Wired robot lawn mowers

Why wired is still the budget and reliability option

Wire-free mowers get the attention, but wired mowers still make sense for a large share of UK gardens. There are three reasons.

Price. Boundary-wire mowers are the cheapest way to buy a robot mower from an established brand. The saving over a wire-free model of similar rated area is often substantial, particularly for small lawns.

Reliability of navigation. A wired mower follows a signal in a wire you've laid. It doesn't depend on a view of the sky, mobile coverage, Wi-Fi or well-defined lawn edges. Mature trees, a tall house or a narrow side return make no difference to it. Many wire-free mowers are good in these conditions, but none are completely indifferent to them in the way a wire is.

Maturity. Brands such as Husqvarna, Honda, Gardena and Flymo have sold wired robot mowers for years. The platforms are well understood, spares and blades are easy to find, and UK dealers know how to install and service them.

We haven't tested any of these mowers ourselves. The guidance here comes from manufacturer specifications, manuals and warranty terms.

Who should choose wired

A wired mower is usually the better buy if:

• your lawn is small or medium and its shape rarely changes
• it's heavily shaded, or close to tall buildings on several sides
• your mobile signal is weak and you don't want to depend on Wi-Fi reaching the lawn
• you want to spend as little as possible
• you'd like a dealer to install and service the mower

Wire-free is likely to suit you better if you redesign beds often, have a large open lawn where straight-line mowing saves time, or simply don't want to lay a wire. See our wire-free robot mower hub and the perimeter wire vs wire-free guide.

Installation notes

Installing a boundary wire isn't difficult, but details matter. Most problems with wired mowers come from how the wire was laid rather than from the mower itself.

1. Plan the layout first. Sketch the lawn, the charging station position and every obstacle you want the mower to avoid: beds, ponds, trees with exposed roots and play equipment. Freestanding obstacles such as a single tree trunk can often be left for the bump sensors.
2. Follow the manual's distances. Each manufacturer specifies how far the wire should sit from a hard edge such as a wall or patio (where the mower can't overhang) and from a flush edge such as a path (where it can). Getting this right decides how close the mower cuts to your edges.
3. Watch corners and narrow sections. Sharp corners and tight gaps cause most stuck-mower complaints. Round corners off and keep passages at least as wide as the manual requires. Honda, for example, gives 60 cm wire to wire for its shortcut-wire models, while Flymo gives 60 cm for the EasiLife.
4. Pegs or bury. Pegging the wire on the surface is quicker, and the grass normally hides it within weeks. Burying it a few centimetres down protects it from scarifiers and edging tools. Leave some spare wire in loops near the station and at spots you may change later.
5. Guide wire. Many mowers use a guide or shortcut wire across the lawn to find their way back to the station or to reach a second area. Lay it as the manual shows, with no sharp bends.
6. Mind the edges. Before scarifying, aerating or edging, remember where the wire runs. A cut wire is easy to fix with a repair kit but can be slow to find.

Slopes need extra care. Several manufacturers allow much less slope along the boundary than inside the lawn. Husqvarna, for example, limits slopes along the wire to well below its headline rating, so you may need to route the wire in from a steep bank. Our installation guide walks through the whole process, and our slopes guide explains the ratings.

Features worth paying for

Wired mowers vary more than you might expect. The features that make the biggest difference day to day are:

• An app. Bluetooth apps work only nearby. Wi-Fi or 4G lets you change schedules and see faults from anywhere.
• Obstacle detection. Most wired mowers rely on bump sensors. Ultrasonic sensors, offered on some Kress and Worx models, slow the mower before it touches an obstacle.
• Theft tracking. A PIN and alarm are standard. GPS tracking usually needs a 4G model or an add-on module.
• Warranty. Standard cover ranges from two years at many brands to 5 years at Honda, though Honda's cover depends on dealer registration and servicing. Several brands add a year if you register online.

If you're on a tight budget, cheaper wired models from brands such as Einhell FREELEXO, Flymo EasiLife and Parkside cover small lawns with fewer features. Our budget best-of compares them.

How we chose these picks

We compared every current wired mower sold in the UK on rated area against price, slope rating, connectivity, obstacle detection and the length and conditions of the UK warranty, and favoured models that are current with a published UK price. These are desk-based judgements; we haven't tested the mowers. See our guide to the best robot lawn mowers for picks across all types, and how we score for our method.