AiMesh and Roomba

[toaruScar]

I’m currently looking into buying a Roomba s9+. And discovered that Roomba might not be able to roam between APs. I read that multiple customers have complained about Roomba disconnecting from AmpliFi router’s mesh WiFi, but not much regarding AiMesh. I don’t think one AP can cover the entire floor in my case so a Roomba needs to be handed over to another AP during a vacuum session.
Can anyone share about their experience of using a Roomba that connects to an AiMesh WiFi?

 

[macshome]

Unless you want to monitor the Roomba via Wi-Fi while it is working it doesn't need to be connected all the time. The SLAM it does to navigate is all internal.

We have an i7+ and it might drop out of contact in a far corner of the house, but it doesn't update job details until it gets back to base anyway.

 

[toaruScar]

[...]We have an i7+ and it might drop out of contact in a far corner of the house[...]

Does the far corner have any Wi-Fi coverage in the first place? That is also to ask, does i7+ drop because it cannot roam between APs, or because there's just no Wi-Fi?

If it drops simply because there's no Wi-Fi, I'd still like to know if a Roomba can roam between APs.

 

[macshome]

I'll run a test and see if it roams to another access point. I've never paid attention as it doesn't really have much impact on the cleaning.

I'll let you know what I find.

 

[macshome]

Alright. I put Roomba at one end of the house and told him to clean a room at the other end.

He started out connected to my AiMesh node near his starting point and headed out to come to the office.
Once into the office at the other end of the house he roamed to the AIMesh router that is in that room.

Robot hardware: i7+
Robot software: 3.12.8

Router hardware: AC-86U
Router software: Merlin 386.1 release

Chicken scratch note from my iPad of the basic layout of APs and where Roomba started and finished.

 

[aru]

I have the same problem, irobot 960 cannot roam AP2, AP3 Wi-Fi..?

Although I have enabled the Roaming assistant feature...?

 

[dlandiss]

I have the same problem, irobot 960 cannot roam AP2, AP3 Wi-Fi..?

View attachment 38142

View attachment 38143

Although I have enabled the Roaming assistant feature...?
View attachment 38145

On 2.4GHz signals much weaker than -40dB are quite usable. Have you tried dropping the roaming threshold to -60dB?

 

[Tech9]

Even -70dBm. Good enough for a vacuum cleaner.

 

[aru]

It makes me confused... If tried dropping the roaming threshold to -60dB or -70db will iRobot stay at the AP1 node and cannot roam AP2, AP3 Wi-Fi...?

According to my limited understanding of the Roaming Assistant feature, enable the Roaming Assistant feature so the client's device will automatically disconnect from the AP1 node if the signal strength is under -40db and it will connect to a node of stronger signal.

 

[Yakkosmurf]

I got a J7 for Christmas and have started playing around with it over the weekend. I have two AI mesh nodes on the same floor as the Roomba with the main router being on the upper floor. I've checked connectivity a few times while Roomba was moving, and I've not noticed it having connectivity issues. I have also seen it attached to both access points and the main router at various times. My roaming assistant threshold is set to -60. The two Roomba level APs are far enough apart that a device can't stay latched to one everywhere on the floor. Lastly, the base is sitting in a place where all three wireless points can be seen by the device, so I think that's why I've seen it start latched to a different one, and I've seen it change during cleaning.

 

[Tech9]

enable the Roaming Assistant feature so the client's device will automatically disconnect from the AP1 node

In theory - yes. In practice - it doesn't work on all Asuswrt versions or routers. For 2.4GHz band -40dBm is a strong signal, client in the same room. If your devices stick to one AP most of the time, you have too many not needed nodes. More nodes don't make Wi-Fi better. AiMesh is all on the same channels and no Tx/Rx power control on nodes - makes things only worse. You perhaps need 2x routers only in both ends of your house.

 

[dlandiss]

According to my limited understanding of the Roaming Assistant feature, enable the Roaming Assistant feature so the client's device will automatically disconnect from the AP1 node if the signal strength is under -40db and it will connect to a node of stronger signal.

And that's the rub. If it wanders into a corner where all of the nodes are below -40dB, it's lost. -60, even -70, ought to have enough throughput to keep a vacuum cleaner happy.

 

[coxhaus]

I can tell you I have an iRobot Roomba i7 and it works fine on Cisco wireless WAP581 APs on both 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz in my large home.