Robot Mower Installation Guide

Most robot mower problems are installation problems. A machine that is well sited and set up on a prepared lawn tends to run for years with almost no attention; one installed carelessly generates complaints from the first week.

1. Choose the base station position

This decision matters more than any other, and it is awkward to change later.

The base station needs:

• Level ground, so the mower docks squarely on the charging contacts.
• A straight approach, ideally several metres of clear run-up. Mowers dock poorly around corners.
• Mains power within reach of the supplied cable.
• Some shelter from the worst sun and rain, though the station is weatherproof. A north-facing wall or under a hedge extends the life of the electronics.
• Not in a dip. Standing water around the contacts causes corrosion and intermittent charging.

An RTK model that uses a local reference antenna adds separate needs: clear sky, power, and a permanent mounting. Site both before you unbox anything else. A model using Network RTK has no antenna to place — check mobile coverage at the garden instead.

2. Prepare the lawn

An hour here saves months of irritation.

• Fill holes and level obvious dips. These are where mowers get stuck.
• Remove stones, sticks and debris. Blades are consumables, but they need not be.
• Cut the grass first with a conventional mower. Robot mowers are designed to remove a small amount frequently, not to reclaim a meadow. Start them on grass already at roughly the target height.
• Trim overhanging plants that would brush the mower or the sensors.
• Protect young tree trunks with a guard or a ring before the first mow.
• Note anything fragile — irrigation heads, lighting, garden ornaments — and plan to exclude them.

3a. Laying a boundary wire

If your mower uses a wire, take your time.

• Work in dry weather; pegs go into damp soil more easily than baked ground.
• Keep the manufacturer's stated distance between the wire and any hard edge. Too close and the mower clips the paving; too far and it leaves an uncut strip.
• Keep corners gentle. Sharp right angles confuse the signal — a curve is better.
• Around obstacles, run the wire out and back with the two runs close together, so the mower reads it as an island.
• Peg it down every metre or so, and more frequently over undulations, so it lies flat.
• Leave a little slack rather than stretching it tight.
• Test the whole boundary before burying anything.

The grass will grow through and hide it within a few weeks.

3b. Mapping a virtual boundary

If your mower is wire-free, you will either drive it around the perimeter once or draw the boundary in an app.

• Walk or drive the perimeter slowly and smoothly. Rushing produces a ragged boundary.
• Keep a sensible margin from beds and hard edges — positioning is accurate but not infallible.
• Add exclusion zones for ponds, trampolines and anything delicate as you go.
• If the app offers an aerial image, check the image is current. Aerial photography can be years old and may show a garden that no longer exists.

4. Set the schedule and cutting height

• Start high. Cut at a higher setting for the first weeks and lower it gradually. Removing too much at once stresses the lawn.
• Do not mow at night if wildlife matters to you. Hedgehogs are active after dark and are badly injured by mowers.
• Avoid early morning if the lawn is sloped — dew makes slopes slippery.
• Consider your neighbours. Modern mowers are quiet, but not silent.
• Do not over-schedule. Running fewer hours than the maximum is usually enough, and extends the life of the machine.

5. The first week

Watch it. This is the week when problems reveal themselves cheaply.

• Where does it get stuck? Those spots need levelling or excluding.
• Does it dock reliably every time? If not, fix the approach now.
• Are there uncut strips at the edges? Adjust the boundary.
• Does it lose signal anywhere? Note where, and consider whether a no-go zone is simpler.
• Is it scalping anywhere? Raise the cutting height.

6. Ongoing maintenance

• Blades: replace regularly. Sharp blades cut cleanly; blunt blades tear the grass and leave the lawn looking brown at the tips.
• Underside: clear the clippings that pack under the deck.
• Charging contacts: wipe occasionally.
• Sensors and camera lenses: keep clean.
• Winter: charge the battery, store the machine somewhere dry and frost-free, and follow the manufacturer's storage advice.

What to check before you finish

• Is the base station level, with a straight approach and power?
• Has the lawn been cut conventionally first?
• Is the boundary tested along its whole length?
• Is the schedule set to daytime hours?
• Have you watched at least one complete cycle from start to docking?