Worx Landroid robot mowers

It's designed to. Worx says that when the satellite fix weakens near trees, hedges or walls, the Worx Landroid Vision Cloud keeps navigating on its cameras, an inertial sensor and wheel odometry. That fallback is what makes it a hybrid rather than a pure RTK mower. We haven't tested how well it works, and Worx doesn't say how far or for how long the mower can hold its position without a good RTK fix.

The reason it matters: RTK positioning needs a clear view of the sky. Leaf canopy, tall hedges and the wall of a house block or bounce satellite signals, and mowers that rely on RTK alone can lose accuracy or stop in those spots. A camera system can instead track features around it to keep its bearings.

Some caveats worth knowing before you buy:

• According to the manual, the 300 has a single camera, while the 500 has a stereo pair. Less depth information may make the fallback weaker on the smallest model.
• Cameras need light. Stick to daytime schedules, which is also better for hedgehogs.
• You create the map by driving the mower round the lawn edge in the app, so take extra care with boundaries in the shadiest corners.

If most of your lawn sits under dense trees, a boundary-wire mower such as the Worx Landroid M doesn't depend on the sky at all. For how Worx's approach compares with a rival hybrid, see Navimow i Series vs Landroid Vision Cloud, and our navigation guide for the wider picture.

No. Worx says only the charging station of the Worx Landroid Vision Cloud needs network coverage, not every corner of the garden. None of the UK versions has 4G, so in practice that means your home Wi-Fi has to reach the spot where the dock sits. The mower also has Bluetooth.

The connection matters more than on an old wired mower because the Vision Cloud gets its RTK corrections from Worx's own reference network over the internet, rather than from an aerial in your garden. Worx's UK material doesn't spell out exactly what the mower does if Wi-Fi drops out for a long spell, so it's worth sorting a dependable signal before you buy rather than after.

Some practical points:

• Test the signal where the dock will go, not at the back door. A phone joined to the same network is a rough guide.
• The 1800 ships with Worx's RadioLink range extender. The RadioLink sold on its own is listed by Worx UK as compatible with wired Landroids only, so don't assume you can add one to a 300 or 500.
• A general outdoor Wi-Fi extender or mesh point is the other route. That's a home-network fix, not a Worx accessory.

If your router is a long way from the lawn and you'd rather not depend on Wi-Fi at all, the only UK Landroid with 4G built in is the 4000 version of the Worx Landroid Vision Cloud 4WD, which is a much bigger and more expensive machine. Our network RTK and 4G guide explains how the two kinds of connection differ.

We can't give you a number, because Worx doesn't publish one for the 2WD Worx Landroid Vision Cloud. The noise fields in the English owner's manual, including the declaration of conformity, print "XX dB(A)" where the figure should be, and the UK product pages leave noise out altogether.

For a sense of the range, Worx declares a guaranteed sound power of up to 58 dB(A) for the Vision Cloud 4WD and 67 dB(A) for the wired Landroid M500 Plus. Those are different machines, so treat them as markers rather than an estimate for this one.

If noise is a deciding factor, for instance with neighbours close to the lawn, ask Worx customer service for the figure before buying, or compare with rivals that do publish one, such as the Husqvarna Automower 305E NERA at 60 dB(A) (see Automower 305E NERA vs Landroid Vision Cloud). Whatever you choose, daytime schedules keep complaints down. The glossary explains what dB(A) figures mean.

Start with your lawn area and leave some headroom: the 300 suits small plots, the 500 lawns up to roughly 400 m², and the 1800 anything bigger. The three UK versions of the Worx Landroid Vision Cloud are rated for 300 m², 500 m² and 1,800 m². If you haven't measured, our lawn size tool will do it from a map.

The size gap between the 500 and the 1800 is large. Worx sells in-between sizes elsewhere in Europe, but they aren't on its UK store, so a lawn of 600 m² or so points you to the 1800.

Beyond area, the differences are:

• Cameras. The owner's manual indicates the 300 uses a single camera and the 500 a stereo pair, so the smallest model has less depth information to work with.
• Battery. 45 Wh, 72 Wh and 90 Wh respectively.
• Cut and height. The 300 and 500 cut 180 mm and use a dial on the mower; the 1800 cuts 220 mm and sets height from the app.
• In the box. The 1800 includes the Cut-to-Zero edge module and the RadioLink Wi-Fi extender. The edge module is an extra for the smaller two.

All three share the 30% slope limit, so if you have banks, look at the Worx Landroid Vision Cloud 4WD instead. Prices currently start from £599.99.

Worx says not. Its UK product pages describe RTK Cloud as a free service for life, with no subscription and no hidden fees, which is why we list the Worx Landroid Vision Cloud as needing no subscription.

RTK Cloud is the network of reference stations Worx operates to correct the mower's satellite position to within centimetres. Because those corrections arrive over your home internet connection, there's no SIM card or mobile data plan on the UK 2WD models to pay for either.

No manufacturer can guarantee how a service will be run many years from now, so two sensible precautions: save a copy of the product page wording on the day you buy, and register the mower online within 30 days. Registration also adds a third year to the standard 2 years warranty, according to the product pages. For how other brands handle network RTK and data costs, see our network RTK and 4G guide.