A robot vacuum that will not return to its dock or charge usually has one of three problems: the dock is placed where the robot cannot find or reach it, the charging contacts are dirty, or the battery is worn. Most cases are solved by dock placement and a wipe of the metal contacts.
Give the dock a reachable home
Robots find the dock by its short-range signal and by retracing their map, so placement matters more than owners expect. Manufacturers ask for clear space for a reason:
- Keep about 1.5 feet (0.5 m) clear on each side and about 4 feet (1.2 m) in front of the dock.
- Put the dock against a flat wall, not in a corner or behind a door.
- Leave it on a hard floor where possible; a thick rug at the dock makes docking alignment drift.
- Keep it in a mapped area the robot cleans, not a closed-off room.
Fix it in order
- Wipe the charging contacts. Clean the metal pads on the dock and the matching pads on the robot with a dry cloth. A thin film of dust is the most common reason a docked robot does not charge.
- Reseat the robot by hand. Place it on the dock manually and confirm the charge light comes on. If it charges by hand but not on its own, the problem is navigation back to the dock, not charging.
- Power-cycle the dock. Unplug it for a minute and plug it back in. Confirm the outlet is live and any switch on the cord is on.
- Shorten the return trip. If it runs out of charge before reaching the dock from far rooms, move the dock more central, or let it clean fewer rooms per run.
- Re-map if the dock moved. If you relocated the dock, the robot may still drive to the old spot. Re-run mapping or setup so it learns the new location.
When the battery is the cause
Batteries wear. A robot that docks and charges normally but runs for far less time than it used to, or that will not hold a charge at all, likely needs a new battery. Battery life and replacement cost across models are covered in the ownership sections on each robot’s record in the database.