Robot Lawn Mower Glossary: Know the Terms, Buy Smarter

Comparing robot lawn mower features might be complicated, so we’ve established a simple terminology to help you make an informed decision—plus, see our Ambrogio Specification Comparison for a complete breakdown.

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Power

Manufacturers state the maximum lawn size for their robots but that is really just a starting point.

This is the theoretical lawn size the robot mower can handle as is sometimes stated with +/- x %. It will normally allow for all the grass to be cut twice a week assuming it runs 7 days a week at the maximum defined schedule – see robot free time.

Measure your lawn to work out the size but then consider consider other factors which will impact this:

Travelling to/ from multiple areas will reduce the time available to mow and hence will reduce the area your mower can cover.
A long thin strip of grass will take longer to mow than a square one of the same area so this will reduce the area your mower can cover.

Most manufacturers will state the battery type (mostly lithium) and the capacity in Amp hours (Ah). The bigger the capacity, the longer it will run…but also the longer it will take to charge and the heavier the mower will be.

Battery capacity degrades over time normally stated in x% degradation over a number of charging cycles – although few manufacturers state these figures.

The amount of time that the mower can mow when it is fully charged and how long it takes to charge.

In theory, so long as the mower will cover your area, it doesn’t matter. In practice, a shorter working time will mean that it needs to make more visits to the base to charge. The more charging visits, the more time it spends getting to/ from the base and the less time cutting…and also the more charging cycles the battery goes through which over the long term will reduce its capacity.

The recharge time varies according to the battery capacity and the power of the charger…the shorter the better.

This gives the best indication of the battery & working times. It is a measure of how much time there will not be a robot on your lawn when working at the maximum area, most importantly, it should include the recharge time and hence is the total time that you schedule your mower to mow…even if it is charging.

Work out when you want to use the garden i.e. with no mower there and then see how the mowers schedule can fit in with this. Remember that the mower can be scheduled to mow overnight (e.g. 9pm – 7am), mow in multiple periods (e.g. 7am – 11am & 6pm – 10pm) and can mow in different areas at different times – so if you want to use one area, you could send it to work in another.

A lot of robot mowers now use brushless motors. The advantages of brushless motors over brushed motors are:

Higher efficiency and performance – i.e. will mow for longer on the same charge
Lower susceptibility to wear – i.e. will last longer
Reduced noise when working – a quieter machine

All Ambrogio mowers now have brushless motors.

Measure your lawn to work out the size but then consider consider other factors which will impact this:

Travelling to/ from multiple areas will reduce the time available to mow and hence will reduce the area your mower can cover.
A long thin strip of grass will take longer to mow than a square one of the same area so this will reduce the area your mower can cover.

Setup/ Control

Robot lawn mowers have become more sophisticated over the past few years and can be controlled via an App, smart assistant and include sensors which help with mowing.

Smaller robots tend to have a keypad and leds which allow simple control functions and feedback and then rely on an App for more functionality.

Larger robots tend to have a screen for further control – a touchscreen is usually easier.

If you are using an App then you may need to connect over bluetooth (i.e. within 10m from the mower) or if the mower has a mobile Sim them you can connect over the internet (so long as the mower has coverage).

Whilst you will normally be setting up the mower when you are in the garden (i.e. within bluetooth range), internet connectivity will allow you to receive feedback from the mower when you are away from home and let you have limited control over the mower. Internet connectivity combined with GPS is a security feature to track your mower wherever it is.

All Ambrogio models use the Ambrogio App, the Deluxe models are bluetooth only the rest have internet connectivity (The L400 Deluxe also has internet connectivity).

If your mower has GPS then it can be used for tracking the mower (security) and improving its cutting performance.

Ambrogio robot mowers use the GPS for:

Smart Cutting – which allows the mower to keep a map of where it has mowed so it can concentrate on areas it hasn’t mowed in the last 3 days.
Finding its way back to the base without using a wire
Setting a geofence – a circular area around your garden which it will alert you if it goes outside.

All Ambrogio Elite models have GPS as does the QUAD and the L400 Deluxe).

Whilst a robot mower can cut in the rain, it can lead to a build up of grass on the cover. We normally advise people to not cut when it rains unless they need to i.e. the grass is growing particularly fast or it just keeps raining!

All the Ambrogio models (apart from the L60) have a rain sensor which you can set in the App to either go back to the base or keep mowing when it senses rain.

There is no point in sending your mower out to cut the grass if it is not growing.

Eco mode senses when the blade is not cutting any grass and after a period will tell the mower to go back to base. Sounds good? In theory it is good, in practice it is helpful if all your grass grows at the same rate.

On Ambrogios, you can turn this off if you have uneven grass growth otherwise it may find no grass to cut in one part of your lawn whilst there is longer grass in another part.

With more homes have smart assistants (Alexia, Google etc.), more manufacturers have developed integrations to the smart assistant to allow you to send commands via them.

Ambrogios integrate with both Google Home and Alexia.

Cutting System

When you start digging further and comparing models from different manufacturers then another area to look at is the cutting systems.

Your garden may be physically divided up into different areas which the mower can move between (commonly back and front garden). Alternatively, your garden may have a narrowing between different areas which would hinder the mower going between the areas during normal mowing.

In both these cases, we would set these up as different areas. In order for the mower to navigate between the areas, it needs a passageway of at least 70cms width.

Our smaller mowers can cater for up to 4 areas, the larger up to 8 areas.

The cutting width is the width the mower will cut in one pass i.e. the blade diameter. The bigger the blade the more power it needs to spin the blade at the necessary speed to give a clean cut.

Cutting height is a measurement of the height from the bottom of the wheels to the bottom of the blade. Remember that the wheels will have grass under them as it mows rather than be on the soil.

Most mowers have adjustable heights which are either at set heights i.e. 30, 40, 50 mm or totally adjustable between the upper and lower height.

Ambrogio models are totally adjustable apart from the L60 which has a spacer to adjust it from the higher to lower height.

On some models you adjust the height from the App (automatic) on others you adjust it manually moving the cutting head up/ down.

As a guide, 25mm would be a very close cut, most lawns are normally cut around 40-45mms. Remember that the point of a robot mower is to maintain a consistent length of grass so start high and lower it until it gets to short (slight browning) and then raise it a bit.

Mower blades come in many different configurations. Some manufacturers use individually replaceable razor blade type blades, others a more standard star blade.

The +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).

Traditionally, robot mowers move around the garden in a straight line. When they encounter the perimeter wire, they turn and start mowing at a random angle to the wire. The randomness ensures that over time, the mower covers the lawn completely. The downside of this approach is that the mower will be mowing grass that it cut previously and hence this reduces its coverage.

Smart cutting is where the robot mower uses additional technology to minimise the amount of lawn that it cuts more than once in a given period.

Ambrogio’s approach is to create a virtual map of your garden using its GPS and divides it up into squares – see the +INFINITY video above for more details.

When the mower enters a square, it checks if the area has been fully mown recently (last 3 days), if it has, the robot continues to mow through the square, if it hasn’t, it cuts the square in a spiral and then moves on.

The intelligent cutting improves coverage over the traditional random cutting pattern by about 30%.

Slope

Most manufacturers quote a figure for the slope a mower can handle but to understand what that means, you need to dig further as the slope depends on the conditions and where the mower is on the lawn. Most manufacturers quote a percentage figure rather than a number of degrees as it is easier to measure.

To find the percentage slope, you can use a spirit level app (use a plank of wood to rest your phone on) or work it out your self: percentage slope = increase in height / distance measured i.e. stand on your lawn if you are 1.75m tall, and when you look at your lawn straight ahead (i.e. horizontally) your eyes fix on a point on the lawn that is 5m ahead of you, the slope would be 100 x 1.75/5 = 35% (multiply by 100 to give you the percentage) – this is an approximation as your eyes are not at the top of your head and when you measure the distance ahead you’ll be measuring it on a slope not horizontally.

You do not need to be very accurate unless you find that your approximation is close to the maximum for a mower. Some mowers allow you to add ‘spikes’ to the wheels which give it greater grip, these can be provided by the manufacturer or a third-party add-on.

This is the maximum slope that the robot can manage away from the perimeter wire under good conditions – it should not be exceeded. This figure may be reduced if the lawn is slippery, bumpy or has limited grass coverage. Spikes can be used to improve the chance that this figure can be met.

This is the maximum slope that the robot can manage on away from the perimeter wire under ‘normal’ conditions.

If you have a greater slope than this, you may find that the mower starts to slip and it will normally treat it as an obstacle and turn away and later come at it from another angle.

This is the maximum slope that the robot can manage on or very near (within 0.5m) the perimeter wire.

This is less than the max slope as the mower needs to slow down and turn at the perimeter wire and hence this is where it needs most grip .

If you have a greater slope than this at the wire, you may find that the inertia of the mower may cause it to go outside the wire or slip when turning.

Most robot mowers have two driven rear wheels with a separate motor for each wheel. The front wheels are like castors i.e. they can swivel in any direction.

In order to turn the mower, rather than steering with the front wheels, the rear wheels rotate at different speeds and point the mower in a different direction.

In order to increase the amount of grip, a small number of mowers power all four wheels giving the mower four wheeled drive (4WD). This can significantly increase the steepness of the slopes that a mower can handle, especially when turning at the perimeter wire. This is used on the Ambrogio 4WD mowers (4.0 4WD & 4.36 4WD) and the Husqvarna AWD mower.

Security

Security relates to anti-theft controls as well as the security/ well-being of people/ animals who may be near the mower.

Whilst the theft of robot lawn mowers is rare you should ensure that they are covered under your insurance.

Most of the Ambrogio range is trackable and its functions turned off by the manufacturer in the case of theft but that does not mean a thief will know this – we put a sticker on our mowers as an extra deterrent.

There are a number anti-theft measures but the most common are listed below.

A pin may be required to turn on or turn off the mower. This could be entered on the mower itself or on an App connected to the mower. If the mower is already turned on, without the pin entered, the tracker will remain operational.

This uses the mobile connectivity of the mower and its GPS so that you know where your mower is at any time. The tracking can’t be turned off without a pin or removing the main modules from the mower which would be very costly to replace.

The geofence is an invisible perimeter that is set around your garden. When the mower goes outside of this perimeter, you are notified via the App.

Features

Weight, size, noise level, and warranty are all important considerations when selecting the best robotic lawn mower for your needs, assuring maximum performance and value.

The heavier a mower is, the more likely it is to mark your lawn when the ground is soft but remember a robot mower still weighs considerably less than a conventional mower.

The smaller a robot is, the more manoeuvrable it will be, however if you have a uneven lawn then a physically bigger mower (with larger wheels) will cope with the lumps and bumps better.

In general, try and go for the smallest mower you can that will cope with your lawn.

Most robot mowers are in the range of 50-60 dB about the same volume as normal conversation. Petrol mowers are mostly in the range 90-100 dB.

Remember that the level of noise decreases as you get further away – doubling the distance decreases the measured noise 6dB so a 54db mower that is 1m away will be the same as a 60dB mower at 2m (assuming they are measured the same way).

Most robot mowers come with a warranty that is valid for a certain number of years but excludes items which are deemed to be normal wear and tear e.g. blades.

The number of year the warranty covers varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and also between models for the same manufacturer.

There may also be a limit based on the number of hours that the mower has been used for.

As with all products you buy, read the small print to be sure what is covered.

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"This is a brilliant company and I highly recommend them to anyone whom is thinking of buying a robot mower Paul is a gem and a really helpful guy that answers your questions very promptly So so pleased my Ambrogio, my lawn has never looked better"

Johnnie

"We have had an excellent ongoing support from Paul. The Robot Mower were the only company to suggest a way of extending the power cable from the house to the charge point, and to help with sourcing... We then purchased because of the presales support and have had excellent aftercare."

Ronald Duncan

"Having decided I wanted a robotic lawn mower, I spoke over the ‘phone to Paul, to discuss the available options according to the size of my lawn. He was very knowledgable and I decided on the model to suit my needs. I made the order on the website and three days later it arrived by DPD carrier. An excellent service from start to finish. Very pleased with the mower and it is fascinating watching it work."

Peter Edwards

"Can’t recommend the robot mower us enough. Paul helped me out on a bank holiday weekend and all i did was ask a question about my mower that wasn’t bought from them. Great service fantastic help in my hour of need. Highly highly recommend them"

Cormac

"Excellent service. The mower was ordered, delivered and installed within a week."

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Robot Lawn Mower Glossary: Know the Terms, Buy Smarter

Learn More About Key Terms

Power

Maximum lawn size

Battery

Average working/ recharge time

Robot free time

Motor type

Maximum lawn size

Homeowners trust us, and our results prove it

Real customers, real results: Learn why homeowners love our robot mowers!

Johnnie

Ronald Duncan

Peter Edwards

Cormac

Claire Shann

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