It is now easier than ever to blanket your home from top to bottom with strong Wi-Fi but there can still be areas of low signal. The Roomba 900 series is going to help you hunt down Wi-Fi dead zones by mapping signal strength throughout your home as it cleans up after you.
Potentially problematic areas will be logged and merged with floor maps used by Roomba for route planning. A coverage map will be provided to Roomba owners in the associated app so that Wi-Fi settings can be adjusted accordingly to help eliminate dead zones.
Even though the new Wi-Fi mapping feature has been announced, it is going to take some time before the majority of users are able to try it out for themselves. A small test group of 100 to 200 people could be the extent of initial testing. Once introductory trials are complete, wider scale testing may be done with up to 20 percent of Roomba owners. Finalized Wi-Fi mapping software is not expected to arrive for several months. Beta testing will commence on January 23, 2018, in the US only.
Wi-Fi maps will not provide download or upload speeds for specific locations. Generated maps will only show relative signal strength measured in decibels. While this feature may not be all that useful to every Roomba owner, there is no reason to forego free software updates packed with new features.
Are you a Roomba owner that wants to participate in beta testing? Keep your iOS or Android iRobot app up-to-date and stay tuned for further details.