Robot Mowers - Frequently Asked Questions
These are the questions that we get asked most frequently. If you have a question that is not covered, ask it on the Forum or Contact Us and we’ll answer it. If it’s a good question, we’ll add it to the list and give you 5% off your next purchase.
Trying to decide on the best robot lawn mower for you? Have a look at our guide to choosing the right mower.

Can I still create stripes in the lawn with a robot lawn mower?
How often does a robot lawn mower mow?
What does a robot mower do with the cut grass?
How do you make sure that a robot mower does not mow the flowers?
Does a robot mower mean no more grass cutting?
How does a robot mower cope if I have a front and back garden or a path between 2 lawns?
- The manufacturer will state the area the robot will cover. You can’t say that you have two 600 sq. m. lawns but you’ll use a 600 sq. m. mower and move it between the lawns every other day. You have 1200 sq. m. so you need to buy a mower that handles that…..sorry! Use our measure my lawn page to find out.
- Each mower will say how many areas it can cover, our mowers cover between 2 and 8 areas (e.g. the L35 Deluxe)
- The perimeter wire needs to enclose all the areas in a complete loop. Where the mower goes from one area to another, it needs a corridor to follow (all the Ambrogios need a 1m corridor). You need to be able to lay the perimeter wire along the corridor (i.e. not solid concrete) and the robot needs to be able to grip (i.e. not shingle).
How does a robot mower cope with rain, soft ground and the winter?
How does a robot mower cope with leaves?
Can I have a robot mower if I have pets?
We have a black labrador. When she first saw it, she barked at it when it went past but after half an hour, she just ignored it – now she barely notices it.
We also have horses in neighbouring fields, their initial nervousness soon disappeared, now it’s funny to watch them stand there and follow it with their heads.
If you are concerned, we do offer a unique solution, the Amico tag. This stops the blades turning when it approaches your pet .
As for their poo, if you don’t manage to pick it up in time, it’s still better than a normal lawnmower since the chances of the wheels running over it are less as the wheels aren’t as big as a lawnmower and there is no roller – it won’t stop the machine running.
Does a robot mower need power all the time or can I charge it up and put it out?
Can a robot mower be used on a garden that has slopes?
Can a robot mower be used in a garden that has trees?
Can I install a robot mower myself?
How do I decide which is the most appropriate robot mower for my garden?
- The area you need to mow – you can use our Measure My Lawn page to measure or have a site survey.
- How many areas you need to mow – Areas are connected lawns which the mower can move between.
- How much time do you want to be ‘robot free’ – e.g. if you only want your robot to mow overnight, you need to ensure that it will cover the area within the hours of darkness.
Do robot mowers get stolen?
What happens if the perimeter wire of my robot mower gets broken?
Does a robot mower need to be covered when not in use?
Is a robot mower expensive?
The initial purchase and installation cost
Robot mowers are generally more expensive than traditional electric or petrol powered mowers although for large gardens, they can be cheaper than a ride on mower that covers a similar area.
The cost of your time (or maybe your gardener’s time)
This is where the big saving is found. If you have a gardener, how much do they cost – £20-£30 an hour in our area.
If you mow the lawn yourself, how much do you value your time and if you had that extra time, what would you do with it…probably other household jobs but that’s another story. Apparently we spend on average 2 months of our lives mowing.
The cost of fuel
Robot mowers cost approx £20 – £40 per year to run, that wouldn’t run your petrol mower for long!
Cost to the environment
In the US, it was reported that petrol mowers represent Petrol mowers 5% of U.S. air pollution. Hopefully it has decreased since that report but it is still significant.
Key Features of Robot Mowers
Robotic Mowers have been in use for over 20 years and although we do not seen them very often in the UK are very prevalent in mainland Europe.
Ambrogio is celebrating it’s 20th anniversary as a robot mower manufacturer this year. Although there are a number of makes available, most work on the same principles and have similar features. When one maker introduces some new feature, other makes will follow and with the ability to update the software on the mower remotely on a lot of machines, it all happens fairly seamlessly.
I have endeavoured below to outline the key features, what they mean and if they matter. It doesn’t matter if you end up buying an Ambrogio, Robomow, Hasqvarna or other make, make sure that you understand what it’s features are if you need them.
Lawn Size
Most manufacturers will quote the maximum lawn size that a model can cope with but what does that really mean. It is usually based on the maximum performance of the batteries, but there are other considerations to consider:
- Complexity of lawn – the more complex the lawn, the longer the mower will take to mow it.
- Number of areas – if you have a number of connected areas, it may take longer for the robot to get to an area (or back again) which will increase the amount of time it is travelling (not cutting) and hence reduce the cutting time.
- How much time do you want with a robot free lawn – some manufacturers work out the maximum size lawn assuming that your robot will mow 24 hours a day (including charging time). The reality is that the amount of time required to cut your lawn will vary through the growing season but do consider how much robot free time you want.
Self-installation

You can install your robot and base station yourself.
Remember that you will need somewhere to plug it in and the power supply unit needs to be protected from sun and rain.
If you have a large amount of perimeter wire to lay, it can be a back-breaking job so it may be worth asking about a professional installation.
Security
Although it is possible to have your docking station inside an out-building, it is not practical in the majority of the cases. Even if you can manage this, your mower will still be outside for a large amount of the time mowing.
Most models have features which will deter anyone who takes a liking to your mower:
- Geofencing – this will notify you if the mower goes outside of a pre-set area
- Tilt/ lift alarm – this will sound if the mower is picked up
Whilst these are deterrents, always check your house insurance to ensure that your mower is covered. I found that whilst a number of insurance companies didn’t even know what a robot mower was and why you would want to leave it outside, it was fairly easy to get cover. Have a look at our blog about insurance.
Cutting Height
Whilst it is possible to change the cutting height remotely on the 4.0 Elite and 4.36 Elite, on the rest of the models it is manual. Having previously used a traditional mower where I changed the height according to where I was mowing and how frequently I mowed, I wondered if that would be a problem?
As the mower cuts the lawn frequently, the grass stays a fairly consistent length so there is no reason to adjust it. The only time that I have changed the cutting height is at the beginning of the season where I had to start mowing with a high cutting height as the grass was long and gradually reduce it. The perfect solution would be to install the mower before the season starts and start cutting early…life isn’t always perfect. The other thing I found was that as the robot mower is much lighter than a traditional mower, it is possible to mower earlier in the season when the ground is too soft for a traditional mower.
Cutting Edge Technology
The mower uses the built in GPS to record where it has mown as it goes. It uses this information to feed into it’s advanced algorithms , allows the robot to create virtual maps of your garden dividing it up into small areas (Smart Partitions – about 2m squares). As the mower passes through a square, it checks if the area has been fully mown recently, if it has, the robot continues to mow through the area. If it enters a square which has not been mown recently, it changes mode to cut in Spiral Cutting Mode pattern until the square is fully cut and then moves on. With Satellite Dynamic Memory (SDM) , Ambrogio mowers benefit from the improved coverage of a random cutting pattern, paired with the greater efficiency of focused, time saving, systematic navigation.
The ZCS Connect feature allows you to connect and interact with the robot from your smartphone or tablet. The Ambrogio Remote App allows you to check where your robot is, tell it to mow in a different area, monitor it’s status and receive alerts. All this can be done from anywhere in the world , giving you the peace of mind that your lawn will always be looking it’s best.
Spiral cutting

+INFINITYSYSTEM
The new +INFINITYSYSTEM available on the Ambrogio range, allows you to run multiple mowers in the same area. Each mower maintains a map of the area to be mown and shares this with the other mowers on the lawn so that they don’t mow the same area.
This allows you to increase the area that can be mown (up to 20 acres) , decrease the amount of time taken, or both.
The mowers don’t even need to be the same model. So if you increase the size of your garden (maybe add a paddock to your garden), you can just add a new mower.
Just look for the +InfinitySystem sign on the mowers (all mowers that mow 3500 m² and above).


Warranty
All our mowers come with a minimum of 2 years manufacturer’s warranty. Some mowers (the 4.0 Elite and the 4.36 Elite) come with an additional 4 years.
To be covered by the warranty, all you need to do is follow the instructions and have an annual service (usually in the winter). The Robot Mower is an authorised Ambrogio Service agent – have a look at all the services we offer.

Additional things to consider
There are a lot of advantages of having a robot mower but there are a number of things to consider which may not be obvious, I’ve tried to make a list below but if you have any other questions, feel free to contact us:
What happens if I have leaves or twigs/ branches on the lawn
As the robot mower does not pick up grass, it will not come as a surprise that it does not pick up leaves either. With a fixed mower blade, the mower will shred the leaves which will then blow away in the wind …remember as it cuts little and often, the number of leaves between mowings should be small. For twigs/ branches, then it’s best to pick them up, same as for a normal mower, although I’ve found that as I’ve got more time to look after the garden, it’s not a problem.
How does it cope with rabbit holes etc.
Unfortunately, we have rabbits in our garden so it was one of my concerns. I’ve found that it will cope with most small holes in the garden, either by navigating it’s way over them or by sensing them as an obstacle and turning around. Having said that, the best solution is to fill them in…easier said than done. The other thing that can happen is that an animal may break the perimeter cable. I was worried about this with rabbits but have only found it an issue with bigger animals e.g. deer (once last season). There are 2 options, you can either just fix the break after it has happened, it’s not difficult as connectors are available and the break is usually fairly easy to find or install a thicker cable which is more animal proof.
Are all gardens suitable
Although not all gardens are suitable for a robot mower, most should be although it may be worth having a survey if you have any doubts. We may find that you need to employ some if the clever ‘tricks’ that Ambrogio provides to get round complex areas in the most efficient manner.
I have found that I have changed a few areas over time e.g. adding a raised border around an existing flower bed to improve things but that’s just to make my life easier.
What happens if I change the layout of my garden
If you need to change the perimeter of the garden then, it’s not a problem. I usually walk the perimeter after installation and take a video so I know exactly where the perimeter cable is. If I have to change anything, I can go back to the video and work out where the wire is. Then it’s just a case of digging down to the wire, pulling out the section that needs to be moved and then reconnecting a new section. If it’s a small section then you can just peg in back to the ground and let nature bury it over time.