failure mode
Roomba i7 Navigation / camera — robot lost, won't map, too dark
Symptom: The robot wanders, repeats areas, drives erratically, can't finish, or won't build/keep its Smart Maps. The Clean Map looks broken or it returns to start without finishing. Likely root causes: Camera window smudged or dusty (the i7 navigates by a top-mounted vSLAM camera); Very dark room — the camera needs adequate light to localize; Mirrors, large glass, or very dark/uniform surfaces confusing visual localization; Robot picked up / moved mid-clean, so it lost its place on the map; Dirty cliff or wall sensors, or a stuck bumper, throwing off navigation; Smart Map corrupt or the home rearranged; software glitch needing a reboot Next steps if owner-level checks fail: Lost navigation persists in a well-lit, clean room after wiping the camera and a reboot — the camera or a sensor may be faulty; contact iRobot Customer Care 1-877-855-8593