this post was submitted on 01 Jan 2024
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Privacy

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I'm looking for a vacuum robot preferably under 500€ and with a cleaning station. My main concern is that most robot vacuum providers seem to need to be connected to the internet. Are there any providers that either don't need that, where I can block the internet connection or any other way not getting a spy in my home? I'm fine with it if some work is needed

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[–] [email protected] 123 points 10 months ago (8 children)

I think your best option is to find a used one that supports valetudo

[–] [email protected] 25 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Damn, thats a pretty short list of supported models

[–] [email protected] 40 points 10 months ago

The problem is that they are closed off systems; you need to do full on reverse engineering to even understand what you are dealing with; plus there is the fact that these appliances are expensive and, unlike people modding consoles, there isn't mutch gained for the majority of users

[–] [email protected] 24 points 10 months ago

+1 for Valetudo! I've installed it once via OTA and twice by FEL. The OTA was obviously a breeze, but FEL wasn't that bad. I just watched videos on YouTube for the disassembly and took my time doing each step. I love the UI and the fact that I can SSH into them just for the sheer coolness of it! I think one great thing about it is that it doesn't affect the software that the robot uses for all its tasks and functions (e.g. vacuuming, mopping, sensors), just that it replaced the cloud and runs it on device.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Thanks a lot, that pretty much what I was looking for

[–] [email protected] 20 points 10 months ago

No problem; do note that in most cases you are going to need to open the vacuum to access the serial interface; so make sure you are comfortable with doing that and that you have the necessary adapters... That last one bit me on numerous projects

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Never knew this was a thing. Going to try it on my roborock, appreciate the link.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I use a Dreametech L10 Pro with Valetudo and absolutely love it!

It is quite nice to be able to map your whole house for the vacuum in your own cloud rather provide a 3rd party that data.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

I might get into robot vacuums again, thank you very much!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

This is damn great.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago

I'd definitely recommended valetudo, but wanted to mention that eufy has some easily repairable non WiFi vacs that work reasonably well with no smart features. Eufy has a rough track record regarding privacy with their other smart products but can't spy without a connection.