Would you allow a stranger to drive a camera-equipped computer around your living room? You might have already done so without even realizing it. The Beginning: A Curious Experiment It all started innocently enough. I had recently bought an iLife A11 smart vacuum—a sleek, affordable, and technologically advanced robot

A software architect discovered his iLife A11 smart vacuum was secretly transmitting data to overseas servers in 2025. When he blocked the data collection, the vacuum was remotely disabled through hidden software that allowed manufacturer access[1].

The vacuum contained sophisticated hardware including an AllWinner A33 processor running Linux and Google Cartographer mapping software. Through reverse engineering, the author found rtty remote access software that let manufacturers secretly control devices[1:1].

The incident sparked discussions about IoT device privacy and control. Multiple vacuum brands including Xiaomi, Wyze, and Viomi use the same hardware platform (3irobotix CRL-200S), suggesting widespread vulnerability[1:2].

The story gained attention in October 2025, with tech commentators highlighting it as a cautionary tale about smart home devices[2]. Forum discussions revealed similar experiences with other robot vacuums losing connectivity or requiring resets after firmware updates[3][4].

  1. The Day My Smart Vacuum Turned Against Me ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. Suggested Read: The Day My Smart Vacuum Turned Against Me - Troy Patterson ↩︎

  3. Wyze Forums - Robot vacuum does not connect to wifi ↩︎

  4. Wyze Forums - Wyze Vacuum Save Created Maps in App ↩︎

  • Lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    2·
    7 hours ago

    I have the Wyze version of this robot, currently pulled apart in a bucket next to my desk. The newer robots based on the CRL-200S (including the Viomi V8, Xiaomi “STYTJ02YM”, and my Wyze WVCR200S) have clamped down hard on ADB access, requiring a sequence of button presses to boot it into FEL mode in order to fire up the ADB port for half a second. But in over 200 attempts, I just have not been able to nail it down (dmesg tallies USB connections, pretty neat). I’ve spent far too long fiddling with the current board with zero success, so I ended up just buying another board for $15 off Aliexpress, from a Viomi V6/V7. Once it arrives, I’m going to root it before reassembling the robot just to make sure it actually works.

    • Zerush@lemmy.mlOP
      1·
      5 hours ago

      The simple way is an cheer bot without net access and only basic AI. I had one of this for ~100 bucks, which did his work, but I gave it to my sister-in-law, because I was faster sweeping the floor with a broom.