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About this tool
Weighted 15-step guide to robot vacuum maps, obstacle photos and cloud sharing, with a footprint model of what data leaves your home.
This guide scores a robot vacuum setup against fifteen weighted controls covering the app account, saved maps, camera and microphone features and end-of-life disposal, then models which categories of household data — floor plan, camera frames, audio, room labels, occupancy pattern, location and identity — leave the house because of the cloud features you leave switched on. The footprint model attributes each data type to the specific toggle driving it, so you can see which single setting is carrying the risk. It is for anyone whose vacuum has built a LIDAR map of their home and who wants to know where that map lives.
Open Robot Vacuum Mapping Privacy Guide on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Add your input to the workspace.
Adjust the options until the result looks right.
Copy or download the output and put it to work.
Every exposed data type names the feature responsible, so you know what turning it off actually achieves.
Account protection and image upload outrank cosmetic settings, and a missing critical control caps the score.
Factory reset, unlinking and deletion requests are treated as part of the setup, not an afterthought.
Most connected models do, because multi-floor memory, map sharing and voice-assistant integration all need a server-side copy. A LIDAR map records room dimensions, doorways and furniture positions, so check the app's map management and privacy screens for whether storage is on-device or in the account, and delete maps you no longer use.
Yes on camera-equipped models, and those frames can leave the house if obstacle-photo upload or a product-improvement programme is enabled. In 2022 images captured by development Roombas — including one of a person on a toilet — reached a third-party labelling workforce and then the open internet, through data sharing rather than a breach.
Yes. At DEF CON in 2024 researchers demonstrated taking over Ecovacs models over Bluetooth and accessing the camera and microphone, and separate reports described stored maps and credentials remaining on devices. Keeping firmware current, disabling unused sensors and isolating the robot on a guest network are the practical defences.
Factory reset the robot to clear stored maps and saved Wi-Fi credentials, then unlink it from your account in the app so the map does not remain in your cloud profile. Where the brand offers a data deletion request, submit that too, since a reset only clears the device.