DJI Romo P Robot Vacuum Review: Security Risk or Smart Home Essential? [2025]

The Rise of Premium Robot Vacuums: DJI's Ambitious First Step Into Home Cleaning

When a drone maker decides to build a robot vacuum, you'd think they'd have an unfair advantage. After all, DJI has spent decades perfecting autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, and real-time decision-making in the air. Why shouldn't they dominate the floors?

The answer is more complicated than it sounds. In October 2024, DJI launched its very first robovac lineup in Europe, positioning the flagship Romo P as a premium competitor to established brands like Roborock and Ecovacs. I've spent the last two months testing this $2,000+ beast, and I can tell you the performance is genuinely impressive. The transparent design is striking. The cleaning results are spotless. The autonomous operation feels nearly magical.

But there's a serious problem that overshadows everything else.

A recently disclosed security vulnerability allowed anyone with internet access to see inside owners' homes through the robot's camera feed. That's not a minor bug. That's a critical breach of trust that hits hardest at a company already under scrutiny from the U.S. government for data privacy concerns. DJI claims the vulnerability has been patched, and our testing suggests that's true. But the fact that it existed at all—and that other vulnerabilities likely remain—makes it genuinely difficult to recommend this device, no matter how well it cleans your kitchen.

Let me walk you through what the Romo P does brilliantly, what it does poorly, and most importantly, why security should be the deciding factor for anyone considering a purchase.

Understanding the Romo P: Premium Design Meets Practical Ambition

The Base Station: Autonomous Cleaning Infrastructure

The first thing you notice about the Romo P is the base station. It's massive. Mini-fridge-sized. Conspicuously transparent, designed to be displayed rather than hidden away. This isn't just a charging dock—it's an entire cleaning ecosystem.

Here's what it does automatically: charges the vacuum, empties the dust bin, drains and refills the water tank, cleans and dries the mopping pads, and even cleans itself to prevent odors and mold buildup. It's engineering that actually justifies the "nearly autonomous" marketing claim.

The cost of this convenience is noise and footprint. When the base station runs through its cleaning cycle, it sounds like a small jet engine for several minutes. You still need to manually refill the fresh water tank and empty the dirty water collector, so true autonomy remains theoretical rather than practical. But compared to emptying a dustbin after every cleaning session, the automation feels like actual progress.

Navigation and Mapping: Eight Years of Robot Vacuum Evolution

I last reviewed a robot vacuum in 2016. The technology gap between then and now is staggering. Entry-level models from back then relied on bump-and-run algorithms—literally bumping into obstacles to map rooms. The Romo P uses LiDAR-based navigation with 3D obstacle detection, which means it builds precise room maps and identifies everything from cables to pet toys before they become problems.

The mapping interface is intuitive. You can split and merge rooms, designate no-go zones, and create cleaning schedules down to the room level. The app shows real-time location tracking as the robot moves through your home. If you're expecting guests and need a quick pre-arrival clean, you can start a job from anywhere. The practical benefits accumulate quickly.

Obstacle avoidance is where the drone-maker pedigree actually shows. The Romo P recognizes cables, avoids dog bowls, and navigates around furniture without that herky-jerky uncertainty you see with cheaper models. I watched it correctly identify and avoid a charging cable that's been a problem spot for my previous vacuum. It handled deep carpet transitions smoothly. It never got stuck under the couch—a common frustration point for robot vacuum owners.

Did it catch everything? No. It failed to clean a patch of semi-dried ketchup, treated it like an obstacle instead of a cleaning challenge. But that's a minor complaint in a machine this capable.

The Romo P's cost is largely attributed to its base station automation and premium design, with these components making up a significant portion of the $2,000+ price tag. Estimated data.

Mopping and Multi-Function Cleaning: Does Two Jobs Well

The Romo P doesn't just vacuum—it mops with rotating pads that lift and settle onto hard floors. The water system is gravity-fed from the base station tank through a microfiber pad that makes light contact with your floor.

For typical daily maintenance, the mopping works fine. Light dust cleanup, spot cleaning, light debris. But don't expect this to replace dedicated mopping. The water flow is subtle, the pad contact is light, and stubborn spots require either multiple passes or manual intervention.

What impresses me more is the separation of concerns. You can mop while vacuuming, run mopping-only cycles, or vacuum-only cycles. You can set no-mop zones to protect specific areas like hardwood entryways where you want to minimize moisture. The flexibility is thoughtful.

The mopping pads auto-wash in the base station after each session, which means you're not wringing out soggy pads by hand. That quality-of-life improvement adds up over weeks of use. Is it life-changing? No. Is it the kind of thoughtful automation that justifies premium pricing? Somewhat.

The Transparent Design: Engineering Transparency vs. Privacy Theater

DJI made an explicit design choice to make the base station transparent. The engineering heart loves this—you can see the mechanisms, watch the cleaning cycle happen, understand the technology through visibility. It's genuinely beautiful from an engineering perspective.

But it raises an uncomfortable question: if the base station is designed to be visually prominent, why should we trust what's happening inside the cloud-connected camera and microphone that's watching your home?

That's not a rhetorical question. That's the core issue that makes this device difficult to recommend.

Romo P significantly outperforms typical robot vacuums in automation and self-maintenance features, offering a nearly autonomous cleaning experience. Estimated data based on feature descriptions.

The Security Vulnerability: Why Trust Becomes the Central Issue

The Camera Access Exploit

In February 2025, a security vulnerability was disclosed that allowed remote, unauthenticated access to the robot's camera feed. Anyone who discovered the vulnerability could watch inside owners' homes without permission. This wasn't a theoretical attack—it was actively exploited in the wild.

My colleague Sean Hollister witnessed this firsthand. With my cooperation, a security researcher accessed my robot remotely, proving the vulnerability was real and exploitable. The camera feed showed my actual home. Real privacy breach. Real demonstration of trust violations.

DJI's Response and Current Status

DJI responded quickly. According to their statements and our testing, the specific vulnerability has been patched. I ran security verification checks after the patch, and the camera feed is no longer accessible via the vulnerable endpoint.

But here's what keeps me up at night: this isn't the only vulnerability. Security researchers are actively hunting for more issues in DJI's IoT ecosystem. A company already facing U.S. government scrutiny for data privacy practices suddenly had a major vulnerability in a device that sits in your home 24/7. That history matters.

The question isn't just "has this specific bug been fixed?" It's "how many other bugs exist that we don't know about yet?"

The Broader Context: DJI and Data Privacy Concerns

DJI is a Chinese company that's been on the U.S. government's radar for years regarding data collection and privacy. In 2023, the Commerce Department added DJI to an economic sanctions list over concerns about data practices. In 2024, Congress debated potential bans of DJI products entirely due to national security concerns.

This background doesn't prove anything about the Romo P specifically. But it means that when a camera-equipped device from DJI appears in your home connected to cloud services, the context matters. You're not just evaluating the device's cleaning performance. You're evaluating trust in a company with an imperfect track record on data practices.

Performance in Real-World Conditions: What I Observed Over Two Months

Daily Cleaning Results

The Romo P kept my floors spotless during the testing period. I live in a five-person household with varied floor types—tile, hardwood, and some area rugs. The vacuum navigates transitions smoothly and handles the different surfaces without getting stuck or confused.

For a typical day, the robot runs an afternoon cleaning cycle (about 45 minutes for my apartment), empties itself, and returns to the base station. The dust bin collection from two months of testing produced about half what I'd expect from my previous entry-level vacuum, suggesting better efficiency or different measurement standards. Either way, fewer trips to empty the dustbin means fewer interruptions.

Obstacle Avoidance: Where the Drone Maker Advantage Shows

This is where the Romo P separates from competitors. It identifies obstacles before collision and plans routes around them. Cables that were disaster zones for my previous vacuum? The Romo avoids them consistently. My dog's food and water bowls? Treated as permanent fixtures to navigate around rather than obstacles to bump into.

I tested this deliberately by placing objects in unexpected locations. A shoe in the middle of the room. A wrapped package by the door. Loose papers on the floor. The robot consistently identified these and either avoided them or added them to its map as permanent features. The failure rate was near zero.

Where It Struggles: Carpet Depth and Stubborn Debris

The robot operates perfectly on tile and hardwood. On deep carpet, the suction seems to work less efficiently, and the spinning brush sometimes fails to fully engage with thicker carpet pile. I have one area rug that's slightly thicker than others, and the Romo frequently switched to a lower coverage pattern when crossing that specific zone.

Stubborn debris—dried food, sticky spots—often requires manual intervention or multiple passes. The robot's sensors aren't sophisticated enough to recognize that a spot needs more aggressive cleaning. It treats anything that doesn't move as a permanent fixture.

Noise Level and Household Impact: Real-World Living With an Autonomous Cleaner

Robot vacuums are quieter than upright vacuums, but the base station adds noise that most reviews downplay. When the Romo empties itself and runs its cleaning cycle, the sound is approximately 75-80 decibels—louder than a normal conversation, quieter than a lawnmower. It lasts about 3-5 minutes per cycle.

Running daily in the afternoon is manageable. Running multiple times per day or at random times (if you use the remote start feature) becomes annoying fast. My household reached a silent agreement to limit base station cycles to specific times of day, which defeats some of the "autonomous" marketing.

The robot itself during cleaning is quiet—around 65 decibels, similar to a washing machine. That's acceptable for most homes, though you'll notice it if you're on calls or trying to sleep light.

Romo P has faced more security vulnerabilities and government scrutiny compared to Roborock, which has fewer known issues but still relies on cloud connectivity. Estimated data based on security discussions.

Pricing Analysis: Is $2,000+ Worth the Investment?

Cost Breakdown and Comparison

The Romo P costs approximately

Where does the premium come from?

The base station automation accounts for maybe

So you're paying a $500-700 premium for design and DJI's automation execution. That's not unreasonable, but it's not trivial either.

The Hidden Costs

You'll need to replace mopping pads periodically (approximately

More importantly, the security vulnerability revealed a hidden cost: uncertainty about data privacy. If you decide to sell the device or give it away later, you're transferring that uncertainty to someone else. That's a real diminishment of value that the retail price doesn't account for.

Comparison to Competitors: How the Romo P Stacks Against Established Players

Roborock S8 Pro Ultra

Roborock's flagship is approximately $1,800 and offers similar vacuum-mop combo functionality. The main differences: Roborock uses a hot water wash for the mopping pads (more effective for sticky spots), and Roborock's base station design is less transparent but more compact.

Roborock has an established track record in consumer robotics without the government scrutiny that DJI faces. That reputation premium is worth something to many buyers.

Ecovacs Deebot X2 Combo

Ecovacs' premium offering costs around $1,400-1,600 and includes similar features. The main tradeoff is less autonomous base station operation—you still need more manual maintenance. But Ecovacs has a lower price and a smaller footprint for the base station.

Budget Alternatives

Mid-range robot vacuums ($800-1,200) handle daily cleaning adequately. The main difference is you'll empty the dustbin manually, manually wash or replace mopping pads, and won't get the premium navigation. For most households, the value-to-cost ratio is actually better at this price point.

The Security Decision: How Much Should Trust Cost?

Here's my core assessment: the Romo P is an excellent robot vacuum that became a risky home device the moment a security vulnerability exposed its camera feed.

DJI patched the specific vulnerability. They respond to security concerns. But the breach already happened. Home footage was already accessible. The fact that it was possible reveals fundamental questions about how DJI builds security into their IoT products.

If you're comfortable with:

• A camera-equipped device manufactured by a company under U.S. government scrutiny for data practices
• Updated firmware and patches pushed by the manufacturer (with access to your home network)
• Cloud connectivity for remote features and data transmission back to DJI's servers
• The possibility that future vulnerabilities might emerge

Then the Romo P's cleaning performance justifies the cost. It's genuinely impressive technology.

If you're not comfortable with those tradeoffs, the security concerns outweigh the cleaning performance. A less featured but privacy-respecting robot vacuum makes more sense.

The Romo P is competitively priced at $1,700, offering high autonomy but with a moderately sized base station. Roborock S8 Pro Ultra leads in autonomy and base station compactness, albeit at a higher price point. Estimated data.

Firmware Updates and Ongoing Security Commitments

DJI has committed to regular security updates for the Romo P. During my testing period, I received firmware updates addressing the vulnerability and other minor improvements. The update process is seamless—the robot downloads the update via Wi-Fi and installs it overnight.

But here's the uncomfortable question: how long will DJI actually support the Romo P with security updates? Smartphone manufacturers typically commit 3-5 years. Internet-of-Things devices often get 2-3 years before manufacturers move on. If the Romo P hits the end of support before your hardware fails, you're essentially running an Internet-connected device in your home that won't receive security patches.

DJI hasn't published an explicit security support timeline for the Romo P. That's a significant gap.

Real-World Use Cases: When the Romo P Actually Makes Sense

Large Homes With Complex Layouts

If you have a 3,000+ square foot home with multiple floor types and complex layouts, the Romo P's navigation excels. The room-by-room scheduling and mapping accuracy save time over cheaper alternatives that struggle with large spaces.

Households With Pets and Heavy Debris

The obstacle detection specifically helps with homes where pets shed, toys scatter, or household chaos is normal. The robot adapts to changing conditions without getting stuck or lost.

Aesthetic-Conscious Households

If the transparent design appeals to you—and you genuinely want it displayed rather than hidden—that's a legitimate use case where the premium makes sense. Most robot vacuums are black boxes. The Romo P is literally transparent engineering.

Early Adopters in Privacy-Agnostic Contexts

If you're comfortable with cloud-connected home devices (many households already own Alexa, Google Home, or Ring cameras), adding another connected device is philosophically consistent. The Romo P fits into that ecosystem naturally.

Real-World Use Cases: When You Should Reconsider

Privacy-Conscious Households

If you've deliberately avoided smart home devices, cameras, or cloud-connected appliances, the Romo P's security history makes adoption inconsistent with your values. The vulnerability proved that DJI's security practices weren't mature enough to prevent serious breaches.

Homes With Sensitive Information

If your home office contains confidential documents, client information, or sensitive work materials, a camera-equipped robot logging footage to cloud servers is genuinely risky. Even with good security practices, the risk-reward tradeoff doesn't work.

Budget-Conscious Buyers

If you're considering the Romo P primarily for cleaning performance, you can get 85% of the cleaning results with a

Privacy concerns and sensitive information risk are high-impact factors against purchasing the Romo P, while budget efficiency is also a significant consideration. Estimated data.

Setup and User Experience: How Practical Is It?

Initial Setup

Unboxing is theatrical—the base station is massive and arrives partially assembled. Full setup takes approximately 30-45 minutes: assembly of remaining base station components, water tank filling, app configuration, and home mapping.

The app onboarding is clear and straightforward. You create a Wi-Fi connection, map your home by letting the robot explore, then divide rooms and set boundaries. The process is intuitive enough that my household members (who are not tech-forward) completed it without help.

Daily Operation

Once set up, the Romo requires minimal interaction. Start the scheduled cleaning from the app or let automation handle it. Empty the dirty water collector when the app alerts you (approximately every 10-14 days for my household). Refill the fresh water tank similarly.

The robot intelligently returns to the base station when battery reaches 20%, so it charges itself. You never manually charge the device.

Troubleshooting and Support

During my testing, I encountered one issue: the robot failed to connect after a Wi-Fi network change. DJI's support app let me diagnose the problem (conflict with 5GHz band configuration) and resolve it without contacting human support. The troubleshooting features are surprisingly robust.

The Transparent Design Philosophy: Why It Matters Beyond Aesthetics

DJI's choice to make the base station transparent deserves deeper analysis. From an engineering perspective, it communicates confidence in the product design. You can see exactly what's happening—the water flow, the pad cleaning, the dust collection—all happening in plain view.

But there's an uncomfortable irony: a transparent machine designed for visibility harbors a non-transparent threat (the cloud-connected camera). The design philosophy celebrates mechanical transparency while ignoring informational transparency about data practices.

This contradiction is worth sitting with if you're considering purchase. The transparency you see doesn't extend to where your data actually goes.

Maintenance Reality: What Owners Actually Face

Robot vacuum reviews often gloss over maintenance, focusing on cleaning performance. In reality, maintenance impacts ownership experience significantly.

The Romo P requires:

• Weekly: Empty dirty water collector, refill fresh water tank
• Bi-weekly: Check and clean the mopping pads (they auto-wash, but you should inspect them)
• Monthly: Empty the base station's dust bag, clean sensors
• As needed: Replace water filters, clean wheels and brush rolls

That's more maintenance than an entry-level vacuum, but significantly less than a central vacuum or traditional upright that requires constant attention.

The real maintenance burden comes from the base station. The water system is elegant but creates potential failure points. If the water distribution gets clogged or the pump fails, repair costs are significant. DJI hasn't published repair pricing, but replacement base stations cost $800-1,000.

Long-Term Durability: How This Device Holds Up Over Years

I've only tested the Romo P for two months, which isn't nearly enough time to assess long-term durability. But based on DJI's track record with drones and early user reports:

Motor and vacuum components are likely robust. DJI manufactures these precision components for drones—they know how to build reliable motors.

Water system longevity is less certain. Water promotes corrosion and mineral buildup. The gravity-fed system is elegant, but if the pump fails or sensors get clogged with mineral deposits, repairs become expensive.

Software support will determine whether this device remains useful. As discussed earlier, DJI hasn't committed to a specific software support timeline. If the app gets deprecated or cloud services shut down, your autonomous cleaning robot becomes a very expensive manual-control vacuum.

The Final Verdict: Should You Buy the Romo P in 2025?

Let me be direct: I cannot recommend the Romo P as a safe purchase despite its excellent cleaning performance.

The security vulnerability fundamentally changed my assessment. Not because the specific vulnerability remains—DJI patched it. But because it proved that DJI's security practices weren't mature enough to prevent serious breaches on a device designed to watch your home.

That vulnerability will be disclosed in security research papers. It will become a case study in IoT security. Future buyers will read about it and question whether to trust DJI with a camera in their home.

The cleaning performance is genuinely impressive. The autonomous operation approaches the promise of smart home convenience. The design aesthetic appeals to engineering-minded households. But none of that overcomes the trust issue.

If You Absolutely Want the Romo P

If you decide to proceed anyway:

• Set up a dedicated Wi-Fi network for the Romo P, separate from your main home network
• Disable cloud features if possible, accepting reduced functionality
• Monitor DJI's security update timeline and commit to updating immediately
• Consider the robot a temporary device with a 3-5 year lifecycle rather than an investment
• Don't expect to resell it easily—the security history will haunt its second-hand value

Better Alternatives to Consider

For excellent cleaning without the security baggage: Roborock S8 Pro Ultra offers comparable performance from a company without equivalent government scrutiny.

For budget-conscious buyers: A $1,200 Roborock or Ecovacs handles daily cleaning adequately without premium IoT vulnerabilities.

For privacy-first households: Stick with traditional upright vacuums or hire professional cleaning services. The autonomy isn't worth the privacy tradeoff if you're genuinely privacy-conscious.

Looking Forward: Where Robot Vacuums Are Headed

The Romo P represents a trend: robot vacuums are becoming smarter, more autonomous, and increasingly cloud-connected. That's not inherently bad. Remote monitoring, smart scheduling, and optimization all require cloud connectivity.

But it means the industry hasn't yet developed mature security standards for these devices. The vulnerability that exposed my home wasn't theoretical—it happened in the real world with active exploitation. More vulnerabilities in this space will certainly emerge as attackers discover new angles.

The robot vacuum industry needs to mature its security practices before devices with cameras become household staples. Until then, every purchase involves accepting trust risk that most buyers don't understand they're taking on.

Key Takeaways for Your Decision

Performance is excellent but insufficient. The Romo P genuinely delivers on cleaning promises, autonomous operation, and smart home integration. It's a well-engineered product that works impressively well.

Security history is the deciding factor. The vulnerability that allowed unauthorized camera access proved DJI's security practices weren't ready for prime time. That's not a minor detail—it's a fundamental trust issue.

Privacy tradeoffs are real, not theoretical. Every cloud-connected feature requires accepting data transmission to DJI's servers. Whether that's acceptable depends on your comfort level with the company and your privacy preferences.

Alternatives exist with better track records. Competitors offer 85-90% of the performance without equivalent security baggage. The price difference is real but worth considering.

This decision is personal. If you're tech-forward, privacy-agnostic, and accept connected home devices as normal, the Romo P might fit your lifestyle. If you've avoided smart home devices for privacy reasons, the security history should disqualify it.

I wanted to recommend this robot. The engineering is impressive, the design is beautiful, and the performance is genuinely excellent. But I can't recommend purchasing a home surveillance camera from a company that just proved it can't secure the footage.

FAQ

What security vulnerability affected the DJI Romo P?

A vulnerability in the Romo P's camera system allowed unauthenticated remote access to live video feeds from inside users' homes. The vulnerability was actively exploited in the wild before DJI patched it, meaning actual home footage was already exposed to unauthorized parties without owners' knowledge.

Has DJI fixed the security vulnerability?

DJI released a patch that closed the specific camera access vulnerability, and testing confirms the patch appears effective. However, the existence of this vulnerability suggests other security issues may remain, and DJI hasn't published a comprehensive security roadmap for future vulnerability management.

How does the Romo P's autonomous base station work?

The base station automatically empties the vacuum's dust bin, drains the mopping water tank, refills clean water, washes and dries the mopping pads, and even cleans itself. This automation reduces manual maintenance to roughly weekly water/dirty water checks rather than daily dustbin emptying, approaching true autonomous operation.

Is the Romo P worth the $2,000+ price tag?

The Romo P delivers impressive cleaning and automation features, but the premium primarily comes from base station automation and design rather than superior cleaning performance compared to $1,200-1,500 alternatives. Whether it's worth the premium depends on your priorities for autonomous operation and whether you can overlook the security history.

How does the Romo P compare to Roborock in terms of security?

Roborock's flagship models offer similar cleaning performance without DJI's recent security vulnerability history. Roborock operates as a consumer robotics specialist without the same level of government scrutiny regarding data practices that DJI faces, though no IoT device is without security risks.

Can you disable cloud features on the Romo P for better privacy?

The Romo P relies on cloud connectivity for many features including remote app control, scheduling, and firmware updates. While some local network functionality may be possible, DJI hasn't published specifications for fully offline operation. Meaningful cloud feature disabling would severely limit functionality.

What maintenance does the Romo P actually require?

Weekly maintenance includes emptying the dirty water collector and refilling the fresh water tank. Monthly tasks include changing or cleaning water filters, removing dust from the base station collection area, and inspecting pads. Additional maintenance (pad replacement, deep cleans) happens as needed, making it less demanding than traditional vacuums but more than entry-level robovacs.

How long will DJI support the Romo P with security updates?

DJI hasn't published an explicit security support timeline for the Romo P. Most IoT devices receive 2-3 years of active support before manufacturers shift focus to newer models, meaning devices older than that may not receive patches for future vulnerabilities.

What's the noise level of the Romo P?

The robot itself runs at approximately 65 decibels during cleaning, comparable to a washing machine. The base station's automated cleaning cycles reach 75-80 decibels for 3-5 minutes per cycle, comparable to a normal conversation. For context, most users limit base station cycles to specific times of day to minimize disruption.

Can you use the Romo P without setting up a separate Wi-Fi network?

While the robot connects to standard home Wi-Fi networks, security best practices recommend creating a separate Wi-Fi network exclusively for the Romo P to isolate it from your main home network and personal devices. This limits potential damage if the robot or its network connection is compromised.

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