Valetudo: Cloud replacement for vacuum robots enabling local-only operation

Project Function & User Experiences

• Many commenters run Valetudo on Dreame and Roborock models and report it “just works” for years once installed.
• Benefits cited: fully local control, no vendor cloud, SSH access, MQTT/Home Assistant integration, custom sounds, and a polished web UI running directly on the robot.
• Several people have installed it for friends/family; once set up, they say it needs very little maintenance and updates are optional.

Rooting & Hardware Considerations

• Rooting difficulty varies by model: some Roborocks can be flashed OTA; many Dremes need a custom breakout/USB board and UART access.
• There are PCB designs on GitHub and some premade boards sold via third parties or shared in informal groups.
• Users warn to double-check exact model support; at least one person disassembled and effectively destroyed an unsupported S7 variant.
• Advice: confirm compatibility, buy specific supported Dreame models (often refurbished), and expect some soldering or dongle use.

Automation, Privacy, and Offline Operation

• Split views: some users are happy pressing the physical “clean” button; others insist on hands-off automation and fine-grained scheduling via Home Assistant.
• Vendor apps often require cloud access even for basic features (maps, no-mop zones, schedules), and some models won’t run schedules offline.
• Privacy is a core motivation: concerns about cameras/mics, extensive logging to vendor clouds, and prior incidents of images leaking.

Feature Tradeoffs & Device Choices

• Valetudo does not target full feature parity; multifloor and some mopping behaviors are missing or removed for specific models.
• Some people prioritize bagless/washable-filter vacuums; others prefer bags to avoid messy emptying.
• A few consider older or simpler robots to avoid cloud lock-in entirely.

Community, Governance, and Developer Attitude

• A major part of the thread centers on the project’s social dynamics.
• The project explicitly presents itself as a “private garden”: not a community, not a product, no intent to grow the user base, and no obligation to accept feedback or support users.
• Multiple reports describe the Telegram channel as extremely hostile: year-long bans for basic questions, praise, or off-topic-but-related links; some people call it the “most hostile place on the internet” they’ve seen.
• Others defend the maintainer’s stance: free software doesn’t imply support; the author is entitled to strict boundaries and to avoid emotional labor.
• Counter-arguments stress that gratuitous rudeness is unnecessary, undermines the value of OSS communities, and discourages alternative efforts (although some offsite Discord/Reddit spaces exist).
• One user’s pragmatic advice: flash Valetudo, never upgrade, avoid the official chat, and donate if it works.

HN Relationship and Meta-Discussion

• The site conditionally redirects visitors with an HN referrer back to HN, with a comment about HN threads devolving into polite “shitflinging.”
• This prompts debate about HN’s impact on OSS projects and whether links should be removed if authors don’t want HN traffic.
• Some see the redirect as confirming the project’s combative posture; others note that many companies also dislike HN criticism.

Miscellaneous

• Etymology: “Valetudo” is discussed as both Latin for health/well-being and Portuguese-like “vale tudo” (“anything goes”), with an ironic parallel to the combative community dynamic.