Do Robot Vacuum Work With Home Assistant & What Can They Do?

Imagine coming home from work and being able to switch on the lights and TV and start your robot vacuum’s cleaning cycle from the cosiness of your couch. If that sounds appealing, the Home Assistant mobile app that allows you to control all your smart home devices with a few clicks might be just what you need. The smart home market in Australia is expected to reach over 6.7 billion AUD in revenue by 2026. Coupled with robot vacuum cleaners also becoming increasingly common around the country, it would only make sense to integrate them into Home Assistant.

Why Integrate A Robot Vacuum With Home Assistant?

One of the main benefits of pairing Home Assistant with a robot vacuum cleaner is the ability to manage its schedule along with other smart home devices (e.g. lighting, security, blinds, etc.) using one app. For instance, when you’re rushing to leave your home, you probably find it time-consuming to manually turn your smart vacuum off or on, turn off all the lights, and close the curtains. With Home Assistant, you can schedule your smart vacuum’s cleaning cycle and have your smart lights dim and smart blinds close with only the touch of a button. You can even have your auto vacuum trigger your smart thermostat to adjust the temperature or coordinate with smart speakers to play your favourite music while it cleans.

Home Assistant can also create reports that can help you enhance the efficiency of your robotic floor cleaner. You can use it to track cleaning metrics, identify high-traffic areas that need more attention, and receive reminders to clean the robot vacuum. You can even create custom cleaning areas, set no-go zones, and adjust the cleaning patterns to suit your house. Plus, if you have renewable energy sources, such as solar panels, you can set up a routine where your automatic vacuum charges itself during the day to lower your carbon footprint.

If you’re a homeowner, you know that safety and security are of utmost importance. Another benefit of integrating your robot vacuum with Home Assistant is that you can use the platform’s security features to keep your home protected. You can receive alerts if your smart vacuum cleaner enters an unexpected area or detects unusual obstacles or movement, such as potential intruders in your home.

How to Integrate a Robot Vacuum with Home Assistant?

You can set up your auto vacuum with Home Assistant in a few simple steps that would apply to most manufacturers and models. Simply make sure your smart vacuum is set up in its mobile app (e.g. ECOVACS HOME app for DEEBOT) and that you have the Home Assistant app installed on your computer.

1. In the Home Assistant app, go to Settings, then select Device and Services.
2. Click “Add Integration” on the bottom right
3. Scroll through the list or search to find your device’s app.
4. Select the app and follow the prompts to connect to your account using your email address. Once integrated, you’ll see your robotic vacuum cleaner listed.
5. Click on “x devices” to view details like battery levels and access all the controls.

You can also display the robot vacuum on the Home Assistant dashboard to make it easy to control. You will need to install a custom frontend card via the Home Assistant Community Store to be able to download your vacuum to the main dashboard.

1. Go to the HACS tab in the Home Assistant web version and click "Frontend"
2. Click "Explore & Download Repositories" on the frontend page
3. Search for "vacuum" in the pop-up and select the custom vacuum card best suited to your needs. You can read through the documentation to understand the card's capabilities and supported devices
4. Click "Download" to download the selected frontend card and reload your browser when prompted.
5. On the Home Assistant dashboard, click the pencil icon to enter edit mode
6. Click "Add card" in the bottom right corner and search for the name of your chosen custom vacuum card
7. Customise the basic settings for the vacuum card according to your preference.

What Features Can You Control with Home Assistant?

You can control various features of your automatic vacuum cleaner with Home Assistant such as cleaning times, current status, zone cleaning and more.

● Start and Stop Cleaning: This feature allows you to start or pause the smart vacuum’s cleaning process. For example, if you need to move furniture, instead of trying to get around the vacuum cleaner and risk damaging floors or the device, you can easily pause it and resume after.

● Schedule Cleaning Times: You can set up a cleaning schedule to keep your home tidy without having to remember to start the cleaning device every time. For instance, you could schedule it to run every weekday morning at 8am, so your floors are clean before you start your day.

● Zone Cleaning: This is useful because it lets you target specific areas of your home for cleaning. These could be high-traffic zones that require more frequent attention like kitchens or entryways with high thresholds.

● Monitor Status: You can check the current status of the vacuum, e.g. if it keeps stopping or if its battery is low. For example, if the device keeps bumping into an object but you’re away, you can remotely pause the cleaning session to avoid further damage.

● Return to Dock: When the robot vacuum cleaner has finished its cleaning cycle or when the battery is low, you can use Home Assistant to configure it to return to its docking station. This way, you won’t have to manually place it back on the charger.

Why Isn't My Robot Vacuum Connecting To Home Assistant?

Although setting up a smart vacuum with Home Assistant involves some easy steps, you could encounter some connectivity issues along the way.

Wi-Fi Signal Too Weak

If your Wi-Fi signal is weak, the auto vacuum won’t be able to connect to Wi-Fi or your Home Assistant. To fix this, move your Wi-Fi router or access point to improve coverage in the areas where the robot vacuum tends to be active. If you live in a large house, consider upgrading to a mesh Wi-Fi system or installing a Wi-Fi extender to boost the signal.

Incorrect network settings or restrictions

Check that the smart vacuum is configured to connect to the correct wireless network and make sure your home network is not blocking any necessary ports or protocols. You might have to adjust your router’s settings or firewall rules to allow the robotic floor cleaner to communicate with Home Assistant.

Incorrect Credentials

Incorrect credentials, such as a wrong login information, Wi-Fi password or Home Assistant API key, can also cause a bad connection. Check the credentials in the vacuum’s settings and in Home Assistant, and make any necessary corrections.

Fail to discover the robot vacuum

It could happen that your smart vacuum is not discoverable by a Home Assistant. In this case, try to restart the device and your Home Assistant server. If this doesn’t work, you can try manually adding the robot vacuum feature into Home Assistant.

Conflicts with other smart home apps or devices

Another potential issue is when other smart home apps or devices on your network conflict. This can sometimes prevent the smart vacuum from connecting or functioning properly with Home Assistant. Try temporarily disabling or uninstalling any other smart home apps or devices that might be interfering.

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