Compatibility and requirements
Before getting to the heart of this guide and explain yourself how the iRobot Home app works, let me give you some more information about the devices compatible with the latter.
Well, the iRobot Home app works on all mobile devices equipped with Android 5.0 or later and with iPhones / iPads equipped with iOS 12 or later. To use everything and control the house cleaning even when you are not on site, you clearly need an active Internet connection.
As for the iRobot devices that can be used, I invite you to refer to the information you find on the respective sales packages (or in the respective descriptions, if you are buying online); in principle, however, the app is compatible with all Smart devices produced by iRobot.
Note that the robot vacuum cleaner models Roomba 900, 600, 800 e e series with Wi-Fi connection only support 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks, while robots Roomba Serie i they support both Wi-Fi networks with 2.4 GHz band and those with 5 GHz band. The Braava series floor cleaning robots, on the other hand, are divided into two categories: Braava jet 240, which uses the Bluetooth Low Energy mode to connect to the smartphone / tablet; Braava jet m6 which, being a Premium product like the Roomba “i” series, supports both Wi-Fi networks with the 2.4 GHz band and those with the 5 GHz band.
How to use the iRobot Home app
Having clarified the aspects relating to compatibility and requirements, I would say to move on to the practical side of the matter and to see, in detail, how the iRobot Home app works.
Initial download and setup
Run the download and the first configuration of the iRobot Home app it's really that simple. First of all, if you haven't downloaded the app yet, open the store of your smartphone or tablet (Play Store if you use Android or App Store if you use iPhone / iPad), search “iRobot Home” in the latter and tap on the most relevant search result. Alternatively, if you are reading this tutorial directly from your device, you can open the links that I have provided you just now and immediately view the description of the application. Then press the button Ottieni / Installa and verify your identity (if required) to start the download.
Once the download is complete, open the app iRobot Home through its icon on the Home screen or in the app menu of your device, select yours Country and press pulsating Continue. After that, accepts the conditions of use of the application and proceed by logging in or creating an iRobot account: in the first case, press the button Log in and enter your login data in the relevant fields.
If, on the other hand, you don't have an account yet, tap on the button SUBSCRIBE and fill out the form that is proposed to you with name, last name, email address e Password. The game is done! You are now ready to pair with your iRobot devices and manage them from the app.
Device pairing
After logging into the app, the search for new robots to associate should start automatically; later, however, you can start the pairing of other robots by pressing the ☰ button of iRobot Home and selecting the item Add a robot from the side menu.
That said, select the icon Roomba o Braava Jet in the application (depending on the device you want to pair), you consent to the use of Bluetooth and press pulsating To start. Once this is done, allow the location services and / or theaccess to the local network following the instructions on the screen and make sure the robot is connected to the charging base, All 'supply and that there is good signal reception Wi-Fi.
Once this is done, press the button Continue, type il name you want to give to your robot and check if the app has correctly found your Wi-Fi network: if so, press the button Yes, continue; otherwise tap on Change the Wi-Fi network and select the correct network.
Then enter the key access to your network and hold down the robot keys indicated by the app (eg. Spot e Home) for about two seconds. The robot should beep and the center LED should glow blue.
At this point, put the check mark on the option I pressed the buttons in the app, press the button Continue and select the name of yours Roomba from the screen that is proposed to you.
Now wait a few seconds for the connection to be completed and, if requested, start the update of the robot firmware. Then press the button end and that's it: the robot is now paired with the app!
First cleaning and mapping of the house
To fully exploit the potential of iRobot devices and properly schedule the cleaning of all environments, it is necessary to perform a mapping of the house (or even the office) in which to operate.
To do this, you can command a first cleaning of the rooms and let the robot automatically create a map of the same (thanks to the integrated sensors and camera) or, if you want to speed up the mapping of the house (which normally requires 2-5 days of cleaning), you can start the process of robot training, aimed precisely at making mapping faster.
In any case, before proceeding, make sure the whole house is well lit and that they are not there obstacles that may prevent the robot from working: therefore, remove shoes, toys or other objects that may be present on the floor.
Now, to start a general cleaning of the house and allow the robot to automatically create the map of the environments, choose the name of the robot from the main screen of the app, press the button New operation and command one complete cleaning of the environments. Note that every time you use the full cleaning function, if the robot notices changes in the house, it will automatically update the map.
To start the training aimed only at mapping, instead, tap on map marker (on the main screen of the application), press the button ... located at the top right, calls up the option for the mapping I awarded her Start mapping.
After cleaning or mapping is complete, the robot will automatically return to the charging base. In case of problems (e.g. encountering an insurmountable obstacle), you will receive a notification on your smartphone that will notify you that your intervention is required.
Once the mapping is complete, you will have to review the map and precisely define the rooms of the house: in this way you can plan the cleaning in the best possible way and have the robot operate only in the rooms you want to clean.
To do this, go to the section of the iRobot Home app dedicated to map, select yours map, give it a name and configure the various rooms by adjusting (if necessary) i dividers and assigning them gods names: to perform both operations, simply press on the appropriate tabs located at the bottom.
You can also outline some areas to exclude from cleaning (eg near the dog / cat bowls), by selecting the tab areasby pressing the button Add zones to exclude and outlining the areas of your interest. Easier than that ?!
Automatic cleaning programming
Once the house has been mapped, it is possible to make the most of the potential of iRobot Home, programming all the cleaning operations to be carried out by the robots.
To schedule a cleaning in the iRobot Home app, then select the robot you want to command and tap on the item Program. On the next screen, then press the button + and use the tabs you see above to choose whether to schedule a cleaning based on the time (therefore on the basis of well-defined days and times) or on the basis of aautomation (Eg. when you leave the house, leaving the robot to detect the moments when you are not in the house to start cleaning).
In the fields below, specify the repetition of the program, select the rooms to clean and press the button Program to activate the programming just set. By pressing the button Wash after, if you have an iRobot floor cleaner, you will make sure that after cleaning with the vacuum cleaner, the latter also comes into action, to wash the floors.
In addition to scheduling cleaning, you can also define pre-set procedures and recall them with a simple tap from the iRobot Home home screen (or even with your voice, using the voice assistants).
To create a preferred cleaning scenario, then select yours robot from the main screen of the application and tap on the item Add to Wishlist. Then press the button +, choose the rooms to clean, assign a name it's a colore to the favorite you are creating, choose whether to activate the function or not wash after and his bottone award Create favorite, to save it all.
The “wash after” function uses technology Imprint Link which allows the automation of cleaning between the Roomba i Series robot vacuum cleaners, se 900 and the Braava jet m6 robot vacuum cleaner.
The Imprint Link cleaning is a feature that allows the Braava jet m6 mop robot to start mopping after the Roomba robot vacuum has completed cleaning. It can be activated at the start of a cleaning operation, either from the iRobot Home app or through a compatible voice assistant.
For example, to start a paired cleaning with Alexa, just say, "Alexa, ask Roomba to vacuum and Braava to wash." It is also possible to distinguish where to clean and where to wash with commands such as: “Alexa, ask Roomba to clean the bedroom and Braava jet to wash in the kitchen”.
Alternatively, you can also start one new operation "On the fly", by pressing the appropriate button located at the top right of the iRobot Home home screen, and save the operation just set as preferito, using the relative button located at the bottom of the screen.
In short, as you can see, everything is extremely intuitive. In addition, on the iRobot Home screen dedicated to each robot there are also indications on the status of the device, to know the percentage of carica battery, such as operations the robot is running at that precise moment and if there is a need for yours intervention, for example to empty the dust container.
Also, in the area Chronology you can know all the cleaning operations carried out by the selected robot, view detailed graphs on the matter and discover the duration of each cleaning carried out.
I would like to point out, then, that by going to the section Messages and by choosing to activate the notifications of the iRobot Home app, you can receive personalized suggestions for cleaning your home, reminders, seasonal recommendations, reports on offers and much more.
Going, instead, to the robot settings, you can get Info detailed information on the selected product, have a sound to the robot (if you can't find it), adjust the preferences related to cleaning steps and behavior with full container e remove / restore the device.
The section Guide, as you can easily guess, then contains everything that could be useful to deepen the operation of the iRobot devices and the iRobot Home app itself.
Finally, I would like to point out that by pressing the ☰ button of the iRobot Home app, you can access the page of managing your account and privacy (to switch accounts, set notifications, privacy and connected mobile devices) and al iRobot shop, to buy new products and spare parts.
Voice assistants
The iRobot Home application also integrates perfectly with voice assistants, as Alexa from Amazon e Google Assistant. This means if you are in possession of a smart family speaker Amazon Echo or family Google Home, you can recall your favorite scenarios and control your iRobot products even with your voice.
To take advantage of the voice commands, simply pair the iRobot Home app to your account via the voice assistant app. For example, in the case of Alexa, just turn on the skill iRobot HOME in the Alexa application for smartphones or tablets and it becomes possible to control iRobot devices with your voice by giving commands such as: "Alexa, ask Roomba to start cleaning", to clean the whole house, or "Alexa, ask Roomba to clean the bedroom ”, to clean only the bedroom.
For more information
You should now be quite clear about the iRobot Home app and its features. If you want to deepen the matter and analyze in more detail the operation of some devices in particular, on my blog you can also find the reviews of the iRobot Roomba i7 robot vacuum cleaner and the iRobot Braava Jet m6 robot vacuum cleaner.
If you have not yet purchased an iRobot product and you intend to do so, I would like to point out that you can find the entire range online on irobotstore.it, a site managed by Nital, the official distributor in the city for iRobot and other famous international brands related to the world of electronics. .
See offer on Amazon See offer on Amazon See offer on AmazonArticle created in collaboration with Nital.
How the iRobot Home app works
