Skip to main content

Roomba not connecting to Wi-Fi? Here’s how to fix it

iRobot Roomba i3 Plus cleaning a wooden floor.
iRobot

Your treasured iRobot Roomba is likely one of the best purchases you've ever made. Between traditional vacuum jobs, it keeps your home neat and tidy by operating on a pre-determined schedule. The Roomba integrates with your Alexa ecosystem, sends you notifications, and can be controlled from the intuitive iRobot companion app. There's only one trouble...

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

15 minutes

What You Need

  • Roomba companion app

  • A Roomba vacuum

  • An internet connection

Once in a while, your Roomba experiences issue with Wi-Fi connectivity. Whether it drops off an existing network connection, displays or sounds a "not connected" message, or has trouble connecting to a network initially, internet struggles are never fun -- especially when your smart home tech relies on it. That said, we're here to help.

If your Roomba is throwing up a red flag when it comes to connecting to Wi-Fi, here are a few things you can try.

best holiday gifts black friday 2021 irobotroomba6942021deal
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Why is my Roomba not connecting to Wi-Fi?

When booting up your Roomba for the first time, you'll be prompted (through the companion app) to pair the new robot vac to a compatible Wi-Fi network. While this process should take no time at all -- as the bot will typically connect to the Wi-Fi network your phone is tethered to -- there are times when the process may not be so direct.

Here are some common hiccups you may run into and what you can do to get past them.

Step 1: First thing's first: Ensure your Wi-Fi network is operating correctly.

Sometimes we take this troubleshooting step for granted because we're so used to all of our web-connected gear being operational. In some cases, even if your Wi-Fi is actually working, it may not be running at peak performance, making it difficult to connect and register new devices.

If you notice your network is a bit slower than normal, or you can't get your new robot vac online, a simple fix is to reboot your router. We recommend unplugging, waiting for about 15 seconds, and then re-powering the router.

Once your network returns, try and reconnect your Roomba again.

Step 2: Ensuring that your Roomba is connected to the correct wireless network band is a must.

These days, most wireless routers (even the ones from your cable provider) will broadcast both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies. Traditionally, 2.4GHz is best for operating equipment that is farther away from your router's home base, while 5GHz is recommended for connecting equipment that is closer in proximity to your router.

While we recommend keeping robot vacuums connected to the 2.4GHz band, many Roomba models have the capability of pairing to a 5GHz network.

That's many models -- not all models.

The Roomba 600 lineup is only capable of connecting to a 2.4GHz network. In fact, all models below the i6 family cannot be paired to a 5GHz network. If you've been attempting to get your 600 model paired up with a 5GHz band, that's the issue.

Go into your iRobot companion app, change the Wi-Fi to your 2.4GHz option, and you should be good to go.

Step 3: If your Roomba's performance has been somewhat choppy, it may be a matter of distance. Ideally, your vacuum's home base should be fairly close to your router for optimal operating conditions.

The farther away the base station is from your router, the less bandwidth your dock sends back to the Roomba.

If your Roomba's charge dock is located far from your router, consider relocating it closer to your network hub.

Step 4: If all else fails, sometimes a factory reset is what you'll need to get your Roomba back to running in tip-top shape. This process essentially wipes your vacuum's internal memory, and will likely require you to add it back into the app as if it were brand new.

Depending on what Roomba model you own, the reset process will be different. Fortunately, we've covered this resetting process in detail before.

irobot roomba j7 plus review  7 of 12
John Velasco / Digital Trends

How do I reconnect my Roomba to Wi-Fi?

In the event that your Roomba becomes unpaired from your network, or you're setting your vac up for the first time, getting the bot connected is a quick and easy process.

Step 1: Ensure your mobile device is connected to whatever network (2.4GHz or 5GHz) your Roomba supports. You'll also want to make sure you've enabled Bluetooth on your device.

Step 2: Verify the Roomba is on its charge dock. Then, launch the iRobot companion app from your mobile device.

Step 3: If this is the first time you're adding the Roomba to your Wi-Fi network, choose Add Robot. Then, choose a name for your vacuum and press Continue.

Step 4: Enter the password for your Wi-Fi network and press Continue. From here, your Roomba should automatically pair to your network.

Step 5: If you've experienced a network outage or some kind of intermittent trouble with your Wi-Fi, or simply want to change the network that your Roomba lives in, launch the iRobot app and head into Network settings.

Find the network you want the vac to connect to, enter the password, and wait for your Roomba to connect.

Michael Bizzaco
Michael Bizzaco has been selling, installing, and talking about TVs, soundbars, streaming devices, and all things smart home…
Prime Big Deal Days robot vacuum deals 2024: Roomba, Shark, and more
Best Prime Day Deals Robot Vacuum

Update 10/9/24: Every single deal we spotlighted on Day 1 of the event is still live on Day 2. There were minor price fluctuations, but if you missed something yesterday, you still have a few hours to grab it today.

Robot vacuums are extremely helpful cleaning machines, which is why there's always high demand for robot vacuum deals. That was the case during Amazon's Prime Day deals in July, and it's staying the same during Prime Big Deal Days. The shopping event will run for the rest of the day today, giving you another chance at discounts for all types of robot vacuums.

Read more
Use this code to save $600 on a new Roomba
iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ smart vacuum and mop near kids and pets

If you're after robot vacuum deals, you should take a second to check out the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, a robot mop and vacuum in one device. We've got an exclusive offer for you if you're interested: From its original price of $1,399, it will go down to just $789 if you use the code DIGTRENDS610 upon checkout. You'll also get free shipping alongside the $610 discount. This discount is only available today, so we highly recommend proceeding with your purchase of this cleaning machine as soon as possible.

Why you should buy the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ robot vacuum and mop
The iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ is in our roundup of the best robot vacuum and mop combos as our top recommendation for pet owners, primarily because it's smart enough to avoid running over pet waste. It also offers all of the features that we considered in our guide on how to choose a robot vacuum: it has sophisticated sensors and virtual mapping capabilities that will allow it to prioritize dirtier rooms during its cleaning sessions; it offers automated scheduling as its iRobot OS will learn your cleaning habits; and its Clean Base dock can hold up to 60 days' worth of dirt and debris before you need to empty it yourself.

Read more
Yale smart locks get powerful new Airbnb integrations
The Yale Assure Lock 2 Smart Lock Deadbolt keypad being used by someone.

Yale smart locks were already a great choice for Airbnb hosts, as they allow users to create and manually share temporary codes with guests. The Yale Assure Lock 2, Yale Approach, and August Wi-Fi Smart Lock are now more enticing than ever to hosts, as they've just received a massive update that provides enhanced integration with Airbnb.

The new integration allows hosts to link their smart locks directly to the Airbnb app, which can then automatically send unique door codes to guests alongside all the other details of their stay. Before this update, hosts would have to manually create and send codes for each guest. This is now all handled automatically via the Airbnb app -- making the hosting process more seamless than ever.

Read more