RTK, Vision or LiDAR: Robot Mower Navigation Explained

In one line each: RTK is the most precise on open lawns; cameras need no signal or base but depend on light; LiDAR copes with trees and shade but likes features to measure against. Pick by what surrounds your lawn.

RTK Satellite Positioning

Ordinary GPS is only accurate to a few metres, which is useless for mowing to an edge. RTK (real-time kinematic) corrects it using a fixed reference point, bringing accuracy to a few centimetres. Husqvarna quotes 2–3 cm for its EPOS system.

There are two ways to get the correction:

• A base station in your garden. A small aerial mounted with a clear view of the sky. See our RTK base station guide for where to put it.
• Network RTK. Corrections arrive over the internet from a network of reference stations, so there is no aerial. Navimow includes this, with the data, on several of its current ranges, and lets you check coverage by postcode. Husqvarna's cloud option works the same way in the UK.

Where RTK struggles: anything that blocks the sky. Husqvarna says the whole lawn needs a clear view of the sky, and that tall buildings and dense trees with crowns wider than about 4 m can block signals.

Camera (Vision) Navigation

Cameras let the mower recognise grass, edges and obstacles, much as you do. Camera-only mowers, such as the eufy E15 and MOVA's ViAX range, need no aerial, no network RTK and no wire, so setup is quick.

Where cameras struggle: poor light, strong shadow, and lawns whose edges are unclear, for example where grass runs into a gravel border with no clear line. Some owners also report leaves or flowers in front of the camera affecting results. eufy says the E15 returns to base in low light, which is no loss: night mowing is bad for hedgehogs anyway.

LiDAR

LiDAR uses a spinning laser to measure the distance to walls, fences, trees and buildings, building a 3D map of the space around the lawn. It needs no satellite signal, so it does well under trees and between houses.

Where LiDAR struggles: a wide open lawn with few features nearby gives it fewer reference points. That is why LiDAR mowers usually add a camera, or network RTK as on Mammotion's LUBA 3 AWD.

Which Do Current Models Use?

Scroll the table sideways for more →

Figures are from the manufacturer's UK page where published, otherwise from the retailer or source linked from the model name, checked 28 October 2026. "Not stated" means we found no published figure. Prices are the brand's UK price unless labelled otherwise, and retailers' prices change often.

Matching Navigation to Your Garden

• Open lawn, few trees: RTK, network or base station. The most precise option.
• Lawn ringed by trees or tall buildings: LiDAR, or LiDAR plus camera.
• Small garden, no fuss: camera-only. Nothing to install.
• Mixed: open areas plus a shaded corner: a combination system, such as RTK plus camera or LiDAR plus RTK.
• Very heavy shade everywhere: consider a boundary wire.

Models that rely on the internet for network RTK need coverage across the garden. Our Wi-Fi and 4G guide explains what each brand needs.