As the title suggests, I’m in the market for a vacuum that doesn’t phone home, not even for initial setup (if possible). This is my first time stepping into home automation so I’m not familiar with the various FOSS projects in the space. I’m comfortable with modding/rooting the vacuum so throw your suggestions, I’ll research them.
Check out https://valetudo.cloud/pages/general/supported-robots.html
I can also recommend Roborock brand in general because the hardware seems decent and it runs well enough with no internet/smart app required. I’ve not installed Valetudo on mine because the S4 requires some hardware changes that I’m not comfortable making. Other Roborock models are much easier to install.
Good luck!
I have a Dreame D9 flashed with Valetudo, and it’s quite excellent.
Never even installed the app. Valetudo allows the machine to run locally, no calls anywhere outside the house.
How easy is it to setup? I have a D9 Max that I love but would love it even more with no cloud link.
Bad news - it looks like that particular model won’t run Valetudo:
Device has relatively weak hardware (in comparison to cheaper D9 variants). Hardware too limited to run Valetudo or other custom software. Not recommended device if you ever plan to root!
If you have a compatible model, it’s pretty easy to set up.
Yep, as others have said, valetudo. I have a z10 pro and love it. I highly recommend one with an auto empty dust bin… Having to clean it after every run defeats the purpose of an automated vac. if you forget to empty it, it will be very ineffective the next run.
Also, I would say make sure you can assign a room for it to clean. If you have cats, automating it to clean the litter box room after they go is soooo nice
I guess it depends on the household size. I have a 50m² apartment. I only need to empty the dust bin after maybe 5 full cleaning runs.
I created an automation that tracks the total area cleaned and it will move the robot vacuum to the trash after 200m² cleaned. So I don’t have to remember to take out the trash :)I’ve been looking into it and I must ask, when did you purchase your Z10? Some people wrote that they purchased their Dreams not long ago and were unable to root it via the UART method
I believe it is still rootable but via a non-public method. There is a system called VAERS that you request help from. I went through it for one of mine (I had 4 before Dreame lost one during warranty work) and the response was fast and helpful.
How does that process work? Is there like someone doing it remotely or something?
I believe so. They keep the method pretty secret so it can keep working as long as possible. There are also rumors that new methods may be announced in a month or so.
FWIW, I brought an L10 Pro last week and flashed it using the UART method with no issues whatsoever. The only gripe I had is that the instructions weren’t quite straightforward - I had to just back and forth between different sources
Any chance you can say what is the manufacturing date on your L10 Pro?
I believe mine said March 2021
Maybe a year ago? There were questions on if it still was rootable back then, I just kind of hoped it was, and it worked. I’m not sure about more recently though
Ugh - no responses in 2 months? I hope that’s not an indication that there are no such options. I’m also looking for a vacuum/mop that runs only locally. I learned of Valetudo, which might be what you’re looking for - but it’s too complex for me (I’m looking at the Dreametech L10s Ultra).
I forgot this thread even existed. Basically, I did the research, there is no non-cloud vacuum unless you root it yourself and use Valetudo. The Dreames are the easiest to hack but be careful when purchasing models that were manufactured after 2021 because the publically available method doesn’t work on them. There is still a private method being shared around some Telegrams and what not but I didn’t have the time to look into it.
Great info. Thanks.