What installation day actually looks like
Wire pegging, base station placement, the first map, and the mistakes people make in the first week.
Updated September 12, 2026 · 5 min read · By Yard Truth
Wire mowers
Lay the wire around the perimeter and around beds, pegging it every couple of feet, keeping the manufacturer's distance from edges so the mower does not fall off curbs. Plan the guide wire from the charging station to the far end of the lawn. A simple lawn takes two hours; a lawn with islands takes an afternoon. Cut the grass short first so the wire sits low and grows over within weeks.
RTK mowers
Place the base station with the clearest view of the sky, plugged in and out of the way; a fence post or eave with open sky is ideal. Then walk or drive the mower around the lawn edge with the app to record the boundary, add no-go zones around beds and the pool, and define corridors between areas. Set the boundary a little inside the true edge on the first pass; you can widen it once you trust it.
Vision mowers
Fastest of all: charge, walk the edge once with the app in most cases, and let it learn. Watch the first few runs at boundaries that look like grass but are not.
Corridors, islands and no-go zones
Every system needs three things drawn or wired: the outer boundary, islands around beds, trees and the pool, and corridors between separate areas. Do islands generously on the first day; a mower that can drive into a flower bed will. Corridors should be as straight and as wide as the space allows, and should not pass over a step or a curb. Most apps let you set a different cutting height and schedule per area, which is worth doing if the front lawn is on show and the back is not.
First-week mistakes
Leaving the charging station in full sun (batteries hate heat), running the mower in the rain on day one, forgetting to remove hoses and toys, and setting the blade too low. Set the cutting height high, lower it over two weeks, and the lawn adjusts.
Questions people ask
- Do I need a professional installer?
- Not for RTK or vision. For wire on a complex lawn, an installer saves a day and gets the guide wire right.
- Can the base station go in the garage?
- Only if the antenna is outside with clear sky. Inside a building it will not lock.
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