π§Ή Today I learned that I can (theoretically) root my robot vacuum and install a community-built control plane on it for command and control without the cloud. And then I can use Tailscale for secure remote access.
So, um, I think I have a weekend project lined up! π€
- https://valetudo.cloud/
- https://builder.dontvacuum.me/
- https://tailscale.dev/blog/tailscale-sucks
"Rooting requires full disassembly."
Don't threaten me with a good time. π
I was all set to get started on my robot hack... but I should probably make sure the battery is fully charged first.
I hate waiting.
I am root.
(Got root SSH access, working on installing the hacked firmware and then loading Valetudo now.)
Robot: Valetudo'd β
Now for the *really* hard part - putting the thing back together! π€
Pretty neat. So, it's just got a USB port inside?
@mcfate Yeah it's got a micro-USB port which is actually fairly accessible from the top of the board (would have taken ~2 minutes to get to it), but had to also short a test point on the bottom side of the board to put it into firmware download mode. Getting at that test point required the complete disassembly.
Well, for better or worse, I didn't buy our robot vacuum. People will put up with a lot, but I suspect they'd draw the line at my disassembling it "for SCIENCE!"
I guess you're back to square one when it comes to maps and presents and all, hm?
@mcfate I was fully expecting to be back to square one, but it looks like it actually preserved my map and configurations.
It's basically just running a rooted version of the stock firmware which cuts off its connection to The Cloud, and it's running a local web server that lets you manage it directly.
I'm really impressed with this hack!