DEEBOT won't return to the dock
DIRECT ANSWER
COMMON CAUSES · RANKED
Dock zone blocked or reflective MOST COMMON
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.
Clean started away from the dock
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.
Dirty lens or homing sensors
The official article has you clean the lens if dust has built up — a fogged sensor can circle the dock without ever lining up.
Robot-station link lost UNCOMMON
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.
Room too dark UNCOMMON
ECOVACS recommends good lighting during cleaning — vision-assisted models navigate worse in the dark and can miss the dock.
HOW TO FIX IT
Clear the dock zone
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.
Start every clean from the dock
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.
Clean the lens and dock signal window
Wipe the robot's navigation lens/sensor windows and the dock's front with a dry cloth.
Re-pair robot and station
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.
Light the room and retest
Run a short clean with the lights on; if the robot still wanders past the dock, contact ECOVACS support.
Sources
Corrections
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