Troubleshooting · 3 min read
If your robot strands itself in the same few places every run, it is almost certainly not faulty. Six causes explain the overwhelming majority of cases, and most take minutes to fix.
ⓘ Start here
Note exactly where it gets stuck for three runs. Repetition points to a layout or sensor problem you can fix. Random locations point at brushes, wheels, or a genuine fault.
Wedging under furniture
The classic. The robot fits going in, then the floor rises slightly, or a rug lifts it, and it cannot reverse out.
Fix: measure your robot including any lidar turret, then block gaps within a centimetre or two of that height. A no-go zone in the app works, and a physical barrier works better.
Cables and loose objects
Charging cables, phone leads, and dressing-gown cords are the top offenders. Once wound into the brush the robot stops immediately.
Fix: clip cables up along the skirting rather than tucking them behind furniture, where the robot will find them anyway.
Rug fringes and thick edges
Tassels tangle in the brush, and thick rug edges are a climb the robot starts and cannot finish.
Fix: fold fringes under, use rug grippers, or mark the rug as a no-go zone. Also check whether your model lifts its mop on carpet, since a wet edge makes climbing worse.
Dirty cliff sensors
Small downward sensors stop the robot falling down stairs. When dust covers them the robot reads a normal floor as a drop, stops in the middle of a room, and reports an error that sounds serious.
Fix: turn it over and wipe every sensor window with a dry cloth. This single step resolves a surprising share of mysterious stoppages.
Dark flooring confusing the sensors
Some cliff sensors read very dark mats or floors as a hole, so the robot refuses to cross a perfectly solid floor.
Fix: test by placing a light-coloured sheet of paper over the dark patch. If it crosses happily, you have found your answer, and a no-go zone or a lighter mat solves it.
Bad dock placement
A dock in a tight corner, on carpet, or facing a wall means the robot struggles to find its way home and dies mid-room instead.
Fix: place the dock on hard floor against a flat wall, with clear space either side and in front, and keep it in the same spot so the saved map stays valid.
Ten-minute reset
- Wipe all sensor windows, including the cliff sensors underneath.
- Remove the brush and cut away wound hair and thread.
- Check each wheel spins freely and is not packed with fluff.
- Empty the bin and rinse or replace the filter.
- Clip up every cable on the robot route.
- Re-run the mapping scan so the saved map matches your furniture today.
If it still strands itself in random places after all six, the problem is more likely a worn wheel, a failing sensor, or a battery that no longer holds enough charge to get home. At that point it is a warranty conversation rather than a layout problem.
Frequently asked questions
Why does it stop in the middle of an empty room?
Most often dusty cliff sensors reading the floor as a drop. Wipe them first, before assuming a fault.
Why can it not find its dock any more?
Usually the dock moved, is blocked, or the saved map no longer matches your furniture. Re-run mapping after rearranging a room.
Should I use no-go zones or physical barriers?
No-go zones are tidier and usually enough. For a spot that traps the robot every single run, a physical barrier is more dependable.