Robot vacuum
Roborock Wi-Fi setup, explained
A Roborock takes its network details over a temporary network it opens itself. The home network then has to offer 2.4 GHz.
Checked 3 October 2026
Connection record
- App
- Roborock; some older models use Xiaomi Home
- Store developer line
- Not recorded for this reference
- Account
- Phone number or email, under a chosen region
- Wi-Fi bands
- 2.4 GHz only; WEP security not accepted
- Pairing route
- The robot’s temporary network, roborock-vacuum- plus a code
- Maker’s domain
- roborock.com
App and account
Which app, and whose account
Current models pair with the company’s own app, which carries the company name2. A handful of early robots belong to Xiaomi’s app instead, a leftover from the period when the company built robots inside that ecosystem.
Region comes before anything else. The maker’s iPhone guide has the owner pick a region and register with a phone number or email address, and only then add the robot2.
Two phone permissions make the rest work: location access, without which phones will not list nearby networks to an app, and on iOS 14 or later, local network access for reaching the robot directly1.
Connecting
How the details reach the robot
Frame 1Account
Region, then account
The region choice comes first; a phone number or email address then opens the account the robot will be listed under.
Frame 2Printed code
The model, or its QR code
Most models are picked from a list. Q-series robots such as the Q5 and Q7 Max carry a code beneath the lid for the app to scan.
Frame 3Robot network
The robot’s own network
The robot opens a network called roborock-vacuum- plus a short code. The phone joins it briefly and may warn that it has no internet, which is normal here.
Frame 4Home network
Handing over the home network
The household network’s details then travel to the robot over that link. Neither 5 GHz nor WEP security is accepted, per the maker.
Frame 5Maker’s cloud
Indicator steady, robot listed
Under the lid, the Wi-Fi indicator stops flashing and stays lit once the robot is online, and it appears in the app.
The frames describe how the connection works. Each screen and its order belong to the maker’s app, which changes with its updates.
Network
What the network has to offer
2.4 GHz networkYes
The band the robots use1.
5 GHz networkNo
Ruled out: the maker’s own article says its robots cannot use the 5 GHz band1.
WEP securityNo
Not accepted; WPA or WPA2 is expected1.
Symbols in the name or passwordDepends
The maker’s article recommends network names and passwords without characters such as ! @ # $1.
Location and local network accessYes
Both are requested so that the app can see and reach the robot’s temporary network1.
Bands and pairing routes for all twelve makers sit side by side in the network comparison.
Inside
The parts that matter during setup
Lidar turret
The raised turret spins a laser that measures each room; it starts work on the first mapping run.
Under the lid
Lifting the top cover reveals the Wi-Fi indicator and, on Q-series models, the code used during setup.
Dock
Depending on the model, the dock charges the robot or also empties its bin and washes its mop.
After setup
What the app handles once connected
- Room choice
- No-go zones
- Schedules
- Several floor maps
- Mop and dock settings
- Software updates
Features differ between models; the list follows the maker’s own descriptions.
Imitations
A fake notice, taken apart
ImitationUpgrade to 5 GHzYour robot can be switched to 5 GHz remotely for a small fee.Share your screen to begin.Continue
Each numbered sign opens the reason it gives the imitation away.
These robots have no 5 GHz radio to switch on, and no fee changes hardware.
Sharing a screen with a stranger hands over control of the phone or computer.
The genuine app sends no offers to change the robot’s radio.
The wider pattern behind notices like this one is set out in the setup-scams guide.
Questions
Short answers
- Why does the app want the phone’s location?
- Phones only show nearby Wi-Fi names to apps allowed to use location, and the robot’s temporary network is one of those names.
- Does every model scan a QR code?
- No. Q-series robots use a code under the lid; others are picked from the model list.
- Which older models use Xiaomi’s app?
- Some early robots built within Xiaomi’s ecosystem. Current models use the maker’s own app.
Sources
Notes
- Roborock article on Wi-Fi connection and robots shown offline
- Roborock guide to connecting a robot on iOS (PDF)
Sources last read 3 October 2026
More records
Other device records
Network requirements comparedDocks and stationsSetup scamsDirectory of all records