ROBOT LAWN MOWERS THAT DON’T NEED A PERIMETER WIRE?
The Ambrogio L60 operates without a perimeter wire which means you can have it running out of the box, but there are some limitations you need to understand.
The L60 uses the ZGS Sensor which is able to detect the difference between grass and other ground coverings by measuring the difference in humidity.
Grass has a different humidity level to hard surfaces and once detected the L60 is then prompted to stop and move in a different direction.
It works quite well in a yard that has well defined (non-grass) boundaries of at least 7 inches, or 140mm, but not so well when there are lots of garden beds or water ponds.
It does come with a drop-off sensor for detecting curbs and that requires a curb of at least 5cm and a step down depth of 5cm.
Anything less than that needs to be protected with either paving or arches placed in the ground.
Why Is A Perimeter Wire Needed?
Basically they work better.
And the reason that they work better is they are safer. Having the perimeter wire tells your robot mower where to stop. You don’t want your mower running off into gardens, neighbours yards, or even driveways.
The wire puts a ring around the area that you want mowed, it also guides the mower back to the charging station when the battery is running low.
Perimeter Wires Take Longer To Install?
Installation does take time and most mowers won’t even run until you have the wire installed.
Depending on the size and shape of your lawn it can take anywhere between 1- 4 hrs. You’ll need to do a full inspection of the yard to work out where you need to put your wire.
For best results you should run your wire around the yard pegging lightly to test the wire is in the right place.
Once you’ve done a test run and you’re happy with the placement of the wire, then you’ll need to make the wire installation more permanent.
This is where it’s takes time.
Try not to rush this stage even though you’re keen to see your mower running, you only want to do this once.
Wire vs No Wire
The main reason people don’t want a wire is cause it takes too long to install. But once it’s up and running you’ll soon forget the couple of hours that it took to install.
Don’t be too concerned about what it looks like on your lawn having a wire that runs around the edge.
You can bury the wire just below the surface of the soil, and within a few weeks the grass will have grown over the wire so you’ll never even know it’s there.
One of the other down sides to having a wire is that you might be required to do some repair work on the wire from time to time.
It could be the wire was chewed up by the mower, the dog’s dug it up and chewed on it, or you might need to relocate it if it’s not in the right spot.