RTK vs LiDAR vs Camera Robot Mowers

Boundary wire

A wired mower follows a low-voltage loop that you lay around the lawn edge. It does not need sky or Wi-Fi to stay inside the lawn. The cost is installation. Husqvarna's manual says to keep guide wires at least 30 cm (12 in) from the boundary wire. One review site notes that a break from an aerator, shovel or dog means hunting for the fault.

Wire suits stable properties where the layout will not change. Moving a border later means re-laying wire.

RTK GPS with a base antenna

RTK stands for real-time kinematic positioning. Wikipedia says it provides up to centimeter-level accuracy. A fixed base station rebroadcasts what it sees, and the rover compares its own readings with the base.

Setup centers on the antenna. One RTK mower's manual says the station must be in an open area, with obstructions at least 5 m (16 ft) away. It says to avoid L-shaped building corners and areas under trees. Another manual says to keep the mapped boundary within 80 m of the reference station. Large glass walls and water cause reflections, so that manual wants the station at least 5 m from them.

Network RTK

Network RTK takes corrections from a regional network over the internet, so you do not install a base. Wikipedia says network RTK extends RTK over a larger area using a network of reference stations. It adds that reliability depends on the density and capability of that network.

The mower still needs its own sky view and a cellular link. A review site makes the same point: corrections arrive over 4G, but the mower's receiver still needs sky view.

LiDAR

LiDAR measures distance with laser pulses. Wikipedia describes range as found from the time between transmitted and backscattered pulses and says the technology is widely used in robotics for simultaneous localization and mapping. A mower with LiDAR builds a map of nearby objects and does not depend on satellites.

That helps under canopy and beside walls. One review site says LiDAR works under canopy, beside walls and at night, with setup done by one perimeter drive. The trade-off is weather. Wikipedia notes that light pulses partially reflect off rain droplets, which adds noise.

Camera vision

Vision systems use cameras and software to recognize grass and obstacles. One review site says setup can be about a five-minute perimeter walk or drive. It also says some vision mowers pause and return to the dock in low light or rain. Check the maker's stated operating hours before you buy.

UWB beacons

Ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning measures the distance to fixed beacons you place around the yard. Wikipedia says UWB measures time of flight across frequencies to overcome multipath, because the direct path arrives first. Wikipedia describes it as suited to short-range applications.

Trees and signal

Tree cover is the main reason people pick one type over another. A literature review reports a progressive deterioration in performance with canopy density. It says plain GNSS errors often reach 15 to 30 m under dense canopy. It reports multi-GNSS RTK solutions at roughly 0.5 to 2.03 m under comparable conditions. These are indicative ranges from published studies, not mower test results.

A practical rule from one review site: open sky suits RTK or network RTK, heavy tree cover calls for LiDAR, vision or a hybrid, and mixed sun and shade favors fusion.

Some RTK mowers show a map quality reading. One manual says to adjust the boundary so that poor areas stay under 10 percent of the map. Use that reading to judge your yard.

Quick comparison

For your slopes and lawn size, see how to choose, the setup guide and the model table.