on your phone or tablet if you can’t find the setting. Such as, how to do a network connection reset on a Samsung A530.

Other Troubleshooting Steps For Your Roomba Vacuum

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After you have done the initial steps to try to get a vacuum connected to WiFi, there are a few other things to ensure your vacuum is connected to WiFi. Here’s what they are.

Overall, ensure your WiFi router is set to 2.4 GHz with the help of your internet service provider, your WiFi network is working (test with a different device), and the base of your vacuum, and the vacuum is close enough to the router.

If these have all been done there is a setting on your vacuum that needs to be changed. The reason is that you have verified your WiFi is working, so the issue is with your robot vacuum.

Your robot vacuum should get restarted, and you should ensure it’s in pairing mode or sync mode. This differs by model, but you should read the instructions in the owner’s manual for how to get it to connect to the app on your smartphone.

In general, check the owner’s manual to see what WiFi bands are supported. 2.4GHz is common. Then verify what bands your current router has with your internet service company, or the owners manual for your router. After that, reset your robot vacuum, and do the following steps.

Top Fix For Roomba Vacuum That Won’t Connect to WiFi

Vacuum cleaning the floor

It’s best to connect robot vacuums to WiFi because it typically unlocks tracking and other interesting info in the app for your robot vacuum, and allows you to schedule when it operates. Like most things electronic, they can have minor issues, and certain functionality won’t work. Today, I will explain how to fix a robot vacuum that won’t connect to WiFi.

Overall, start by resetting your WiFi modem, then restart your robot vacuum. After that, restart your smartphone, and uninstall and reinstall the robot vacuum app. Finally, if it’s still not connecting to WiFi check the owners manual to see what WiFi band it needs to be, steps explained below.

ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on February 9, 2023.

Robot vacuums are a bit unique because they have a restricted WiFi range they operate on. For example, your WiFi modem could be set to a higher range, than what your robot vacuum can receive. I explained in the article above each of these troubleshooting steps in detail so you can get your robot vacuum to connect to the WiFi.