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rustydrd @sh.itjust.works

Robot vaccums: Manufacturers and models that protect users' privacy?

My partner and I are getting a cat and consider getting a robot vacuum cleaner for our apartment to help keep it clean. Up until now, I've been against getting one due to privacy concerns and negative reports about certain manufacturers (e.g., iRobot/Roomba). Now I'm reevaluating, because my partner is sensitive to dust, and regular vacuuming will be a must.

Does anyone have any experience or recommendations about manufacturers or models with a light privacy footprint or good reputation on that front?

I am aware that most robots that actually work will also gather data, and newer models even incorporate photo/video to improve pattern recognition performance. Still, I would be more comfortable with one that does that within reason (e.g., collects as little data as possible, transfers as little as possible to remote servers, encrypts data for transfer and storage).

10 comments

  • Valetudo:

    Because Valetudo is not a custom firmware, it cannot change anything about how the robot operates.

    What it can do however is protect your data and enable you to connect your robot to your home automation system without having to detour through a vendor cloud, which, apart from the whole data problematic, might not be reachable due to your internet connection being down or some servers in the datacenter being on fire.

    Not having to leave your local network of course also benefits the latency of commands, status reports etc.

    It works with a lot of different models including quite a few from Xiaomi, Dreame and Roborock.

    I have the Dreame F9 and, while I haven't done this yet, it's on my to-do list, which should move everything off the Xiaomi app. I'd definitely be interested in hearing from anyone who has already done this.

    • You should do it! I've got a Dreame D9 with Valetudo and it's wonderful!

      • Good to hear, I thought the vac might be the last hold-out on the Xiaomi app until I found this. I am still sorting out my set-up after moving but this is definitely going to get done now.

        Was it difficult? Some people say some (unspecified) models can be harder to change than others.

    • This is really interesting. From your perspective, how risky/difficult is this to set up? I have rooted phones before, but I'm mostly a novice and until now have stayed away from stuff that requires me to solder or interact with circuitry. Seems like this is a common theme in the rooting guides.

      • Bear in mind that I haven't done it but, as I'll be getting a friend's expert help with soldering, I'm not concerned. Reading the documentation, they appear pretty confident that the rooting will work seamlessly and, from reading other people's experiences, it doesn't sound like there are a lot of issues. It's really assembling the kit to do the work that is the fiddly bit (but there may be pre-made versions around - worth jumping on their Telegram channel) and after that it should be plain sailing.

10 comments