The correct way to keep a robot mower out of beds, ponds, play areas and other hazards depends on how it navigates. A mower using boundary wire needs a correctly installed physical loop (and sometimes guide wire); a model with virtual mapping needs a supported app, a completed map and, in some cases, the wire installation as its foundation. Identify that system first, then create exclusions and mowing areas in the exact app and manual for your model.
Virtual zones are convenient for mapped beds and temporary exclusions, but they are not physical barriers. For a pool, street or another serious drop-off, use boundary wire plus a rigid barrier that meets the manufacturer’s specification.
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Identify your mower’s boundary system before changing anything
Robot mowers do not share one universal zone menu. The same words—no-go zone, stay-out zone, work area or virtual boundary—can describe different features, and some mowers have none of them. Check the mower’s model number, app name and operator manual before moving wires or drawing on a map.
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A wired installation defines the lawn with a buried or pinned boundary loop. The mower detects that wire and turns around at the edge. Guide wires can lead it between the perimeter and the charging station or through narrow connections. Beds, tree islands and other objects are excluded by routing the boundary wire around them. Installation planning, charging-station placement, wire connections, islands, passages and secondary areas are covered in the manufacturer’s physical boundary-wire guide; use your own model’s distances where they differ.
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Virtual-map navigation
Some supported mowers build a digital map and let you draw work areas or stay-out zones in an app. Mapping may require normal mowing after installation, a current firmware version, GPS or another positioning service, and a commissioned boundary system. A map feature that appears in an app is not proof that every model supports the same controls.
Hybrid systems
Many installations use both: wire supplies the fundamental perimeter and safety behavior, while the app adds schedules or temporary digital exclusions. Treat the wire as the dependable edge and the virtual map as an additional control layer, not a replacement for a physical barrier at a hazard.
Prepare the lawn and the mower
Walk the entire property before creating a zone. Mark flower beds, newly seeded patches, exposed roots, ditches, ponds, pool decks, driveways, children’s play spaces and any area where a blade could damage an object or injure someone. Also mark narrow gates, slopes and corridors the mower must use to reach every mowing area.
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- Remove temporary objects while a virtual map is being created. A hose, vehicle or garden furniture can be mapped as if it were part of the lawn.
- Confirm that the charging station has a clear approach and that its wire or guide-wire route will not be covered by a stay-out zone.
- Inspect the boundary wire for breaks, loose pins and accidental crossings before troubleshooting app zones.
- Update the mower and app if the manufacturer identifies mapping or zone controls as firmware-dependent.
- Photograph or sketch the final wire route. It makes later repairs and seasonal bed changes much easier.
Set up no-go areas with physical boundary wire
Use the wired method when the mower has no virtual-map feature, when a zone is a permanent part of the landscape, or when the area is a safety hazard. The exact clearances vary by mower, so the steps below describe the planning sequence rather than a universal measurement.
Create an island around a bed or tree
- Turn off the mower and disconnect the boundary-wire power supply according to the operator manual.
- Start at the perimeter and run the wire toward the object, leaving the manufacturer’s recommended clearance from the bed edge, trunk, roots or edging.
- Route the wire around the object in a continuous loop, keeping corners smooth enough for the mower to turn.
- Return the wire to the perimeter along the same route. The outgoing and return sections cancel each other’s signal, allowing the mower to cross that short connection without treating it as a boundary.
- Reconnect the loop, power the installation and test the mower at low risk before replacing all pins or burying the wire.
Do not create a wire island that blocks the mower’s only route to the charging station or another lawn section. Large groups of islands can also consume the available signal path; consult the model’s installation limits.
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Protect a permanent hazard
For a pool, public road, retaining-wall drop or similar danger, route the physical loop so the mower turns well before the edge and add a rigid barrier. A virtual exclusion alone cannot stop a mower if positioning is lost, the map shifts or the mower enters from an unexpected direction.
Connect separate lawn sections
A secondary area is a part of the property the mower cannot reach through its normal boundary-wire network. It may require carrying the mower there and starting it manually, or installing a designed passage and guide-wire route. Never assume that an app work area can make an isolated wired section autonomous.
Build a Husqvarna AIM virtual map
On supported Husqvarna Automower models using AIM Technology, mapping is automatic rather than a one-time “draw the lawn” operation. After installation, let the mower operate normally so it can record the property. Husqvarna’s support guidance says this typically takes one to two weeks, depending on lawn size and schedule. The period is an operating estimate, not a guaranteed deadline.
- Complete the mower’s physical installation and pair it with the manufacturer’s app.
- Enable GPS-assisted navigation when the model and app offer that option.
- Clear temporary obstacles and leave the mower enough scheduled run time to cover the lawn repeatedly.
- Check the app’s map status after the initial operating period. Wait for the map to finish before drawing permanent work areas or stay-out zones.
- Open the map controls and use the model’s Zone Control feature to create a work area or stay-out zone, if that model supports it.
The map is a record of the mower’s observed operating area, so moving boundary wire, changing a passage or adding a large structure can require a new mapping period or a map reset. Follow the app’s reset procedure instead of deleting random map elements.
Create an AIM stay-out zone
Open the map’s stay-out-zone tool, outline the area shown in the app and save it. Give the shape enough clearance that the mower does not brush edging, roots or overhanging foliage. Keep the shape away from the charging station, guide wire and any corridor the mower must traverse. Husqvarna also recommends including long sections of boundary wire inside a stay-out zone when that improves navigation.
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Husqvarna’s support page allows AIM stay-out zones to be activated or deactivated, which is useful for a newly seeded patch or a seasonal play area. This control is model-dependent; if the switch is absent, the mower may require a schedule change or a physical-wire alteration instead.
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Create an AIM work area
A work area is a separately configured part of the mapped lawn. On supported models it can have its own schedule and cutting height. Include recognizable reference points such as trees, islands and long wire sections when drawing the area. Place the work-area border at least 1.5 m (5 ft) outside the lawn boundary so the mower cuts up to the physical boundary wire rather than leaving a strip. Adjacent work areas should overlap to prevent an uncut seam.
Use separate schedules when one section grows faster, contains a different grass type or must remain clear at a particular time. A work area does not override a stay-out zone: an exclusion inside the work area remains excluded.
Draw a Mammotion no-go zone
Mammotion documents a different, map-editing workflow. Treat these labels and steps as Mammotion-specific, not as a universal robot-mower menu.
- Open the mower’s map in the app and choose Create.
- Select No-go zone.
- Guide the robot to the perimeter of the area you want to exclude.
- Trace the perimeter on the map, returning to the starting point so the outline closes.
- Save the zone, then review the map and run a controlled mowing test.
If the outline will not close, the robot cannot reach part of the perimeter, or the saved shape appears offset, check positioning, clear the route and redraw rather than relying on a visibly imperfect boundary. The documented procedure is available in Mammotion’s no-go-zone instructions.
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Plan work areas, passages and separate sections
Use overlapping work areas
When two mapped work areas meet, overlap their boundaries. A gap between polygons can leave an unmown stripe even though both areas report as complete. Keep the overlap modest and verify that it does not place a scheduled area across a bed or other exclusion.
Design a wired passage
A passage is a narrow, wire-bounded connection between lawn sections. In the cited Automower guidance, the recommended spacing is:
| Passage condition | Recommended distance between boundary wires | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| No guide wire in the passage | At least 2 m (6 ft 6 in) | Leaves room for the mower to navigate without a guide wire. |
| Guide wire runs through the passage | At least 60 cm (24 in) | Applies where the guide wire leads the mower through the corridor. |
These dimensions come from Husqvarna’s Automower passage guidance and are not universal specifications. Use the exact model’s manual if it requires a wider corridor.
Enable systematic passage mowing when supported
Some wired Automower models can follow a guide wire and mow systematically through a narrow corridor, then return to normal mowing. Husqvarna recommends a low-frequency setting for this mode to reduce wear on grass in the passage. The setting and frequency options are model-specific; do not assume another brand offers the same behavior.
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Husqvarna’s AIM virtual map does not include secondary areas. Its work areas and stay-out zones cannot be created there, and the mower must be moved manually to those sections. This is a system limitation, not a mapping error. If you need unattended service, redesign the wire network with a supported passage or use equipment intended for multiple autonomous areas.
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Set mowing direction and patterns realistically
There is no documented, cross-brand setting that guarantees a lawn-wide crosshatch or stripe pattern. Robot mowers vary: one app may offer heading or pattern controls, another may only schedule zones, and a third may choose paths automatically. Look for labels such as heading, pattern, direction, systematic mowing or zone schedule in the exact app, then confirm the behavior in its manual.
When a heading control exists
- Open the individual work-area or mowing-pattern settings, not the global safety settings.
- Choose the available heading or angle and save it.
- Run the mower during a low-traffic period and inspect the first few passes.
- Change the angle or schedule if repeated passes are wearing a slope, soft strip or passage.
A heading setting may apply only to a work area and may not affect narrow corridors, obstacle avoidance or the route home. The mower can still make irregular turns around islands and boundaries.
When no pattern control exists
Use alternating schedules or separate work areas only if the app documents them. Do not edit a virtual map or move boundary wire merely to force stripes; that can create inaccessible corridors and navigation faults. Random or adaptive coverage is normal for many machines and can still produce even cutting when the schedule gives each area enough operating time.
Keep virtual exclusions safe
Husqvarna’s warning is explicit: Never use a stay-out zone created with AIM Technology to stop your mower from running into a swimming pool or the street. Always fence off such areas using the boundary wire and a barrier of minimum 15 cm/6 in. in height.
Read the full stay-out-zone safety guidance for the applicable model.
- Keep every digital exclusion clear of the charging station and its approach.
- Do not cover a guide wire that the mower needs to reach another area.
- Leave required passages open; a zone that clips a corridor can isolate part of the lawn.
- Use physical edging or fencing where a positioning error could cause injury or property damage.
- Deactivate a temporary zone when the grass is ready, then verify that its schedule and cutting height are still correct.
Physical wire versus virtual map
| Consideration | Physical-wire setup | Virtual-map setup |
|---|---|---|
| Compatibility | Requires a mower designed for boundary and, where applicable, guide wires. | Only supported models and apps expose map-based work or stay-out controls. |
| Initial effort | Requires planning, routing, joining and testing wire around the lawn and islands. | Requires installation plus normal operation while the mower builds a usable map. |
| Changing a bed | Usually means moving pins or rerouting the loop. | Can often be edited in the app after the map is valid. |
| Separate areas | May use passages, guide wires or manual secondary-area operation. | Can schedule mapped work areas where the model supports them; some systems exclude secondary areas. |
| Pattern behavior | May support guide-wire systematic passage mowing on selected models. | May offer heading, pattern or zone controls, but no universal feature set exists. |
| Hazard protection | Still needs correct wire placement and a physical barrier at serious hazards. | Virtual boundaries are not a substitute for wire and a barrier at pools, streets or drops. |
Test and troubleshoot before leaving the mower unattended
The mower crosses a no-go boundary
- For wire: stop the mower, inspect loop continuity, connectors, pin spacing and accidental wire crossings, then retest.
- For a map: verify that the zone is saved and active, that the map is complete, and that the mower’s positioning service is available.
- For either system: check whether the mower entered through an open passage or was carried into the excluded area.
A strip remains uncut
Inspect the border for a work-area gap. On mapped Husqvarna work areas, keep the border 1.5 m (5 ft) outside the physical lawn edge and overlap neighboring areas. In a wired corridor, verify the passage width and guide-wire route rather than simply narrowing the zone.
The mower cannot reach a section
Look for a stay-out zone covering the charging approach, guide wire or passage. Temporarily deactivate the suspected zone, run a supervised test and redraw it with the required route open. If the section is a secondary area outside the AIM map, move the mower manually or install a supported physical connection.
The map looks wrong after landscaping
New edging, a moved charging station or rerouted wire can invalidate the recorded geometry. Follow the manufacturer’s map-reset or remapping procedure and allow normal mowing time again; do not assume that dragging one point fixes the underlying navigation data.
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Final commissioning checklist
- Confirm the mower model, app and feature support.
- Verify that permanent hazards have physical wire and an appropriate barrier.
- Check that the charging station, guide wire and required passages are outside exclusions.
- Run every work area at least once under supervision.
- Test entry to and exit from each passage and separate section.
- Confirm schedules, cutting heights and any heading or systematic-passage settings.
- Inspect the lawn after the first full cycle and adjust only one zone or setting at a time.
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