Setting up a robot mower
A day of careful setup, or a season of retrieving it from a flower bed.
Robot mower problems are almost always setup problems. The machine is simple; the boundary is where things go wrong.
Boundary wire, done properly
- Leave the correct offset from hard edges. The manual specifies a distance from walls and fences — usually around 30cm — because the machine turns when it detects the wire. Too close and it clips the wall
- Less offset against a lawn edge it can overhang, such as a patio flush with the grass
- Island loops around every tree, bed and pond. The wire runs out to the object, around it, and back along the same line
- Peg it down flat first, bury it later. Run a full season pegged so you can adjust, then bury once you are confident
- Keep the wire away from where you dig. The most common failure is a spade through it, and finding the break is tedious
The narrow passage problem
If your garden has a corridor between two areas, check the minimum passage width in the manual. Below it, the machine cannot reliably navigate through and will treat the two areas as separate — meaning one of them never gets cut.
Cutting height for the first weeks
Set it high initially, then lower gradually over several weeks. A robot mower is designed to maintain a lawn, not to rescue an overgrown one. Cutting long grass short in one pass stresses the lawn and overloads the machine.
If your grass is already long, cut it conventionally first and let the robot take over from there.
Scheduling
Most lawns need the machine out for a few hours daily rather than a long weekly session — that is the entire operating principle. Daylight scheduling is strongly preferable to night running, both for wildlife safety and because you can see problems.
Wet grass clumps and clogs the underside. Many models have rain sensors; if yours does not, skipping run days after heavy rain saves cleaning.
Maintenance
| How often | What |
|---|---|
| Weekly | Brush grass from the underside and wheels |
| Monthly | Check blade condition. Small pivoting blades are cheap and dull quickly |
| Seasonally | Replace blades. A dull blade tears grass rather than cutting it, which browns the tips |
| Winter | Clean thoroughly, charge fully, store indoors above freezing. Leave the wire in the ground |
GPS-guided mowers remove the boundary-wire installation entirely, which is the step most people underestimate. Worth comparing before committing to a wire layout. Compare robot mowers → Advertising — we may earn a commission.
Common questions
How do I install robot mower boundary wire?
Peg it around the perimeter at the offset distance specified in the manual, with island loops around every tree, bed and pond. Run a full season pegged rather than buried so you can adjust, then bury once you are confident in the layout.
What cutting height should I start with?
High, then lower gradually over several weeks. Robot mowers maintain lawns rather than rescuing them. If your grass is already long, cut it conventionally first.
Do I need to store a robot mower in winter?
Yes — clean it, charge it fully and store it indoors above freezing. The boundary wire stays in the ground.