Does Roomba Work with Amazon Alexa? Which Models Are Compatible?

iRobot revolutionized the vacuum industry with the introduction of the Roomba vacuuming robot. They continue to be an innovative company, and have added more types of automated robots to their lineup, such as the Braava mopping robot. Roomba has been around a couple decades now. One of the things that has changed in that time is the use of voice assistants. What has iRobot done to adapted to this change?

Does Roomba work with the Alexa voice assistant? Wi-Fi connected Roomba robots can be connected to and linked with Alexa. Once linked, voice commands can be used to control the Roomba, including starting, stopping, pausing, locating and scheduling the vacuum.

Being able to control your Wi-Fi-connected Roomba from your phone using the iRobot app is nice, but controlling the vacuum with just your voice is great. You can use any Amazon Alexa enabled device, with the Echo being one of the most common. Here’s everything you need to know to get your Roomba connected to the Alexa voice assistant and how to control the vacuum once it is connected.

Which Roomba Models Work with Alexa?

Time away from chores means more free time to do the things you want to do (or the other things you have to do). The iRobot Roomba vacuum is great because it takes care of one of those chores automatically, creating a clean floor when you arrive home. Also, vacuuming could quite possibly one of the most time-consuming chores we have to do.

To make things even easier, you can connect your Roomba to the Alexa voice assistant and use voice commands to control your Roomba. However, not all models are compatible.

iRobot Roomba vacuums that have a Wi-Fi connection can be linked to the Alexa voice assistant. Wi-Fi connected models are; Roomba 67x, Roomba 69x, Roomba 89x, Roomba 96x, Roomba 98x, and all Roomba models that start with a letter; e-series, i-series, and s-series.

Note: “x” represents any digit. For example, Roomba 98x includes models 980, 985, etc.

In example, does Roomba 675 work with Alexa? The Roomba 675 will work with Alexa because it does have Wi-Fi connectivity.

Here is a table to help see the differences between the Wi-Fi connected models.

Model Series Number	Roomba®e5, e6, 89x, 69x, 67x	Roomba®96x, 98x	Roomba® i3, i6	Roomba® i7, i8, s9
Smart Home Integration
Alexa voice commands	✔	✔	✔	✔

Advanced Connected Features
Clean Maps		✔	✔	✔
Imprint Smart Maps				✔
Directed Room Cleaning				✔
Schedule clean by room				✔
Imprint Link Technology		✔	✔	✔
Optional Clean Base™ dock			✔	✔

Source: https://homesupport.irobot.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/880/~/exclusive-wi-fi-connected-robot-capabilities

Linking Roomba to Alexa

Amazon’s Echo speakers, and a wide-variety of other Alexa enabled gadgets, are devices that run the Alexa assistant and will respond to voice commands. Smart Home devices, such as the iRobot Roomba, can be connected to your Amazon account by means of an Alexa Skill and controlled using voice commands.

Here are links to the apps you will need.

Android Devices:
Amazon Alexa: Click Here
iRobot Home: Click Here

Apple Devices:
Amazon Alexa: Click Here
iRobot Home: Click Here

The following steps assume that you have already created an iRobot account and setup your Roomba in the iRobot app. They also assume you have created and set up an Amazon account.

How to Connect Roomba To Alexa Using The iRobot App

From the iRobot app, open the Main Menu
This can be done by selecting the three bars in the top left corner of the screen.

Select “Smart Home”
Select “Connected Accounts & Devices”
Select “Amazon Alexa”
For me, this was the third option on the list. If you don’t see Alexa listed, you may need to tap “More options” button at the bottom.

Select “Connect Amazon Alexa”
Before selecting connect, take a few minutes to read over this page. It will start to familiarize you with the voice commands and what all can be done. There is also a link if you need help with setup. We will go over all the Alexa voice commands in the next section of this article.

After selecting “Connect Amazon Alexa”, the iRobot will tell the Alexa app to open and you will complete the final step in the Alexa app, or on the Amazon web page if you do not have the Alexa app.
Select “Link”

A confirmation page saying “Alexa is now linked” will be displayed.

You can also link your Roomba to Alexa directly from the Amazon Alexa app. The result is the same, but here are the steps if you prefer to do it that way.

How to Connect Roomba To Alexa Using the Alexa App

From the Amazon Alexa app home screen, tap “More” to open the menu
The more looks like the typical menu button and is located in the bottom right corner of the app.
Select “Skills & Games”
Don’t get confused by the first option “Add a device”. We will be adding the iRobot Skill.

Search for “iRobot” by first clicking on the magnifying glass in the top right corner.
Select “iRobot Home”
Select “Enable To Use”

If needed, sign into your iRobot account.
This prompt will only display If you are not signed into your iRobot account in the iRobot app.
Select “Close”

The Alexa app will indicate that your account has been successfully linked.

Here is a video of what the setup process should look like.

Once linking your Roomba to your Alexa assistant is complete, you are ready to get started controlling your robot using voice commands.

Roomba Alexa voice commands

Now that your Roomba is all setup and connected to Alexa with the right skill, you probably want to know what voice commands you can use. For the most current list of voice commands, you can check the iRobot page here, which is where I obtained this list from.

If you have more than one Roomba vacuum in your house, you will have to specify the name of the vacuum. These commands are intended for when there is only one Roomba.

Note: Commands marked with an * are only available on i7, s9, and m6 Series robots.

Action	Command – One Robot
Start Vacuuming	Alexa, ask Roomba® to start vacuuming. Alexa, ask Roomba® to unleash the hounds.
Stop Vacuuming	Alexa, ask Roomba® to stop vacuuming. Alexa, ask Roomba® to end scene.
Pause Vacuuming	Alexa, ask Roomba® to pause vacuuming. Alexa, ask Roomba® to play dead.
Resume Vacuuming	Alexa, ask Roomba® to resume vacuuming. Alexa, ask Roomba® to work its magic.
Return to the Home Base®	Alexa, have Roomba® go home. Alexa, tell Roomba® there’s no place like home. Alexa, tell Roomba® to go recharge. Alexa, tell Roomba® to return to its dock.
Roomba Status	Alexa, ask Roomba® what it’s doing. Alexa, ask Roomba® what her deal is.
Locate Roomba	Alexa, ask Roomba® where it is. Alexa, ask Roomba® to sing for me.
Stop Locate Roomba	Alexa, tell Roomba® I found it. Alexa, tell Roomba® to be quiet.
Schedule Vacuuming	Alexa, ask Roomba® to schedule vacuuming. Alexa, ask Roomba® to schedule a vacuuming job on (day) at (time). Alexa, ask Roomba® to schedule vacuuming.
Remove a Scheduled Cleaning Job	Alexa, ask Roomba® to remove scheduled vacuuming job on (day). Alexa, tell Roomba® to cancel vacuuming on (day).
List Schedule	Alexa, ask Roomba® when my robot is scheduled to vacuum. Alexa, tell Roomba® to list my vacuuming schedule.
Schedule by Room *	Alexa, ask Roomba® to schedule a vacuuming job on (day) at (time) in the (room name).
Clean By Room *	Alexa, ask Roomba® to vacuum my (room name). Alexa, tell Roomba® there is a mess in the (room name) and (room name).
Clean by Zone *	Alexa, ask Roomba® to vacuum the (zone name).
Clean By Object *	Alexa, ask Roomba® to vacuum the (object name). Alexa, ask Roomba® to vacuum around the (object name). Alexa, ask Roomba® to vacuum under the (object name). Alexa, ask Roomba® to vacuum in front of the (object name).
Clean by Favorite *	Alexa, ask Roomba® to vacuum the (name of favorite) favorite.

I have found one upside of using Amazon Alexa over Google Assistant is that Alexa actually has more voice commands available for Roomba than Google does. Alexa has voice commands that will allow you to modify the schedule. For a list of Google voice commands, check out the iRobot page here.

What to Do When Roomba Is Not Working with Alexa

Here are a few troubleshooting steps you can try if your Roomba is not playing well with Alexa.

First, check that everything is connected to Wi-Fi. The Alexa app will let you know if your Echo and other Alexa enabled devices are connected. To check Roomba, open the iRobot app. Give it a few seconds to connect to your Roomba. It will display a status of “Connecting” During this time period. Once connected, it will display the battery level of your Roomba and say “Ready to vacuum”.

If your Roomba is not connecting to Wi-Fi, check out the iRobot support page, located here, for help getting it connected.

Opening the iRobot app serves a two-fold purpose, because you also need to be logged into your iRobot account. If you found that you were not logged in, try your Alexa voice command again after you are logged into your iRobot account.

The last thing to check is that your iRobot app and the firmware running on the Roomba are all up-to-date.

In Summary

iRobot Roomba is a great addition for any smart home. From small to large, there is a Roomba that will work for you, although they don’t have one that can climb stairs yet.

Now, instead of pushing a button, or having to open an app, you can completely control your Roomba by using voice commands. The process is easy to setup and should take only a few minutes of your time.

Roomba voice commands make it exceedingly easy to start and stop the vacuum. On top of that, you can also avoid looking everywhere around the house for your Roomba if it gets stuck by simply asking Alexa to locate your Roomba. I have one trouble spot in my house where Roomba likes to get stuck under the counter.