Why We're Building Cloud-Free Vacuums
January 16, 2026
At Remake.ai, we’re launching
app-enabled vacuum models with cloud-free operation out of the
box. Why should You care?
The Privacy Reality
Every
robot vacuum on the market today requires a cloud connection to
function. You download the app, create an account, and your
robot starts phoning home—mapping your house, tracking
schedules, streaming telemetry to servers you don’t control.
Technically,
your robot doesn’t need a cloud to operate inside your home. It
has all the sensors and processing power to clean autonomously.
The cloud exists for remote access and data collection.
Security
researcher Dennis Giese has spent years reverse-engineering
vacuum robots, presenting findings at DEF CON and Chaos
Communication Congress. His research at
dontvacuum.me documents how these
devices collect Wi-Fi credentials, home maps, and
telemetry—often with weak encryption.
One engineer
discovered his vacuum was bricked remotely after he blocked its
telemetry server. The device had rtty software allowing the
cloud operator to execute commands without the owner’s
knowledge.
His full writeup:
https://codetiger.github.io/blog/the-day-my-smart-vacuum-turned-against-me/
The Liberation Movement
Valetudo (valetudo.cloud) is an open-source project with 8,600+ GitHub stars providing
cloud-free operation for supported robots. It protects your data
by keeping everything local.
What We’re Building
At
Remake.ai, we’re launching app-enabled vacuum models with
cloud-free Valetudo-like operation out of the box. No rooting
required.
And when you do use our cloud, you're
trusting a US-based platform where privacy and compliance are
built into the architecture.
We’re also building a
local operation mode: apps download and run on your Raspberry Pi
5 or Linux PC. You can unplug the internet entirely.
Tradeoffs
exist—no remote access outside your home, and AI-powered apps
need explicit permission for cloud APIs. But you get improved
responsiveness and complete data sovereignty.
Cloud
should be optional. Privacy should be default.