DJI's Romo 2 robovac adds local-only data mode after first-gen security flaws

DJI has announced the Romo 2, the second generation of its robot vacuum, and the standout feature is aimed at privacy rather than cleaning power. According to The Verge, the new model introduces a Local Data Mode that cuts the companion app's connection to the internet — a direct response to the security problems that damaged trust in the original Romo.

The Romo 2 series arrives in two versions: the transparent P2 and the opaque A2. Both were announced at IFA, alongside DJI's Osmo 360 II action camera.

Better climbing, quieter cleaning

On the hardware side, the Romo 2 gains a pair of legs on its underside that let it climb single steps up to 4cm (about 1.5 inches) high, or two steps at roughly double that height. As The Verge notes, that is not enough to handle a staircase, but it should let the vacuum cross the thresholds and dividers between rooms that stop most flat-bodied robovacs.

Navigation has also improved. The Verge reports the Romo 2 can avoid cables and other obstacles as small as 2mm, and can detect transparent surfaces such as glass and mirrors that often confuse robot vacuums. DJI also describes what it calls "human-like reasoning and concept transfer," which supposedly lets the vacuum learn from obstacles it has encountered before and adapt to unfamiliar objects.

Suction on carpet reaches up to 36,000Pa, and redesigned brush and mop arms extend further to clean along sideboards and under furniture. DJI claims the Romo 2 is 85 percent quieter than its predecessor.

Local Data Mode targets the first Romo's flaws

The original Romo was well specified on paper, but that did not save it from what The Verge describes as huge security flaws. Attackers were reportedly able to access thousands of Romo units worldwide, exposing home floorplans, camera and microphone feeds, and in some cases gaining full remote control. DJI patched the problems, but the reputational damage had already been done.

The Romo 2's Local Data Mode is DJI's attempt to rebuild that trust, and the company is branding it "a new industry standard for home robotics." When enabled, it severs the DJI Home app's connection to the internet so that photos and camera feeds cannot sync to remote servers. Users can also disable the vacuum's camera and microphone outright, and delete any stored data.

According to The Verge, Local Data Mode will reach the Romo 2 in the fourth quarter of this year, and DJI plans to expand it to the first generation of Romo models as well.

No price, no date and probably no US launch

DJI has not announced pricing or a release date for the Romo 2. A launch in the United States looks unlikely: The Verge points out that US restrictions have already kept DJI's recent products out of the country, and the FCC's new ban on foreign-made robot vacuums makes a Romo 2 release even less probable. The Osmo 360 II announced alongside it is also skipping the US.

Why it matters

A robot vacuum is a networked device carrying cameras, microphones and a detailed map of your home, which makes security failures unusually consequential. The first Romo demonstrated exactly how badly that can go wrong, and DJI's answer — an offline mode that blocks data syncing and lets owners switch the sensors off entirely — is a substantive privacy control rather than a marketing gesture. Whether it is enough to restore confidence is a separate question, and it will take independent scrutiny of the implementation to know if the promises hold up in practice. For many readers, though, the bigger limitation may simply be availability: between existing US restrictions and the FCC's new rules, the Romo 2 will probably never ship in the United States.