Market guide
Wire, RTK, vision or LiDAR
How the property chooses the navigation system before acreage and app features matterA boundary wire is physical and predictable but expensive to change. RTK can make zones flexible but needs a stable position solution. Vision reads the lawn as it moves. LiDAR adds geometry. The correct branch begins with what the property makes visible and repeatable.
The physical option
A wire remains a valid answer
A buried perimeter wire defines the work area locally and does not need to recognize grass. It can be tedious to install or repair, but a property with dense trees and crisp permanent borders may value that predictability.
- Best fit
- Stable property layout and willingness to install or maintain a wire.
- Watch
- Breaks, landscape changes and disconnected zones.
Position and perception
RTK tells location. Cameras and LiDAR read surroundings
The technologies solve different parts of navigation. A useful hybrid can recover when one signal weakens, but no sensor list proves that a particular side yard or tree canopy will work.
- RTK
- Survey antenna placement and sky view at every edge.
- Vision
- Inspect weak borders, shade, low light and seasonal change.
- LiDAR
- Check glass, vegetation and changes in nearby geometry.
The decision
Map the failure points first
Start at the covered passage, steep transition, curb, pond edge and detached zone. A mower that handles those locations can usually handle the open lawn.
- Property walk
- Photograph every route, edge and charging location.
- Trial
- Use the full return window across different weather and growth.
Evidence used
First-party sources behind this guide
- 01EPOS virtual-boundary installation optionsHusqvarna · checked August 15, 2026Open source
- 02X3 specificationsSegway Navimow · checked August 15, 2026Open source
- 03E-series manualeufy · checked August 15, 2026Open source