I am so psyched that I found this vid. I just got my roomba today and I have multicolor carpet and was wondering what was wrong with it that it was avoiding spots. This was the fastest fix, ever, and now roomba is scooting along cheerfully.
I wanted to add here... I have a roomba 780 with 6 sensors. aluminum foil didn't work (in any combination). I either got an error immediately to move roomba or it would start then give up on the black lines. BUT glossy photo paper on the front 4 sensors worked like a charm! I had to make double sure none of my tape touched the bumpers either. Thank you! you saved me buying a new rug!
Simply put, this just made me love my Roomba (Romey as we call it) all over again! Just got a darker fairly deep rug, and it had issues going up over the lip as well as doing a basic cleaning. I did something a bit different though, it seems that "training" it over your rug works just as well. What I mean by this is essentially covering the front sensor with your hand and guiding it over said area rug. Worked like a charm, and now it has no issues climbing up onto the rug and cleaning it.
I have read several posts on this problem and was ready to disssasemble and tape sensor wires together when I found this. This is a quick and easy fix for the problem and works great. put Rumba on black surface and it starts to vacume without hessitation. Great find.
Thanks so much - this worked great. I'd bought a geometric pattern rug that had black sections not realizing I'd have an issue with my roomba. Don't know why iRobot doesn't give customers the option this option on or off. On my first floor I have this rug but no dropoffs to worry about so it had been very annoying not being able to really clean this rug.
I just had the same problem, I tried the foil but only got clean cliff sensor message then I tried using gloss photo paper and covered with masking tape, results are perfect. So glad I found your site it gave me a place to start. Thank you
our model 562 just arrived this morning and was wondering why the heck it wouldn't go over our dark rugs. Tried the clear packing tape method thats out there and it didn't work. Just noticed this video post and worked perfectly (thanks for posting it). I did make a slight mod and wrapped the tin foil just behind the bump sensor so you don't see the tape on the outside of the chasis, just underneath.
I have a Roomba 650 and the only fix that worked for me is covering the sensors with photo paper ...... gloss side facing the sensors. Tape that in place and works great. Some of you folks mentioned it bumping things and quitting. Don't put the tape over the bumper ...... that could cause the problem. Hope this does it for ya. Cheers.... Ron
i wasn't sure how to tape foil/photo paper over the sensors WITHOUT getting the tape on the bumper though... maybe i'm getting the location of the sensors wrong, but it's like they're so close to the bumper the tape has to go on the bumper or nothing will stick. would you mind uploading a pic of the bottom of yours so i can see how you did it?
The foil hack worked great on my 880! I initially covered all of the sensors (6) with foil, but got an error. I removed all but the front two pieces of foil, and it works great. So just cover the forward most 2 sensors, and it'll work. Thanks!!
great idea but does not work for ours :( it keeps repeating 'move roomba to a new location'. we can't figure out if our carpet is maybe too deep? will email the manufacturer...
You'd think by the 5th generation they would have fixed this problem, but no, my 550 (551) has it. I have two black squares on my rug and that's enough to get it hung up (it doesn't avoid them, it actually gets 'stuck' there thanks to this problem). I used a hybrid of this method and another (strips of white paper instead of tin foil) to dumb my Roomba down, and it seems to work well. I wonder if the 700 series has this issue.
Hi, for my dark carpet, I just covered the right 2 sensors. This way, the room still stops itself from going off a step. The roomba now goes onto and my dark carpet from the left. =)
I have a Roomba 690 and it’s worse because it doesn’t just avoid this dark road it actually stops. And says move Roomba . However Y with the 960 not have this problem
I covered all 6 cliff sensors on my Roomba 770 and yes it goes over our dark rug now. However, when it hits an objects, it gets stuck and does not rotate to go other way? Any idea?
same issue here with my 500 series which was supposed to be BETTER than the one shown however mine has this no black carpet issue I was going to wire led lights just ahead of the sensors this would work because it would "blind" the sensors however this tape/foil idea is just so much easier but for those who want a pro looking hack? go with the leds it works and it's great looking at night! use any color leds lol!! all colors work even blue! btw mine DOES work over black rubber type carpets not sure why and MY blCK carpet is VERY thin VERY THIN the rubber mat is the only thing thinner they need to put a disable switch on these pain in the ass sensors they suck
14 years later and i still have to fking duck tape the sensors ... Neato does this so much better. I am going back to Neato .... What am I missing why isn't this fixed yet? Btw it still is stuck sometimes on my WHITE/GREY carpet ...
I have a Roomba 770. I tried covering the sensors with tin foil & duct tape. It won't work. The unit won't even start up. It says "Move Roomba to a new location and press start." HELP??
+Cal Gary don't tape the foil flat against the sensor lens. The lens is recessed a bit. Put the foil on a piece of duct tape, then tape it over the aperture so there is still some space between the foil and lens.
www.pottsland.com/roomba/Roomba_5xx_Cliff_Sensor.html ......i followed the steps and it worked. had to put up a fake wall above my stairs but it is going over the black carpet without any problems.
Irobot is such a crappy company. They've been making these things for over a decade and still haven't dealt with such a basic, basic flaw in their design. But they sure keep coming out with lots and lots of new models to distract us.
So glad you were able to shout over the music
I am so psyched that I found this vid. I just got my roomba today and I have multicolor carpet and was wondering what was wrong with it that it was avoiding spots. This was the fastest fix, ever, and now roomba is scooting along cheerfully.
I was about to return this thing when it didnt go over my rug. Luckily i decided to google it and found this video. Works like a charm. Thanks
I wanted to add here... I have a roomba 780 with 6 sensors. aluminum foil didn't work (in any combination). I either got an error immediately to move roomba or it would start then give up on the black lines. BUT glossy photo paper on the front 4 sensors worked like a charm! I had to make double sure none of my tape touched the bumpers either. Thank you! you saved me buying a new rug!
Simply put, this just made me love my Roomba (Romey as we call it) all over again! Just got a darker fairly deep rug, and it had issues going up over the lip as well as doing a basic cleaning.
I did something a bit different though, it seems that "training" it over your rug works just as well. What I mean by this is essentially covering the front sensor with your hand and guiding it over said area rug. Worked like a charm, and now it has no issues climbing up onto the rug and cleaning it.
you are my hero. I could not figure out why mine wouldn't move over the carpet. THIS ACTUALLY WORKS
I have read several posts on this problem and was ready to disssasemble and tape sensor wires together when I found this. This is a quick and easy fix for the problem and works great. put Rumba on black surface and it starts to vacume without hessitation. Great find.
What model do u have?
Not mine
Thanks so much - this worked great. I'd bought a geometric pattern rug that had black sections not realizing I'd have an issue with my roomba. Don't know why iRobot doesn't give customers the option this option on or off. On my first floor I have this rug but no dropoffs to worry about so it had been very annoying not being able to really clean this rug.
I just had the same problem, I tried the foil but only got clean cliff sensor message then I tried using gloss photo paper and covered with masking tape, results are perfect. So glad I found your site it gave me a place to start. Thank you
It worked with my Roomba 870 !!!! So glad. My black carpet is beautiful now!!!!! Thanks a lot! Really!
This was so easy and works great on my black rugs! Thank you!
Got new dark carpet, I couldn't figure out why all the bucking and mating with furniture and walls.
tried this and it worked like a charm!
Thanks
our model 562 just arrived this morning and was wondering why the heck it wouldn't go over our dark rugs. Tried the clear packing tape method thats out there and it didn't work. Just noticed this video post and worked perfectly (thanks for posting it). I did make a slight mod and wrapped the tin foil just behind the bump sensor so you don't see the tape on the outside of the chasis, just underneath.
I have a Roomba 650 and the only fix that worked for me is covering the sensors with photo paper ...... gloss side facing the sensors. Tape that in place and works great. Some of you folks mentioned it bumping things and quitting. Don't put the tape over the bumper ...... that could cause the problem. Hope this does it for ya. Cheers.... Ron
+Ron Doebke Does it works on the Dark rug ?
Wathunyu Pikulsawad Just did this and yes it works on black rugs now
Ron Doebke i
i wasn't sure how to tape foil/photo paper over the sensors WITHOUT getting the tape on the bumper though... maybe i'm getting the location of the sensors wrong, but it's like they're so close to the bumper the tape has to go on the bumper or nothing will stick. would you mind uploading a pic of the bottom of yours so i can see how you did it?
What is photo paper?
The foil hack worked great on my 880! I initially covered all of the sensors (6) with foil, but got an error. I removed all but the front two pieces of foil, and it works great. So just cover the forward most 2 sensors, and it'll work. Thanks!!
lmfao love the background music and especially your PHM NIN shirt!
I am going to try this - it is so frustrating to have it only clean the floors and not the rugs - they said even 900 series still has this issue.
great idea but does not work for ours :( it keeps repeating 'move roomba to a new location'. we can't figure out if our carpet is maybe too deep? will email the manufacturer...
You'd think by the 5th generation they would have fixed this problem, but no, my 550 (551) has it. I have two black squares on my rug and that's enough to get it hung up (it doesn't avoid them, it actually gets 'stuck' there thanks to this problem). I used a hybrid of this method and another (strips of white paper instead of tin foil) to dumb my Roomba down, and it seems to work well.
I wonder if the 700 series has this issue.
Hi, for my dark carpet, I just covered the right 2 sensors. This way, the room still stops itself from going off a step. The roomba now goes onto and my dark carpet from the left. =)
don't work for 605 :/ ... error 6
i come back just for the music
It worked perfectly! Good stuff!
I have a Roomba 690 and it’s worse because it doesn’t just avoid this dark road it actually stops. And says move Roomba . However Y with the 960 not have this problem
did not work with alufoil, used foto paper instead (might work with usual copy paper too). cliff sensor is disabled now, thanks for the idea
I covered all 6 cliff sensors on my Roomba 770 and yes it goes over our dark rug now. However, when it hits an objects, it gets stuck and does not rotate to go other way? Any idea?
+Mohammad farajzadeh tehrani I tried to cover other combinations of the sensors, I got the same issue!
+Mohammad farajzadeh tehrani What did you to use to cover the sensors? I tried but it did not work!
Awesome! I had no idea! I just though he hated my rug. lol
same issue here with my 500 series which was supposed to be BETTER than the one shown however mine has this no black carpet issue I was going to wire led lights just ahead of the sensors this would work because it would "blind" the sensors however this tape/foil idea is just so much easier but for those who want a pro looking hack? go with the leds it works and it's great looking at night! use any color leds lol!! all colors work even blue! btw mine DOES work over black rubber type carpets not sure why and MY blCK carpet is VERY thin VERY THIN the rubber mat is the only thing thinner they need to put a disable switch on these pain in the ass sensors they suck
I tried just painters tape and nothing, then i tried the foil with tape and it works!
14 years later and i still have to fking duck tape the sensors ... Neato does this so much better. I am going back to Neato .... What am I missing why isn't this fixed yet? Btw it still is stuck sometimes on my WHITE/GREY carpet ...
Did not work on my Ilife Pro
Nice work, Scott..
Pete
I have a Roomba 770. I tried covering the sensors with tin foil & duct tape. It won't work. The unit won't even start up. It says "Move Roomba to a new location and press start." HELP??
+Cal Gary don't tape the foil flat against the sensor lens. The lens is recessed a bit. Put the foil on a piece of duct tape, then tape it over the aperture so there is still some space between the foil and lens.
+Mark A OK I will try that, thanks!
Cal Gay, did this work for your Roomba? We have pet series 563 and says to move roomba to new location
It worked, awesome!
thank you for the tip
Anyone with a 800 series...
Mine says error with the foil !!!!
You have to put the laminated paper in all 6 cliff sensors. Mine is 870 and worked greatly
I had the same issue, but removed all but the front most two pieces, and now it works great! Hope it works for you, too.
@Perderedeus It does.
lol. there called cliff sensors
www.pottsland.com/roomba/Roomba_5xx_Cliff_Sensor.html ......i followed the steps and it worked. had to put up a fake wall above my stairs but it is going over the black carpet without any problems.
Does not work.
Works great Thanks :)
Just kill the annoying music or at least turn it down and you have a solid video.
Irobot is such a crappy company. They've been making these things for over a decade and still haven't dealt with such a basic, basic flaw in their design. But they sure keep coming out with lots and lots of new models to distract us.
They make these now, you can get them online at vac-hack.com
Thanks! !
El eeee deee not lead
worst music ever