{
  "$schema": "robofaults-fault-record/v0",
  "kind": "symptom",
  "brand": "ecovacs",
  "page_en": "https://robofaults.com/ecovacs/not-returning-to-dock/",
  "page_es": "https://robofaults.com/es/ecovacs/no-vuelve-a-la-base/",
  "slug": "not-returning-to-dock",
  "slug_es": "no-vuelve-a-la-base",
  "device_type": "vacuum",
  "title_en": "DEEBOT won't return to the dock",
  "title_es": "DEEBOT no vuelve a la base de carga",
  "severity": "warn",
  "severity_note_en": "cleaning still runs, but the robot strands itself and runs flat instead of recharging",
  "severity_note_es": "la limpieza sigue funcionando, pero el robot se queda varado y se agota en vez de recargarse",
  "series": [
    "N79/500/600",
    "OZMO 920/950/T5",
    "T8/N8/T9+",
    "T10/X1/T20/X2 OMNI"
  ],
  "tools_en": "dry cloth",
  "tools_es": "paño seco",
  "time_min": 15,
  "difficulty": "easy",
  "safety": "none",
  "safety_note_en": "",
  "safety_note_es": "",
  "meaning_en": "A DEEBOT that can't find home usually has a <b>crowded dock, a clean started away from the dock, or a dirty navigation lens</b>. ECOVACS wants 0.5 m clear each side, 1 m in front, and no mirrors nearby.",
  "meaning_es": "Un DEEBOT que no encuentra su casa suele tener la <b>base rodeada de trastos, una limpieza iniciada lejos de la base o la lente de navegación sucia</b>. ECOVACS pide 0,5 m libres a cada lado y 1 m delante, sin espejos cerca.",
  "causes": [
    {
      "title_en": "Dock zone blocked or reflective",
      "title_es": "Zona de la base bloqueada o reflectante",
      "detail_en": "Official spec — keep 0.5 m either side and 1 m in front of the dock clear of obstacles and reflective objects like mirrors, metal and glass, which scatter the homing signal.",
      "detail_es": "Norma oficial — mantén 0,5 m a cada lado y 1 m delante de la base sin obstáculos ni objetos reflectantes como espejos, metal y cristal, que dispersan la señal de retorno.",
      "likelihood": "most_common"
    },
    {
      "title_en": "Clean started away from the dock",
      "title_es": "Limpieza iniciada lejos de la base",
      "detail_en": "ECOVACS' guidance is to start cleans from the dock so the robot anchors its map to it; carried mid-clean or launched from a random corner, it hunts for a dock it never located.",
      "detail_es": "La pauta de ECOVACS es iniciar las limpiezas desde la base para que el robot ancle su mapa a ella; si lo mueven a mitad de limpieza o arranca desde un rincón cualquiera, busca una base que nunca ubicó.",
      "likelihood": "common"
    },
    {
      "title_en": "Dirty lens or homing sensors",
      "title_es": "Lente o sensores de retorno sucios",
      "detail_en": "The official article has you clean the lens if dust has built up — a fogged sensor can circle the dock without ever lining up.",
      "detail_es": "El artículo oficial pide limpiar la lente si hay polvo acumulado — un sensor empañado puede rondar la base sin llegar a alinearse.",
      "likelihood": "common"
    },
    {
      "title_en": "Robot-station link lost",
      "title_es": "Enlace robot-estación perdido",
      "detail_en": "After firmware updates or restarts, OMNI-era robots may report losing the station — officially, allow about 3 minutes to start up, then re-pair by power-cycling both and docking by hand.",
      "detail_es": "Tras actualizaciones de firmware o reinicios, los robots de la era OMNI pueden perder la estación — oficialmente, espera unos 3 minutos de arranque y vuelve a emparejar apagando ambos y acoplando a mano.",
      "likelihood": "uncommon"
    },
    {
      "title_en": "Room too dark",
      "title_es": "Habitación demasiado oscura",
      "detail_en": "ECOVACS recommends good lighting during cleaning — vision-assisted models navigate worse in the dark and can miss the dock.",
      "detail_es": "ECOVACS recomienda buena iluminación durante la limpieza — los modelos con visión navegan peor a oscuras y pueden pasar de largo la base.",
      "likelihood": "uncommon"
    }
  ],
  "steps": [
    {
      "title_en": "Clear the dock zone",
      "title_es": "Despeja la zona de la base",
      "detail_en": "Give the dock 0.5 m of open space on each side and 1 m in front, and move mirrors or glossy furniture out of its line of sight.",
      "detail_es": "Da a la base 0,5 m libres a cada lado y 1 m delante, y aparta espejos o muebles brillantes de su línea de visión."
    },
    {
      "title_en": "Start every clean from the dock",
      "title_es": "Inicia cada limpieza desde la base",
      "detail_en": "Dock the robot, wait for \"I'm starting to charge\", then launch cleans from the AUTO button or the app so the map stays anchored.",
      "detail_es": "Acopla el robot, espera al aviso «Empiezo a cargar» y lanza las limpiezas desde el botón AUTO o la app para que el mapa quede anclado."
    },
    {
      "title_en": "Clean the lens and dock signal window",
      "title_es": "Limpia la lente y la ventana de señal de la base",
      "detail_en": "Wipe the robot's navigation lens/sensor windows and the dock's front with a dry cloth.",
      "detail_es": "Limpia con un paño seco la lente de navegación y las ventanas de sensores del robot y el frontal de la base."
    },
    {
      "title_en": "Re-pair robot and station",
      "title_es": "Vuelve a emparejar el robot y la estación",
      "detail_en": "Unplug the station and power off the robot for 5-10 seconds, restore power, power the robot on, dock it by hand with the contacts aligned, and give it 10-15 seconds to re-link.",
      "detail_es": "Desenchufa la estación y apaga el robot 5-10 segundos, devuelve la corriente, enciende el robot, acóplalo a mano con los contactos alineados y dale 10-15 segundos para reenlazar."
    },
    {
      "title_en": "Light the room and retest",
      "title_es": "Ilumina la habitación y vuelve a probar",
      "detail_en": "Run a short clean with the lights on; if the robot still wanders past the dock, contact ECOVACS support.",
      "detail_es": "Haz una limpieza corta con las luces encendidas; si el robot sigue pasando de largo, contacta con el soporte de ECOVACS."
    }
  ],
  "parts": [],
  "sources": [
    {
      "label_en": "ECOVACS Support — DEEBOT has difficulty returning to the docking station",
      "label_es": "Soporte de ECOVACS — Al DEEBOT le cuesta volver a la base de carga",
      "url": "https://help.ecovacs.com/us/support/faq-detail?id=210",
      "kind": "official"
    },
    {
      "label_en": "ECOVACS Support — Communication malfunction between DEEBOT and the station",
      "label_es": "Soporte de ECOVACS — Fallo de comunicación entre el DEEBOT y la estación",
      "url": "https://help.ecovacs.com/us/support/faq-detail?id=778",
      "kind": "official"
    },
    {
      "label_en": "ECOVACS DEEBOT OZMO 950 instruction manual — troubleshooting table (official PDF)",
      "label_es": "Manual oficial del ECOVACS DEEBOT OZMO 950 — tabla de resolución de problemas (PDF oficial)",
      "url": "https://site-static.ecovacs.com/upload/file/support/2020/04/23/092804_5910.pdf",
      "kind": "official"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "official",
  "last_verified": "2026-07-07"
}