In the ever-evolving world of lawn care, robotic mowers have emerged as a cutting-edge solution for homeowners seeking a convenient and efficient way to maintain their lawns.
Among the various features that robot mowers can offer, WiFi connectivity is a feature that you might be unsure of. Do you need WiFi for your mower? Are all robotic lawnmower models WiFi connected? In this comprehensive article, we’ve delved into the purpose of Wi-Fi connection for robot mowers and explored both the benefits and setbacks of this technology. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of whether a WiFi-enabled robotic mower is the right choice for you and your lawn care needs.
✅Key Takeaways:
WiFi connectivity in robot mowers allows for remote monitoring and control through smartphone apps. This feature simplifies programming, scheduling, and real-time updates, making lawn maintenance more convenient and accessible, even when you’re away from home.
Not all robot mowers require WiFi; many can be manually programmed through control panels or Bluetooth apps. Whether you choose a WiFi or non-WiFi model depends on your specific needs, preferences, and budget.
WiFi brings advantages like real-time notifications and software updates, but it can be more costly, dependent on network stability, and potentially vulnerable to privacy and security concerns. Weigh these factors when deciding if Wi-Fi connectivity is right for your robotic lawn mower.
Table of Contents
🤷♂️ What’s The Purpose Of WiFi Connection For Robot Mowers?
The purpose of a Wi-Fi connection for robot mowers is to give you a more convenient way to monitor and control your mower’s performance.
Robotic mowers with WiFi can be connected to a smartphone app. When you download this app and connect your mower, you’ll be able to use the app to start, stop, or adjust mowing sessions from anywhere, so you don’t have to do the programming on the mower’s control panel.
A robotic lawn mower with a quality app should give you the choice to receive push notifications to your phone’s home screen, providing updates on the mower’s status, including its battery levels and potential issues, so you can intervene if necessary.
Essentially, the main aim of WiFi for a robotic lawn mower is to allow you to do all the programming, monitoring, and updating from your phone, rather than having to do it on the mower itself. While some people probably won’t care how they programme their mowers, you might think that the benefits of WiFi connection are worth the extra upfront spend.
📡 Do Robotic Mowers Need WiFi?
No, robotic mowers generally don’t need WiFi to operate. Most robotic lawnmowers are pre-programmed or can be manually programmed on an onboard control panel or a Bluetooth app, so they don’t need an internet connection to operate.
That said, some robotic mowers do need WiFi if you want to connect to the mower’s app and use it for remote control and monitoring. That depends on whether or not your mower uses a WiFi app or Bluetooth app. This information should be available in the product description or the user manual.
🧐 Do All Robot Mowers Use WiFi?
Again, no, not all robot mowers use WiFi for operation. It’s true that Wi-Fi connectivity has become increasingly popular in modern robotic lawn mowers, but it’s not a universal feature.
Many robot mowers are designed to operate solely through pre-programmed schedules and the use of a boundary wire system and have no need for WiFi for their basic functions. Others don’t require WiFi because they have a control panel that can be used to program and schedule their operations, so a separate app would be a bonus, but not essential.
How do you know if a robot mower uses WiFi? Check the product description. Some manufacturers only sell WiFi robotic mowers, while others sell different configurations of the same model – so be sure to check what you’re buying if you’re set on a mower with WiFi benefits. If your preferred mower is on Amazon, you can also do a search of the Customer Q&As section to gather the information you need. Just type “WiFi” and see what the search brings up.
✅ Benefits Of WiFi For Robotic Mowers
Here are some of the benefits of WiFi-using robotic lawnmowers I’ve identified through my own experience:
💻 Monitor The Mower’s Performance & Schedule From Anywhere
First, the ability to monitor the mower’s performance and grass-cutting schedule from anywhere is a major advantage. It means you can keep an eye on your mower’s activities – kind of like a prying parent – regardless of whether you’re on holiday, doing the school run, or somewhere in your home (and you can’t be bothered to go outside and see what your mower’s doing).
🗓 Adjust Schedule & Other Settings From Your Mobile Device
Plus, a mower’s WiFi and app connectivity enables you to control your mower remotely, with no need to be at home and able to manually program the mower’s control panel. You’ll be able to start or stop mowing sessions, adjust schedules, and check the mower’s status without physically being in your garden. It’s especially convenient for last-minute adjustments or when you’re away from home.
🔄 Real-Time Updates
Another thing I love about WiFi-using robotic mower models is that WiFi connectivity provides real-time notifications about the mower’s status, such as battery levels, mowing progress, and any issues it might encounter. This ensures you’re always informed about your lawn’s maintenance and can address any problems promptly.
👩💻 Software Updates Offer Continued Performance Improvements
Finally, while a software update isn’t possible for a non-WiFi robotic lawn mower, those that do use WiFi can benefit from software updates, which are delivered to the mower via Wi-Fi (pretty clever). Depending on the nature of the update, it could improve the mower’s performance, add new features, and address existing issues. That means you don’t have to worry about your mower falling behind as more modern, efficient, and smarter models are released, because the software updates will ensure it’ll stay up-to-date and function optimally.
❌ Setbacks Of WiFi For Robotic Mowers
It’s not all positive – here are a few setbacks of WiFi for robotic mowers that I’ve identified.
💰 WiFi Models Cost More Money
The biggest possible setback of WiFi for robotic lawnmower models is that they’re more expensive than non-WiFi options. On average, a robotic mower with Wi-Fi connectivity is around £50-£150 more expensive than the same mower without WiFi. If you’re on a budget and don’t necessarily want or need the additional features, you probably won’t be able to justify this added cost.
📵 Dependency on Network Stability
Another disadvantage of a Wi-Fi-enabled robotic mower is that it relies on a stable and strong WiFi network. If your WiFi signal is weak or frequently disrupted, it can lead to communication issues between the mower and your smartphone app, potentially affecting remote control and monitoring. Not ideal when you want to be able to use your app for remote control at any time!
🧩 Initial Setup Complexity
Setting up a robot mower with Wi-Fi connectivity tends to be more complex and time-consuming than installing a non-connected model. You’ll likely have to configure the WiFi connection, install an app, and ensure compatibility with your home network. This could be a deal-breaker for you if you’re a self-confessed technophobe.
🕵️ Privacy and Security Concerns
Finally, we probably don’t need to tell you that all WiFi-connected devices, including robot mowers with Wi-Fi connectivity, can be vulnerable to hacking or unauthorized access if they’re not adequately secured. There are certain things you can do to protect your data and privacy when it comes to using WiFi devices, but you can’t 100% prevent certain worst-case scenarios, like hacking.
🤔 Bluetooth Vs WiFi Robotic Mowers
You might have noticed that some robotic mowers with an app use Bluetooth app connection. Bluetooth connection has a few benefits of its own: it means the robotic lawnmower doesn’t need to have an internet connection in order for you to use the app, so you’ll still have remote control and monitoring abilities even if your home’s WiFi goes down.
Many of the robotic mowers we’ve seen actually have a Bluetooth app connection but also require you to connect your mower to a WiFi network, which you have to do to be able to use the app. It just depends on whether the app requires WiFi to use, or whether the app can be used “offline” (meaning it doesn’t need WiFi).
Again, the exact use circumstances for a robotic mower depends on the mower brand and model, so do your research, check the user manual online, and contact the manufacturer if you’re unsure.
👾 Should You Get A Robot Mower With WiFi Connection?
So, now you know all there is to know about Wi-Fi connectivity for a robotic lawn mower – should you get this mower type, or should you go for a non-WiFi model?
That depends on what you’re looking for. Getting a mower without WiFi connection doesn’t mean necessarily you don’t have access to a phone app for remote control. As we mentioned, some robotic mowers have a Bluetooth app and don’t need to, or can’t, connect to WiFi. Or, you might not want a robotic lawnmower with Bluetooth or WiFi connection if you’re fine to use the mower with its factory settings or programme it using the onboard control panel.
The choice is yours. Consider your own personal situation, budget and preferences when choosing between WiFi and non-WiFi models. Ultimately, the most important thing is that your mower of choice is well-made, operates in a manner that at least meets your expectations, and has plenty of positive customer feedback to support your buying decision.
🏁 Final Word
We wrote this article because we wanted to help you to understand how and why some robot mower models use WiFi, but why WiFi isn’t essential on all mowers of this kind. Hopefully, you’ve found the information you were looking for. If you’re keen to buy a robotic mower but you’re not sure which one to go for, you should find our guide to the best robot mowers in the UK helpful.