Market guide
Map the home before the robot
Decide whether the home can support dependable scheduled cleaningA robot is useful only when it reaches the intended floor, survives the ordinary clutter and returns to a dock that fits the room. Begin with the home and the routine, then decide how much automation is actually valuable.
Survey
Measure the route the robot must travel
Record thresholds, rug edges, stairs, dark flooring, mirrors, low furniture, narrow passages and the dock location. The smallest recurring obstacle can determine whether an unattended schedule works.
- Height
- Measure under furniture and include any sensor tower, raised chassis behavior and dock approach clearance.
- Thresholds
- Use actual transition heights and shapes. A stated maximum is not a promise for every direction or surface.
Hazards
Name what remains on the floor
Cords, socks, toys, tassels, pet bowls and pet accidents present different risks. Obstacle-recognition labels do not establish reliable avoidance of every item.
- Pets
- Treat waste avoidance as a supervised claim until the exact model and current firmware prove it in the home.
- Rugs
- Record pile, fringe and value before trusting mop lift or automatic carpet detection.
Routine
Set the manual-work boundary
Decide who clears the floor, moves chairs, empties or cleans the dock, handles hair and fills water. A full dock shifts maintenance but does not remove it.
- Frequency
- Estimate the short recurring tasks as well as the less frequent deep clean.
- Fallback
- Keep a conventional cleaning plan for stairs, edges, upholstery and missed debris.
Evidence used
First-party sources behind this guide
- 01Smart Maps, thresholds and no-mop zonesiRobot · checked August 16, 2026Open source
- 02Smart Map data privacyiRobot · checked August 16, 2026Open source
- 03Current robot vacuum rangeRoborock · checked August 16, 2026Open source
- 04Robot vacuum reviews and test resultsRTINGS · checked August 16, 2026Open source