Will Your Smart Vacuum Continue to Work After Support Ends?

My Neato D5 Connected was once a reliable and hardworking vacuum, but today things aren’t so great. I recently received an email from the company informing me that my vacuum’s cloud servers had been shut down. Now my once-powerful Neato is just a vacuum with a LiDAR sensor, its soul obsolete. Without cloud servers, the “smart” vacuum is gone.

Roomba robot vacuum users may be facing a lobotomized future. Earlier this month, iRobot, the creator of the groundbreaking smart vacuum, filed for bankruptcy . The remainder of the business will go to its primary manufacturing partner—the one it owes all that money to—Shenzhen Picea Robotics. This is a stark reminder that the longevity of a connected smart device depends entirely on the financial health of its manufacturer.

However, I’m not giving up. I’m currently trying to get the Neato D5 back up and running. Whether you have a Neato, Roomba, or another robot vacuum that’s nearing the end of its lifespan, you can follow my steps to keep your device cleaning.

Switch the robot vacuum cleaner to manual mode.

After receiving the aforementioned email, I seriously tried to reconnect the Neato to the network and get it working again. Somehow, I managed to restore my original account, although I now have absolutely no access to the vacuum via the app.

Fortunately, there’s already a community of users working to restore the cloud service that once allowed Neato robot vacuums to schedule their work. Neato-connected allows you to use Home Assistant to control Neato devices without the cloud service. It’s the best choice for professionals who want to restore full functionality to their robot vacuum.

Neato has already announced that robots will continue to operate in manual mode . The D5 model is equipped with LiDAR, so it can still physically “see” the space in the room. And while you can’t program the device or control it remotely, you can still stand up and press a button to start cleaning. If you want something more advanced , Switchbot is releasing an affordable gadget that can be mounted next to the vacuum’s docking station and started from your phone, essentially “hacking” the remote start system.

Another headache when trying to keep old equipment afloat is figuring out whether its parts and mechanisms are working. For example, my Neato D5 has yet to successfully perform a manual vacuum. After several troubleshooting attempts, including multiple factory resets, disconnecting and reconnecting the battery, and cleaning all the sensors of debris , it turned out that one of the LiDAR sensors—the one on the top—needed repair. The vacuum won’t start until this is fixed, as it literally can’t move without this system rotating at the correct speed.

The Neato D5 vacuum cleaner will need repair. I’ll either fix it with a strap, or buy a spare part on eBay and ask someone more tech-savvy to help with the installation. Another option is to donate it to a good cause. Instead of leaving it as an eight-pound paperweight rotting in the back room, it could get a second life with a local robotics group, as Neato vacuums are notoriously prone to failure due to their laser sensors.

Even cheaper robot vacuums, like Ecovacs, can find a second life this way. While they’re not as easy to hack as a Neato (or Roomba), there are plenty of school robotics teams that can disassemble these devices to extract the motors and wheels.

Never throw your robot vacuum cleaner in the trash. If the device is truly broken and cannot be disassembled for parts, consider responsibly disposing of the lithium-ion battery, as well as the plastic and metal casing, at an electronic waste collection point.

Preparing to end production of Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners.

If you own a Roomba, you’re not offline yet. iRobot is currently undergoing a restructuring and has stated that app functionality and firmware updates will continue as usual. But change is inevitable, judging by Neato’s trajectory. We don’t know exactly how Roomba’s business will evolve after the change in ownership. Existing Roomba models rely on the cloud for most of their core features, such as “smart maps” that help pinpoint room locations. Losing this capability would be a serious blow to the device’s reputation.

You should be prepared for what awaits you, even if it requires a little over-preparation. Stock up on spare parts now while they’re still available. Although the Roomba manufacturer has taken over the business, older models will gradually be phased out as a new generation of robot vacuums emerges. If you want to extend the life of your Roomba, purchase at least a two-year supply of genuine brushes, rollers, and HEPA filters from the manufacturer. Avoid third-party products.

You should also invest in Roomba’s dual-mode virtual barriers . Buy them used on eBay. They’ll come in handy if Roomba’s servers ever fail, as they act as infrared beacons, guiding the robot vacuum along a preset route. You can use them with Roomba’s “Clean” button, or in manual mode, which doesn’t require an internet connection. You should also consider downloading Smart Maps if you can integrate them later.

If that’s not enough, there’s a vibrant community of enthusiasts who have long dedicated themselves to freeing Roomba robot vacuums from their reliance on cloud computing. Projects like rest980 and dorita980 allow tech-savvy users to host their own local control servers, though this often requires the use of a third-party device, such as a Home Assistant hub.

Ending the e-waste cycle

In the world of gadgets, history has a way of repeating itself. At the very least, you can prepare for the future by recognizing that obsolescence is inevitable. This applies to all connected gadgets, from well-known brands to small companies.

The Matter smart home specification, which has been quietly rolling out over the past few years, will be especially useful for aging smart gadgets like this one, especially after its latest release . It now enables local control of robot vacuums, eliminating the need for a cloud service for connectivity. The vacuum communicates directly with your phone or smart hub. There are also brands like Roborock that advertise their robot vacuums as having local-only control modes. You can even install another community-driven project, Valetudo , on these brands’ devices and bypass corporate control entirely.

Or you can go offline. Most smart home devices have options that use a physical remote control. Eufy still makes non-Wi-Fi versions of its robot vacuums, so there’s no need to worry about cloud functionality disappearing.

I’ll wait a while before buying parts for the Neato D5 Connected on eBay. I need to see if I can fix what’s broken with a little tinkering. It’s a shame I didn’t think to prepare for the device’s end of life sooner —like when Neato’s parent company announced its impending closure two years ago —to give it a second life and save it from total hardware failure. If all else fails, I can find it a good home with a robotics team or an educational program that can use its parts. Then I’ll consider it a life well lived for a connected gadget.

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