Automower Answers: How To Set Up Multiple Zones (Front Yard, Across The Driveway, Side Yard, Etc.)

[@jfekete3613]

These guys are the best when it comes to adivice with Automower.

[@EshlemaniaTV]

Thank you! Have you cehcked out our Robotic Mower Services channel? kzbin.info

[@bhgtruevalue8570]

Thanks for explaining this!!! Most people do not realize that the zones do not work with GPS mowing!

[@Smitha2013]

Super helpful! I've had my 315x for about 2 months and noticed it has started missing one side of my front lawn, I was able to set up zones with your explanation. Hopefully it will start getting that area better!

[@huskyfan3136]

Nice explanation of how multiple zones work!

[@EshlemaniaTV]

Thank You!

[@robotmowers8247]

Great info and explanation!

[@djmedia5229]

GREAT VIDEO!!!! Makes more sense now!

[@Boutthemvols]

For anyone who just bought a Husqvarna automower be aware that the cutting height adjustment does not show up for the first two weeks in the app or on the mower's menu (as of April 26 2022 anyway). Husqvarna states this is to let the boundary wire lay down - it forces the mower cutting height to max for the first two weeks.

[@benjiminus04]

Thank you so much! Your videos are awesome and a great help!!!

[@EshlemaniaTV]

If these videos were helpful, then check out our Robotic Mower Services channel. It is nothing but Automower videos.

[@ddgembc]

Very helpful and well explained. Thanks!

[@EshlemaniaTV]

Thank you! If you're looking for more helpful information about Automowers check out the Robotic Mower Services channel and www.roboticmowerservices.com

[@Betsnipe]

Thanks for this video, very helpful.

[@eamongorman526]

Just brilliant, thanks EG

[@EshlemaniaTV]

Glad we could help

[@ExillNetworks]

Thank you very much!! This was a pain to understand from the operators manual.

[@briankudera]

The vid title mentions driveway... but there's no driveway in this example. I'd love for you guys to do a video on how to set up 2 areas, one on each side of the driveway, and how your boundary wire and guide wire would be configured between the two areas.

[@EshlemaniaTV]

This video has some more in-depth info on laying out a wiring system for an Automower and shows and talks about the layout around the driveway. Kinda long, but plenty of info.

[@EshlemaniaTV]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5LViJiLrMamfLM

[@briankudera]

@@EshlemaniaTV awesome! Thanks!

[@gunsofsteele]

My 430xh has been running 2 weeks. It's awesome! The confusing part is in the app it has Areas but when you manually go in the mower menu it list Main, Secondary, etc. Husqvarna should make the names match in both menus. Unless I'm missing something? Thanks for all the videos!

[@randompowerequipment6201]

Great information!

[@dirkhofmans7522]

I will have a 2nd zone at the other side of my driveway. If I put the guidewire and the perimeter wire in one pvc tube under the driveway, can I still use the guidewire to drive accross the driveway? All cables will be close together under The driveway but are separated again in the 2nd zone. They will be parallel under the driveway but will not cross.

[@MenachemFishman-f7l]

Can the mower cover different areas not in the same range? Like lets say I have two different 2acre fields separated by a road. Can it cover one field in one day and another another day? Or would I need multiple mowers?

[@EshlemaniaTV]

Multiple mowers

[@BaldBallooning]

Thanks! Very helpful. I now understands how it works!

[@ryanelson9527]

Great video! I have a stip down the drive it won’t go. I set up a section as zone 1 and further out zone 2 (both at 20%). Can I just leave the rest of the area or do I have to set up zone 3 for the additional 60%

[@CiaranMal1]

Do you have to set a percentage up. I am in process of purchasing a 305 for my parents and it is mainly for the front lawn however they have a smaller lawn close to the road that they want to cut under supervision, this be set up as area 2 at 0% and they can manually on the automower select select area 2 to cut when they want to cut it? Thanks

[@hermanbogaerts3565]

In the video you are defining the working areas using the distance on either the guide wire(s) or the boundary wire (left or right). Is this also possible on the 305 model? On the website it only mentions the guide wire...not the boundary wire for the 305 model.

[@jimyoutube3923]

Thanks for all the valuable information. How about airating and raking. Any tips? I see a lot of wire covering that’s cracked and separates. Thanks again. Jim

[@EshlemaniaTV]

Just make sure to mark where your wires are before aerating. In most cases though after you've been using an Automower for a season or 2 you won't have to aerate. And since the clippings are so small you won't have to rake clippings or thatch.

[@briankudera]

Excellent vid, thank you! I'm not clear on the percentages and how that applies to "area 4" that you talk about in the video but don't have marked. Does all the areas combined need to equal 100%? Or Does the remainder of the % get applied to "area 4" which isn't even set up as an area?

[@EshlemaniaTV]

Yes...…. and yes. The total amount can not exceed 100% for the areas that you set up. If you set up 3 areas and the combined percentage of time that you set for those 3 areas is 90% (example), then the other 10% would be starting right at the charging station and become a default area 4.

[@briankudera]

@@EshlemaniaTV But you don't physically define default area 4 in setup, correct? So then the areas that you setup do NOT have to equal 100%.

[@EshlemaniaTV]

That is correct! You can define an area 4 if you want to in the scenario I was just describing. Or the mower will just do it on its own because there is a remaining 10% of times that it's leaving the charger without a predetermined starting point.

[@FerryvandenBoom]

Good video and a great help indeed. I have a question though; What if something blocks the guide wire path so it can't reach the area for quite some time? Lets say in your example, a child's bike is lying between the shed and the house for quite some time. and that you only have area 1 and 2, both set to 50%. After two tries, without blockage it should have been going to both areas. With a blocking bike it can't reach the area in the first two tries. Will it increase the likelihood of the mower trying to get to area 1? Or will it in the next 2 tries, still mow area 2 one time and try to go to area 1 one time? The reasons I'm asking is that I have your sketched situation, but I have a gate between area 1 and the rest of the garden and most of the time this gate is closed. I have a 315x (2019 model). Would be grateful for your reply.

[@FerryvandenBoom]

Heh. Just found another video by you where you actually answer my question. Thank you! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKaWgIOvm5ljiKs

[@coyal100]

Creat video, that explains it in a simpel way. Does anyone know if it is possible to get the 310 to not just drive along the perimeter wire, but to also mowe all the way. I think there are a bit to many straws left, when it is only “attacking” the perimeter in an angle.

[@derrickmcfall8702]

You get briefly mention at the end that you can eventually turn back on the GPS assisted navigation because it will learn the areas. Is there a real benefit to this? A little disappointed in the GPS capability of the 315x so far..

[@EshlemaniaTV]

Depends on the complexity of the mowing area. If it is a pretty complex layout, then it might be tough to get proper coverage to keep up with the growth rate without using zones and forcing the mower to go to certain areas more often. The less complex the mowing area the better the mower will perform using GPS mowing.

[@derrickmcfall8702]

@@EshlemaniaTV is it worth eventually turning back on the GPS assisted navigation?

[@bmickle]

@@derrickmcfall8702 I'm wondering the same thing - I have a 450XH my dealer just installed - I have a relatively simple setup but the dealer configured it for zones and it's definitely not reaching all parts of my yard as I'd like it to.

[@cliffwalton3440]

Thanks for the explanation. I do have a couple of questions. I understand that by setting an area start point, the mower goes there before mowing. But how would you set up the boundaries of each area? Ie. What's to stop the mower leaving that area? Secondly, can you have these areas given dedicated time slots? Ie, having area 1 mowed exclusively at night, area 2 during the day etc. Many thanks and keep up the good work.

[@EshlemaniaTV]

There really isn't anything that keeps the mower from finding its way into another area once it starts mowing in the area it was scheduled to mow in. Because it's direction is random there is always the possibility of it ending up in another area. So far there is not a way to send the mower to a designated area at a specific time and start mowing. You can set the time of day and hours for the mower to mow, but there's no way of predicting what area or zone it will be heading to when it leaves the charging station.

[@cliffwalton3440]

@@EshlemaniaTV thanks for the reply. Just for my info, do you have contact/input with Husqvarna's development team, or are you an independent reviewer? Having watched your video and read your response, I'd like to say that this system of areas seems a bit crude and rudimentary. I feel it's fine for the low and mid range products. Upto the 300 series, but on the premium, 400+ series there should be better use of existing technology. My thoughts are the use of timed GPS ring fencing. It seems at odds that you need to turn off the gps system, a valuable anti theft tool to control the mower when you're not around. This is obviously derived from a personal requirement to target specific areas at specific times of the day. But I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting this type of control. Maybe also, along with these targeted areas, include customisable profiles. (I'm thinking a stealth or dark mode when cutting your front lawn at 2am.) I'd be interested to know your thoughts and those of the developers.

[@EshlemaniaTV]

We are independent, but we do know a few people that work for Husqvarna. There is still a lot of stuff in the works for this generation of Automowers. Some of the stuff you mentioned I know has been talked about many times before, but not sure how soon any of it would be available or if it will ever be available on this generation. The good news though is that there is a LOT of memory space available on the mother board of this generation of Automowers so they can always add and upgrade features as they are developed by simply plugging the mower into a computer.

[@DrLoverLover]

@@EshlemaniaTV Gardena has that function. Strange because they are practically husqvarnas

[@texnorthman]

Hi! I have the opposite issue, our garden is too big (about 2.5 acres) for our 315x to mow on its own. How do I set up another mower to help it, should I run one boundary around the whole area and have the two mowers working the same area, or do I set up two separate areas?

[@ythater7377]

I wired mine over the sidewalk to the street curb. Since the mower appears that it'll run out into the street people are slamming on there brakes causing a safety concern. If I splice a wire in before the sidewalk would that make the area from sidewalk to curb a secondary area?

[@shuz1967]

So with multiple zones can you in crease your coverage much beyond the 1.25 acres they advertise you can mow? Or should I just figure on 3 mowers to handle between 3 and 4 acres?

[@EshlemaniaTV]

Yes this will help give you more coverage. 3 to 4 acres can be done with a MINIMUM of 2 mowers if laid out properly, but each property is different so it's hard to say if you could do it with 2 or would need to have a 3rd unit

[@RodNeep]

I have three zones of lawn. Front of the house (zone 1), back of the house (zone 3 - the location of the charging station), and an interconnecting wide corridor lawn down the side of the house (zone 2). The delaer did the installation and set up the start points on the guide wire for each zone as you describe in the video. He also set up zone 1 for 30% of the time, zone 2 for 20% of the time, and zone 3 for 50% of the time. Now.... the problem is that *every time* the mower (Husqvarna series 3) leaves the charging station it follows the guide wire to zone 3 and mows that area until it needs to go back to recharge. It never starts at zone 2 or zone 1 and never mows those zones. What is going wrong? Thanks.

[@RodNeep]

Correction... it goes to zone 1 only. (The furthest from the charging station) and does not mows zone 2 or 3.

[@insanesquirle]

@@RodNeep Did you ever figure this out? My mower always starts in the front right side of my house. It spends very little time overall in the back yard which is the largest portion of the yard.

[@trytryandtryagain52]

Same question as Ryan Elton

[@peterriemersma114]

I have an area that is quite small and it has a narrow corridor to the area. So it will sometimes go there and start mowing based on the percentage you set it to. But when it starts mowing randomly in that area it will just keep mowing there unless it needs to charge or it just randomly goes perfectly through the corridor which happens very rarely. So most of the time it will just stay in that really small area untill it needs to recharge. And when it returns back to the charging station it will always stop mowing, this means that the corridors almost never get mown because it rarely goes there when it's randomly mowing. Is there a way to fix this or does anyone have tips? Thank you.

[@EshlemaniaTV]

Here's a few things to try. At both entrances to the corridor make sure that your boundary wires are not laid in a 90* position. Lay the wires so they create more of a "funnel" to the corridor. If this des not work then you might need to get a local dealer come out to help you change your corridor settings on the mower.

[@peterriemersma114]

Eshlemania TV Thank you for the reply, I’ll give that a try!

[@dublinreliefdriver807]

Use Google Earth app to measure distance of your garden boundary and Guide Wires so you can configure your automower settings

[@EshlemaniaTV]

Not a bad suggestion. But it doesn't work for a lot of people (especially in our area) because of trees hiding so much and the pics not being updated enough.

[@dirkhofmans7522]

Can I instruct my mower to go to my starting point of my 2nd zone? It is close to my 2nd area an then I do not have to carry the mower that far.

[@ianhill63]

I really need to be able to do this but I cannot get it to work. I have two main areas, A and B, with a thin strip of lawn joining the two. The charger is in area A. As the dealer has it set up, the mower spends about 90% of its time in area A. I have defined two areas in the mower with the mid point of area A and B specified on the guide wire with the appropriate distance from the charger, and each set to 50%. But the test function does not work. When I try it, it just does what it normally does - i.e. when it comes out of the charger, it doesn't follow the guide wire at all. There is no place on my app where I can disable GPS and I think that might be the problem.

[@ianhill63]

Also on the mower, it says Automower Connect is not available, but I am able to control it with the app (stop, start, adjust schedule etc). Not quite sure why that is the case.

[@tord4000]

Hi. Is it possible to have the mower only cut on one side of the guide cable?

[@EshlemaniaTV]

No, it is not.

[@tord4000]

@@EshlemaniaTV thanks for the reply

[@vanpatv]

I see you didn't install a guide wire on the path to the back yard. Example: Front yard - AREA 1, Back yard - AREA 2. Front yard has a guide wire and boundary wire (60%). Back yard only boundary wire (40% mowing). Front and back are connected by narrow corridor via side yard with 2 sheds next to house. The corridor is about 24 inches wide, 24 feet long. How does the mower know the complete mowing area of AREA 1 without coming back through the corridor? How does the mower know the complete mowing area of AREA 2 without going through the corridor and going to AREA 1?

[@cestmoi7829]

I can program my big truck from the 80s to me between phi cal locations without guide cables - why not do the same here? I need a solution please

[@sebastiansaetre1302]

It seems this isn’t possible with the 115h?

[@maggienacey6547]

any idea who could help me in Southwest Florida an installer that actually knows what they're doing I bought three robots and not one of them is working correctly