Husqvarna Automower 320 NERA

You'll need one of three additions: an outdoor Wi-Fi extender, Husqvarna's cellular Connect Kit, or the EPOS RS1 reference station. The Husqvarna Automower 320 NERA has no built-in cellular connection, so as supplied it relies on your home Wi-Fi.

The reason is how it navigates. The 320 NERA uses Husqvarna's EPOS satellite RTK to follow virtual boundaries, and RTK needs a stream of correction data to reach centimetre-level accuracy. Husqvarna sends those corrections from its cloud, at no extra cost, but only over a connection the mower can use. Its rating of 3,300 m² means it is aimed at lawns large enough to run well past a typical router's reach.

The options each have trade-offs:

• Outdoor Wi-Fi extender or mesh node. Usually the cheapest, and it also helps the app stay connected, but it needs power outdoors and a signal strong enough at the far edge.
• Automower Connect Kit. Adds cellular connectivity so corrections and app access work wherever there's mobile signal. Husqvarna says it must be fitted by a dealer.
• EPOS RS1 reference station. A local base station that supplies corrections without internet. Useful in rural spots with weak mobile coverage, though it needs its own mounting and power.

Husqvarna's spec table also lists a boundary wire as an option on this model, which can cover a corner where neither signal nor sky view is good enough.

If the lawn is out of Wi-Fi range and you'd rather not add hardware, the Husqvarna Automower 430V NERA has cellular built in. Our network RTK and 4G guide explains coverage in more depth.

It handles fairly steep ground for a two-wheel mower. Husqvarna rates the Husqvarna Automower 320 NERA for slopes up to 50% inside the working area, which is about 27 degrees, but only 25% along the boundary.

That boundary figure is the one to check first. Where a lawn drops away at its edge, towards a road, a pond or a retaining wall, the mower has to turn on the slope, and wet grass reduces grip further. The inside figure is more relevant to banks in the middle of the lawn.

It is a step up from the Husqvarna Automower 310E NERA, rated for 30%. Husqvarna sells a Terrain Kit with heavier rear wheels and brushes for the 320 NERA to help traction. For gradients beyond its rating, the all-wheel-drive Husqvarna Automower 435X AWD NERA is Husqvarna's steep-lawn model. Our slopes guide explains how to measure a gradient.

It can struggle in those spots, because it relies on satellite positioning alone. The Husqvarna Automower 320 NERA uses Husqvarna's EPOS RTK system and has no camera, so it has nothing else to navigate by where a canopy or a tall wall blocks much of the sky.

RTK needs a clear view of several satellites at once. Dense trees, high hedges and buildings can weaken or reflect the signal, which reduces accuracy near them. Open lawns with a wide sky view suit it best.

Husqvarna's spec table lists a boundary wire as an option alongside virtual boundaries, which is its answer for a shaded strip. You can also use stay-out zones in the app to keep it away from problem corners. If much of your lawn is overshadowed, a camera-assisted model such as the Husqvarna Automower 430V NERA is the safer choice. Our navigation guide explains how each system copes.

Only if you need what the 430V NERA adds: built-in cellular, an AI camera, GPS tracking or a bigger area rating. If your Wi-Fi reaches the whole lawn and the lawn is open, the Husqvarna Automower 320 NERA covers the same basics for less.

The two share a lot. Both use the larger Automower body with a 240 mm cut, electric height adjustment up to 60 mm, systematic mowing, and a 50% slope rating inside the lawn. Both use Husqvarna's EPOS satellite RTK with corrections from its cloud, and both have a PIN code and alarm.

The Husqvarna Automower 430V NERA adds four things:

• Cellular built in, so it gets RTK corrections and app access without Wi-Fi covering the lawn. The 320 NERA needs a dealer-fitted Connect Kit, an extender or the EPOS RS1 for that.
• An AI camera with infrared, which Husqvarna says helps it spot obstacles and keep working where satellite signal is weak, such as beside buildings.
• GPS theft tracking, which the 320 NERA doesn't list.
• A larger rating of 4,800 m², against 3,300 m².

Husqvarna also quotes the 430V NERA slightly quieter, at 56 dB(A) against 58 dB(A).

The 320 NERA costs from £2,499 and the 430V NERA from £3,799. Adding a Connect Kit to the 320 NERA narrows the connectivity gap but not the camera or tracking. For a large lawn with trees, buildings or no Wi-Fi outside, the 430V NERA is the more complete package.

Most owners stop mowing once the grass stops growing, clean the mower, fully charge it and store it indoors until spring. That applies to the Husqvarna Automower 320 NERA as to most robot mowers.

The mower is rated IPX5, which covers rain and water jets but not months of frost and waterlogged ground. Store it somewhere dry and frost-free, such as a garage or shed, and follow the storage and charging advice in Husqvarna's operator's manual. The manual also covers what to do with the charging station; at minimum, unplugging it from the mains over winter is sensible. Winter is also a good time to fit new blades and to have a dealer service it if you want one.

On a wire-free model like this, check in spring that the virtual boundaries and the RTK connection still work before the first cut. Our winter storage guide has a full checklist.