Roomba and Multiple Floors (Read This First!)

Say hello to your free time, and goodbye to lengthy cleaning sessions dragging your vacuum cords around the house.

Roombas, as we know, are able to clean your house’s floors without needing much interference from you.

If you are wondering if Roombas can clean multiple floors in your house, I will explain your answer in this article.

Switching to an iRobot floor cleaner doesn’t have to be overwhelming, even if you have lots of ground to cover. While different Roomba models have different capabilities, all models can clean multiple floor spaces. However, they do not climb or descend stairs; this must be done manually.

There are a few things you should know first about operating a Roomba in different spaces, especially with lots of ground to cover.

Keep reading to learn how to optimize performance by using multiple Home Bases, positioning each Base correctly, and troubleshooting errors!

Can Roomba Have Two Home Bases?

Your Roomba is compatible with multiple home bases. This is especially great for anyone with lots of square footage to cover. 

Your Roomba will simply find the nearest dock to charge on, and you can schedule out when the iRobot roams in each area of your space for the most convenient Roomba usage.

Home Bases for each compatible iRobot type can be purchased separately in a membership required for robot operation, here.

For compatible models, Virtual Wall Lighthouses can also be used to help guide Roomba back to its Home Base when it’s finished cleaning multiple rooms.

Using the Virtual Wall Barriers on the iRobot HOME app is another option for sectioning off smaller spaces for the Roomba to cover, however; you may not get full coverage this way without repositioning the Roomba manually.

Using Roomba for Multiple Floors

When using your Roomba on a space that has multiple floors, customers have found the best success by using a Home Base on each floor.

The Roomba will return to whatever dock it left if it’s in the area and can read its IR (Infrared) signal.

Please note that Roombas cannot climb or descend stairs; the cliff sensors automatically detect when near edges and move Roomba to avoid them altogether.

This means you will have to manually carry the Roomba up the stairs to the floor that needs to be cleaned, where it will continue its cleaning and move to the next Home Base insight.

Positioning Your Home Bases

Make sure to place each Home Base in an open area, where it can easily be found in the line of sight to the Roomba as it roams.

Roomba’s rely on seeing an IR signal to return to their Home Base, so having large objects in the way can be a problem.

The Roomba Owner Manual suggests leaving the following distances around each Home Base:

• At least 1.5 feet on each side of the Home Base
• At least 4 feet in front of the Home Base, with no furniture in the way
• At least 4 feet between the Home Base and any stairs
• At least 8 feet from Virtual Wall barriers

It’s also recommended that you keep each Home Base on a level surface.

Keeping the Roomba against a wall will help it to clean more efficiently. Putting the Home Base at an angle will cause the Roomba to move diagonally relative to the wall.

Wi-fi Coverage

Place each Home Base in an area that has consistent wi-fi coverage. 

Consistent wi-fi coverage will allow your Roomba to continually receive updated information via the iRobot app. A great way to test this is by testing the signal of your wi-fi network to your phone.

If the wi-fi coverage on your phone is consistent enough for usage, then it can be assumed the Roomba will also have consistent coverage in that area of your home.

Use this to test each area of your home or space the Roomba will need to cover.

If your wi-fi coverage does not reach a space consistently, then the Roomba Home Base will likely show the same sporadic connection.

Using a wifi booster could be a good option to extend your coverage and create sufficient signal strength for your iRobot.

Troubleshooting Errors and Problems

If your Roomba encounters a problem while roaming or charging, a troubleshooting indicator will blink.

This will allow you to easily identify the problem and correct it. Some models will even give an audible charging error that can be heard throughout the space they usually roam.

Consult the iRobot HOME app to troubleshoot the specific error.

If you’re not sure what is wrong with your Roomba, you can also visit global.irobot.com to see discussions and type keywords related to your issue to resolve it.

Light Ring Signals by Color

You can tell the status of your Roomba by looking at what color it shows in its light ring signals.

Roombas give off three colors as an indication of their status:

• White – The Roomba is awake and functioning normally
• Blue – The Roomba is working on something
• Red – There’s a problem that needs resolving before the Roomba can proceed

When the light is illuminating Red, simply press the CLEAN button on the Robot’s bumper to audibly hear the error. The blinking error will also show on the iRobot HOME app if your Roomba is wi-fi enabled.

Roomba Not Returning to Home Base

If for some reason you find that your Roomba is having trouble returning to the nearest Home Base, ensure that there is no damage to the charger line cord.

You’ll also want to make sure that the Home Base itself is plugged into a wall outlet and that it’s receiving power by the green indicator that illuminates.

If you’re using multiple Home Bases to cover more area, remember that the Home Bases should not be located within 8 feet of each other. This will cause infrared beam interference, and your Roomba may simply be confused.

Please note that there is no “memory” involved in the Roomba returning to its Home Base.

If the iRobot cannot detect the IR beam, it will likely wander looking for its docking station until the battery runs out. This is the most likely reason people find their Roomba dead in random spaces.

Rebooting Your Roomba

In some cases, a simple reboot can have your Roomba up and running again after an error. 

According to the Owner’s Manual, follow these steps to reboot:

• Press and Hold CLEAN for 10 seconds until all indicators illuminate, then release
• You will hear a tone signifying reboot
• Wait 30-60 seconds for your Roomba to finish rebooting
• Test your Roomba to make sure the error is resolved

If your Roomba is still showing an error message after rebooting, you may want to configure the error by contacting Care.

Contacting Customer Care

For the more tedious issues that can’t be resolved quickly or aren’t specifically addressed on the iRobot Support Tips Page, you may want to contact Customer Care directly. 

You can contact customer care with the following information listed below:

• Email the Customer Care team: no-beta@irobot.com (USA & CANADA)
• Chat with Customer Care to get answers to your questions (OUTSIDE USA & CANADA)

Now that you know who to contact, let’s move on to the times they are available for contact.

Customer Care Hours

Customer care is only available at certain times, so if you contact them outside of their hours you might expect them to get back to you later.

iRobot Customer Care Hours:

• Monday-Friday, 9 AM-7 PM Eastern Time
• Saturday, 9 AM-6 PM Eastern Time

Getting into contact with Care will help you to resolve more complex issues, report any faulty equipment, and troubleshoot directly with the iRobot team.

Now You’re Ready to Roomba

Understanding how your Roomba works best for you in larger spaces will now allow you to achieve peak performance and user optimization.

Whether you use one Home Base or multiple, the iRobot should operate to make your cleaning efforts stress-free.