Wire-Free Robot Mowers: RTK, Camera or LiDAR

Wire-Free, but Not Without Conditions

A wire-free robot mower does not need a cable laid around the lawn. Boundaries are drawn in an app, or the robot finds them with a camera. In the robot lawn mowers category 21 of the 25 garden models work this way, as does the professional Husqvarna CEORA. Dropping the wire does not mean dropping requirements. Each positioning system has its conditions: RTK needs sky, a camera needs light, and LiDAR needs distinct objects around the lawn. This article explains how they work, where they struggle and which catalogue model uses which approach. We checked prices on 10 October 2026, the Navimow X4 price a day earlier.

RTK-GNSS: Position From Satellites Plus Corrections

A satellite receiver on its own, like the one in a phone, is not accurate enough to steer a mower along a flower bed. RTK (real-time kinematic) solves this by comparing with a second receiver whose position is known. That reference point calculates corrections and sends them to the robot. Husqvarna quotes an accuracy of about 2 cm for its EPOS system in the professional Husqvarna CEORA 546 EPOS. Lawn boundaries are drawn in the app and the robot mows along the stored map.

Your own reference station. An antenna or station is mounted in the garden in a spot with a good view of the sky. This is how the STIGA A 4 and STIGA A 1500 work, both supplied with a GPS reference antenna, and the ECOVACS GOAT O800 RTK with its reference station. You have to choose a good mounting spot, and if the garden is rebuilt the station may need to move.

Network RTK (corrections from a network or cloud). There is no antenna; corrections arrive over the internet. The Segway Navimow i205 AWD uses network RTK, and Segway says access to it and mobile data are included in the price. Mammotion ships the Mammotion LUBA mini 2 AWD 1000 with a 4G module and three years of data. Worx's Vision Cloud range, the Worx Landroid Vision Cloud AI RTK V-SLAM WR365E and WR312E, takes its corrections from the cloud. Husqvarna's Husqvarna Automower 308V and 310E NERA use the EPOS system with free cloud corrections but require Wi-Fi coverage across the whole lawn; where it is missing, you need to buy an Automower Connect kit or an EPOS RS1 station. According to STIGA, the STIGA A 10v needs no reference antenna, and connectivity and navigation are free for 10 years. The GARDENA smart SILENO free 1500 m² also manages without antennas but needs a good internet connection.

Where RTK struggles. House walls, tall hedges and tree crowns block part of the sky and reflect the signal. GARDENA states that its RTK robot needs good satellite reception, so conditions near buildings and trees should be checked before buying. A narrow passage between the house and a fence is often the hardest spot, because the sky is blocked from two sides. That is why most RTK robots also carry a camera, and Worx relies on V-SLAM in shade and when the signal is weak.

Camera: Recognising Grass and Obstacles

A camera with image-recognition software tells grass apart from paving, flower beds and obstacles. The Bosch VISIMOW18V-100 is the only model that uses it as its sole navigation system. It needs no wire, RTK antennas or beacons and mows lawns of up to 100 m² in a random pattern. That is a simple, cheap answer for a small garden, but without a map and without planned stripes.

In the other models the camera works together with RTK or LiDAR: Segway calls this VisionFence (a 140° camera), Worx uses a stereo camera and the Navimow X4 a 360° camera with ToF sensors. A camera needs light. Husqvarna states plainly that the 308V's vision functions do not work after dark.

LiDAR: A Map Built by Laser

LiDAR measures distances with a laser beam and builds a map of the surroundings from them: trees, walls, fences. The robot fixes its position relative to these objects, so it does not depend on satellites. Makers stress operation under trees and next to buildings, and for the ECOVACS GOAT O1200 and Navimow i215 also after dark.

Catalogue models with LiDAR plus camera: the Mammotion YUKA mini 2 1000 (a 360° LiDAR with a 60 m range and two AI cameras), the ECOVACS GOAT O1200 LiDAR PRO, the Segway Navimow i215 LiDAR, the Dreame A2 2000, the ECOVACS GOAT A3000 LiDAR PRO and the Dreame A3 AWD Pro 2500. The limitation follows from the principle: LiDAR orients itself by surrounding objects, so on a large, empty lawn it has fewer of them in range. For that kind of plot, ask the seller about operating conditions.

Hybrids: LiDAR and RTK Together

The most expensive models combine both position sources. The Segway Navimow H210 has a solid-state 3D LiDAR, network RTK and a camera; when the satellite signal weakens near buildings or under trees, it can rely on the LiDAR. The Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 3000 combines a 360° LiDAR, network RTK and two AI cameras. That redundancy costs money: PLN 7,499 (≈ EUR 1,720) and PLN 11,606 (≈ EUR 2,650).

Narrow Passages

Some makers state the minimum passage width the robot can get through. The YUKA mini 2 fits through 55 cm, the GOAT O800 needs 0.7 m, the GOAT O1200 0.8 m and the GOAT A3000 90 cm. With RTK, it also matters whether there is open sky above the passage.

Systems and Prices at a Glance

Gross prices from one offer per model. Navimow X4: X420 version, price from 9 October 2026. The full list of models with area and slope is in “How to Choose a Robot Lawn Mower (2026)”.

Which System for Which Garden

An open lawn away from tall buildings is the natural home for RTK, network-based or with your own station. A garden with large trees and narrow passages beside the house is better served by LiDAR or a hybrid. A lawn of up to 100 m² fits the range of a camera-only robot. On steep ground, drive matters as much as navigation, which we cover in “Robot Lawn Mower for Slopes”. Examples for specific gardens are in “Which Robot Lawn Mower for My Garden”, and purchase and running costs in “Robot Lawn Mower Prices in Poland (2026)”. All garden robots: gardens.