3 things I wish I knew before buying a robot lawn mower – the biggest lessons I've learned after testing 5 machines this year

I’ve spent the past few months testing a myriad of robot lawn mowers, and it’s safe to say I’ve learned a lot. If you’re thinking about upgrading to a robotic machine, I thought I’d share the things I wish I knew before buying a robot lawn mower.

On my hunt to find the best robot lawn mowers on the market, I’ve learned plenty about setup, space requirements and other factors I simply hadn’t considered before. As a total beginner at the start of the year, I can vouch for their ease of use – but as with any garden tool, there are a few things to be aware of before you welcome a robot mower home.

These are the things I wish I knew before buying a robot lawn mower.

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1. You might need space for a charging station

I thought I’d kick off this list with something I simply hadn’t considered before buying a robot lawn mower: many come with a charging station.

You'll need to make sure you're okay with a semi-permanent garden fixture if you're opting for a machine with a charging station, because they usually come with screws to fix them to the ground. You'll also need to carve out some space in the garden for it, since it'll house the robot when it's not mowing.

If you have the space for a charging station, though, you’ll enjoy incredibly smart gardening. The mower will return to its base after every mow, and with robot mowers like the Segway Navimow i208 LiDAR Robotic Lawn Mower (which I tested last week), you can even set up a mowing schedule. That means the mower is clever enough to do its own thing after setup, and it can even mow your grass at night (it's whisper-quiet!). It’s also really satisfying to watch the mower's smooth return to base.

2. Many robot mowers require a Wi-Fi connection

Another thing I wish I knew before buying a robot lawn mower? Many of them rely on a Wi-fi connection to set up, complete software upgrades and function.

I moved house a couple of months ago, and to my horror, the Wi-Fi connection stopped at the back door. Dealers who come and set the mower up for you, like Husqvarna, always double-check that your garden has an internet connection before they arrive – and now I understand why!

Thankfully, we have a Wi-Fi extender now, which means the connection covers the back garden – but that’s another cost to consider if your internet only spans the house.

That doesn’t mean all robot mowers need Wi-Fi, though. Budget-friendly machines like the Bosch VISIMOW 18V100 Robot Lawn Mower, for example, rely on smart cameras and sensors rather than GPS navigation and internet connection to function. In fact, when I tested the Bosch VISIMOW, I was really impressed at the simple three-button setup.

3. Lawn edges aren't always covered

Even the best lawn mowers on the market often fail to cover those hard-to-reach parts of the lawn – namely, the edges – and that’s something I’ve noticed with many of the robot lawn mowers I’ve tested, too.

In my experience, robot mowers often do leave those signature tufts around the outer edges, and sometimes around stepping stones, too. That’s nothing a cordless strimmer can’t fix – but if you’re after a complete job, it’s worth managing your expectations in that field.

There are workarounds, though. Robot lawn mowers that connect to an app, like the Eufy E15, offer plenty of in-app settings that let you adjust how close your robot cuts to edges. You’ll just need to make sure your mower won’t run the risk of toppling over a raised garden border, for example.

You can also instruct mowers like the Mammotion YUKA Mini 2 1000 to mow specific parts of the lawn – so whenever the mower missed a patch during testing, I simply instructed it to redo that part of the grass.

Many advanced robot mowers have a remote control mode, too, which means you can control the mower yourself (just like you’re playing a video game!), and really target those missed areas.

3 robot lawn mowers I recommend

I'm still learning about robot lawn mowers all the time, but those are the three lessons that stood out to me when I first brought one home. Overall, they're a fantastic investment, and worth the upgrade if you're looking for time-saving, intuitive lawn care.