How to set up a robot lawn mower: dock, mapping and first cuts

Setting up a robot mower takes anywhere from a few minutes to a weekend, depending on how it navigates. This guide walks through the steps every type shares, then the extra jobs for wired, RTK, camera and LiDAR mowers, using each manufacturer's own installation rules. It's for a new mower; if you're bringing one back out after winter, see our spring start-up guide. Checked 22 October 2026.

By Domestic Robot · Editor: Christian Ganaban · Updated 22 October 2026

Researched, not testedThis guide is based on manufacturer information, Australian retailer listings and independent sources, all linked below. We haven't used these robots ourselves yet.

Quick answer

Before the mower arrives, cut the lawn to about 5 cm with a normal mower if it's long, clear sticks and toys, and plan where the charging station goes: on level ground, near a weatherproof outdoor power point, with clear space in front (Husqvarna asks for 3 m on wired installs and 6 m on its wire-free ones; eufy 5 m). RTK mowers also need their antenna in open sky, about 2–3 m from walls and trees. Then charge it, update the firmware, set a PIN, and map the lawn: by driving the edge with the app, letting it auto-map, or laying a boundary wire. Start with a high cutting height and lower it gradually. If you need a new outdoor power point, that's a job for a licensed electrician.

Step 1: prepare the lawn

Mow it short first. TechRadar suggests cutting grass over about 8 cm down to around 5 cm with a regular mower before the robot starts; Husqvarna says the first robot mow should be when grass is 5–7 cm. eufy lists 9 cm as the maximum grass height for its E15, and Mammotion's auto-mapping needs grass under 10 cm.
Clear the lawn of sticks, toys, hoses and dog bones, and fill holes that could trap a wheel.
Check the edges. Raised garden edges, steps down to paths and pond edges are where robots get stuck or fall. Plan no-go zones or barriers for them.

Step 2: choose the dock position

This is the decision that's hardest to change later: on RTK mowers, moving the dock or reference station usually means remapping (Mammotion, ECOVACS). Manufacturers' rules:

Brand	Dock placement rules
Husqvarna, boundary wire	Level ground, near power, central to the lawn (lower part if a slope splits it); 3 m clear in front, 1.5 m either side of centre, 60 cm behind; shade from direct sun; away from metal edging and rebar
Husqvarna, EPOS wire-free	At least 6 m clear in front and a clear view of the sky at the dock; can sit outside the lawn with a transport path
Segway Navimow	At least 2 m from trees and walls, out of shade, on flat ground; about 0.5 m clear each side and 2 m in front
eufy (E15, C15)	At least 5 m of straight path in front; keep the cable 30 cm off the ground; peg on lawn or glue on hard surfaces
ECOVACS GOAT	40 cm clear each side, 2 m in front, not in a narrow passage, grass around it under 6 cm, within 7 m of the lawn

From each manufacturer's installation guide or support page (ECOVACS from its European help centre), checked 22 October 2026. Husqvarna advises not fixing the station down until the setup has been tested.

Wi-Fi matters too: Husqvarna says Wi-Fi-only models need the dock within Wi-Fi range for firmware updates, and Navimow says weak Wi-Fi delays maps and network RTK corrections. Test your phone's signal at the dock spot before you commit.

Step 3: power

Most docks plug into a normal power point through an outdoor power supply. If you don't have a weatherproof outdoor power point near the dock, have one installed: in Australia electrical work, even changing a power point, is illegal unless you're licensed (Energy Safe Victoria), and the wiring rules require 30 mA RCD (safety switch) protection on residential circuits. Use the cable supplied, keep the power supply out of a sealed box (Husqvarna warns against enclosing it), and run the cable where it won't be mown over. Expert Reviews found the eufy C15's plug bulky enough to be knocked out of an outdoor socket, so check how the plug sits in yours.

Step 4: RTK antenna or reference station (RTK mowers only)

RTK mowers fix their position from satellites, corrected by a local antenna or a network service. The antenna needs a wide view of the sky:

Segway Navimow: more than 110° of open sky, at least about 2 m from walls, dense trees, houses and fences; it can go on a roof or wall on small or crowded lawns, using an extension cable. The mower won't leave the dock while its light ring shows poor signal.
Mammotion: at least as far from a wall, roof or tree as the obstacle is tall (a 45° line), at least 3 m from walls and trees, 5 m from big glass walls or metal such as iron-sheet walls, and away from building corners. Wall and roof mounts are available.
ECOVACS GOAT: more than 2 m from walls and large trees, nothing overhead, upright and on firm ground.

Network RTK services, such as Mammotion's iNavi, skip the antenna where there's coverage, but need 4G or Wi-Fi across the whole lawn. Mammotion says iNavi is available in Australia and expanding; we couldn't confirm Navimow's network RTK coverage here. Camera-only (eufy) and LiDAR mowers (MOVA, Mammotion's LiDAR models) don't need an antenna. Not sure which type suits your yard? See RTK vs vision vs LiDAR.

Step 5 (wired mowers): lay the boundary wire

Husqvarna's Australian guide sets the distance from the edge by what's there:

Obstacle at the lawn edge	Wire distance from it
Path or edge under 1 cm high (mower can drive onto it)	10 cm
Flower bed or low edge, 1–3.5 cm	30 cm
Wall, fence or anything over 3.5 cm	35 cm

Peg the wire along its whole length or bury it 1–20 cm deep. Run a guide wire straight out from the dock for 2 m, at least 30 cm from the boundary wire; it helps the mower find home and get through passages, which can be as narrow as 60 cm. Don't run the boundary across slopes steeper than 15% on most models: start it 20–35 cm before the slope. Husqvarna's small kit (150 m wire, 300 pegs) suits about 800 m² of open lawn or 400 m² of complex lawn. Many buyers pay a dealer to install it; Husqvarna doesn't publish an Australian install price. Our Automower 305 review covers what a wired setup involves.

Step 6: first charge, app and security

Charge it fully. Navimow says to charge to 100% before the first installation.
Install the app and pair over Bluetooth, then Wi-Fi or 4G. eufy suggests a phone hotspot for setup if Wi-Fi is weak.
Update the firmware before mapping. Navimow says to have at least 20% charge and a stable connection.
Change the PIN. Husqvarna's factory PIN is 0000 or 1234 depending on model, and it asks you to change it during setup; some MOVA mowers arrive locked until you enter the PIN. Turn on the lift alarm and any GPS tracking; our theft guide explains each option.

Step 7: map the lawn

Wire-free mowers map in one of two ways:

Drive the edge with the app. You steer the mower around the boundary with an on-screen joystick (or walk it, with Navimow's guided walk) and close the loop where you started. Roborock and Mammotion both work this way. It's slower but better on complex lawns.
Automatic mapping. eufy's E15 auto-maps; eufy says setup takes about 5 minutes and mapping about 3–4 hours for 800 m². Mammotion's auto-mapping suits neat, level lawns with clear edges. MOVA offers both, but PCWorld found its auto-mapping wandered off a complex lawn and fell off a raised edge, so it switched to manual.

Then add no-go zones (garden beds, a trampoline, the dog's water bowl) and channels between separate lawns. Mowing the front and back? Our multi-zone guide explains how each brand links them. Navimow quotes 30 minutes to 2 hours for an i-series installation.

Step 8: settings for the first weeks

Start at a high cutting height and lower it gradually: Husqvarna suggests the highest setting, dropping one step a week over 6–8 weeks, and never taking more than a third of the leaf at a time. Schedule mowing in daylight on dry grass, turn on rain delay if your mower has it (ECOVACS defaults to 3 hours after rain stops), and watch the first few runs to catch stuck spots. Grass-by-grass heights are in our buffalo, couch and kikuyu guide; rain settings are in robot mowers in rain and winter.

Common setup problems

Problem	What manufacturers and testers suggest
Weak RTK signal; mower won't leave the dock	Move the antenna higher or further from walls and trees; check the cable for pet damage; update firmware (Navimow). Moving the station usually means remapping.
Lost connection in parts of the yard	Add a Wi-Fi extender or mesh node, or use 4G (Navimow, eufy)
Mower slides or stops near the boundary on a slope	Keep the boundary off slopes over the mower's edge limit; Husqvarna also suggests a barrier of at least 15 cm where a slope borders a road
Gets stuck in a narrow side passage	Check the mower's minimum passage width; Husqvarna's is 60 cm with a guide wire. Don't put the dock in the passage (ECOVACS)
Camera mower misses edges or mows oddly	Check lighting and grass height; Expert Reviews found angling the eufy C15's base diagonally made it mow diagonally

Common questions

How long does it take to set up a robot mower?

It depends on the type. eufy says its E15 takes about 5 minutes to set up and 3–4 hours to auto-map 800 m². Navimow quotes 30 minutes to 2 hours for its i-series. A boundary-wire installation can take a day or more, which is why many buyers pay a dealer.

Where should I put the charging station?

On level ground near a weatherproof power point, with clear space in front (3–6 m for Husqvarna, 5 m for eufy, 2 m for Navimow and ECOVACS). RTK mowers also need open sky over the dock or antenna.

Do I need an electrician to install a robot mower?

Only if you need a new outdoor power point. Electrical work is illegal in Australia unless you're licensed; plugging the supplied power supply into an existing outdoor point is fine.

Should I mow the lawn before a robot mower starts?

Yes, if it's long. TechRadar suggests cutting grass over about 8 cm down to around 5 cm first; eufy and Mammotion list maximum grass heights of 9–10 cm for mapping.

Can I move the dock after mapping?

On RTK mowers, moving the dock or reference station usually means remapping, according to Mammotion and ECOVACS. Choose the spot carefully before you start.

Sources

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