Last updated: September 2026
A boundary wire mower stays inside a cable you lay around the lawn; an RTK mower knows where it is from satellite positioning corrected by a base station, so there is no wire at all. For large, changing or multi-area yards, RTK is easier to set up and change. Yarbo uses RTK with stereo vision cameras.
How does a boundary wire mower work?
Boundary wire is the older approach. You lay a thin cable around the edge of the lawn, pegged down or buried just below the surface, and loop it around beds, trees and anything else the mower should avoid. A small signal runs through the wire from the charging station, and the mower senses it and turns back when it reaches the edge. Inside that boundary, many wire-guided mowers move in a random pattern, covering the lawn over time rather than in straight lines.
Many wire systems also use a second guide wire running from the charging station across the lawn, which the mower follows to find its way home, and separate lawns joined by a narrow passage often need their own guide wire or loop. Every extra area adds more cable to lay and look after.
It works, and it does not depend on satellites or a view of the sky. The costs come in setup and upkeep: the wire has to go around every edge and obstacle, it has to be moved when you change a bed or add a path, and a cut from a spade or an aerator stops the mower until the break is found and repaired.
- Physical cable around every edge and obstacle
- No satellite signal needed
- Changes to the lawn mean moving the wire
How does RTK navigation work?
Ordinary satellite positioning, the kind in a phone, is typically accurate to a few meters. That is fine for directions and useless for mowing a straight line along a flower bed. RTK, short for real-time kinematic, fixes that. A base station at a fixed, known spot on your property receives the same satellite signals as the mower, works out the error in them, and sends a correction to the mower many times a second. With that correction, RTK systems are designed to position to within centimeters.
On a Yarbo, the base station is the Data Center. Yarbo describes it as the navigation link for the system: it provides precise navigation data to the Yarbo Core. The Core then follows the areas and routes you set in the Yarbo app, mowing in planned lines instead of a random pattern.
What does Yarbo use besides RTK?
Satellite signals are not perfect everywhere, so Yarbo combines RTK with other sensors. Yarbo lists RTK, vision, an IMU and odometry for positioning and navigation. The IMU, an inertial measurement unit, senses the robot's movement and turns, and odometry measures how far the tracks have travelled. For navigation under trees, where satellite signals weaken, Yarbo lists vision, IMU and odometry, so the robot is not relying on RTK alone at those moments.
For obstacles, the Lawn Mower Pro uses binocular cameras, ultrasonic sensors and a bumper, per Yarbo. And for yards with heavy tree cover, Yarbo makes an RTK Antenna Pro, a high precision antenna for the Data Center and the Core that Yarbo says improves RTK signal stability under trees and partial obstructions.
Which is quicker to set up?
| Setup step |
Boundary wire |
RTK (Yarbo) |
| Mark the lawn edge |
Lay and peg or bury wire around every edge |
Map the edge in the app |
| Keep out of beds and trees |
Loop wire around each one |
Mark them in the map |
| Extra hardware |
Wire, pegs, connectors |
Data Center base station and docking station |
| Separate lawns |
Guide wires or separate loops |
Map each area |
| Changing the layout later |
Move the wire |
Edit the map |
On a small, simple lawn, laying wire is an afternoon's job. On a large property with several lawns, long edges and many beds, it can mean hundreds of feet of cable. RTK replaces that with placing the Data Center where it has an open view of the sky, placing the docking station, which Yarbo builds to charge the Core outdoors all year, and setting the boundaries once in the Yarbo app.
Which is more accurate?
A boundary wire mower is accurate at the edge, because the wire is exactly where you put it. Away from the edge, many wire-guided mowers wander in a random pattern and rely on running often enough to cover everything. An RTK mower knows its position across the whole lawn, so it can mow in planned, parallel lines, return to where it needs to go, and treat each area differently. That matters most on big lawns, where a random pattern wastes time crossing ground it has already cut.
What problems does each one have?
Boundary wire fails physically. Wires get cut by spades, aerators and edging tools, dug up by animals, or broken by frost heave, and finding the break can take a while. The mower stops until it is fixed.
RTK fails when the sky is blocked. Tall buildings, dense tree canopy and deep overhangs can weaken or reflect satellite signals, and the robot may slow down or pause until it has a good position again. The fixes are mostly about placement: put the Data Center where it sees open sky, keep the antenna clear, and add the RTK Antenna Pro where trees are the problem. Our troubleshooting guide to a robot mower losing RTK or GPS signal walks through the checks.
- Wire: breaks, digging, frost, moving the loop
- RTK: sky view, tree canopy, base station placement
What connections does an RTK robot use?
A wire-guided mower only needs power at its charging station. An RTK robot is a small connected system: the base station talks to the robot, and you talk to both through an app. Yarbo lists 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi HaLow connectivity for its modules. Wi-Fi HaLow is a long-range, low-power form of Wi-Fi designed to reach further across a property than ordinary home Wi-Fi, which suits a robot working at the far end of a large lawn.
The Data Center is powered over Ethernet, and Yarbo makes HaLow, Bluetooth and RTK Antenna Pro antennas for it, along with a POE power adapter, all in Yarbo parts and accessories. On a big property, the practical point is that the Data Center needs both a good sky view and a cable run to power, so it is worth planning its spot before installation day.
Where should the base station go?
Placement decides how well an RTK robot runs, so it is worth a few minutes of planning. A good spot for the Data Center ticks most of these boxes:
- A clear view of open sky, away from tall walls, roof overhangs and dense trees
- Fixed firmly, so it does not move once set up
- Within reach of a cable run for power over Ethernet
- Central enough to the areas the robot will work
If the only good sky view is some distance from the house, that is usually still the better choice than a spot close to the house under the eaves. When you book a consultation, send a few photos of the yard and we will help you pick the spot.
What if you change your garden later?
This is where RTK saves the most effort over the years. New flower bed, a path, a play area, a shed: with a boundary wire, each one means lifting and relaying cable. With RTK, you edit the map in the app. The same applies to seasons. On a Yarbo, the Core that mows in summer also carries a snow blower module in winter and a leaf blower module in autumn, and the mapped property covers the driveway you want cleared of snow as well as the lawn you want mowed. A wire laid around the lawn for mowing would be no help to a snow blower on the drive.
Which should you choose for your yard?
| Your yard |
Better fit |
Why |
| Small, simple, fixed layout, lots of trees |
Boundary wire |
Short wire run, no dependence on sky view |
| Large lawn, one or more acres |
RTK |
No long cable runs, planned mowing lines |
| Several separate lawns |
RTK |
Map each area instead of wiring each |
| Layout that changes often |
RTK |
Edit the map, not the wire |
| Want snow and leaf clearing too |
RTK (Yarbo) |
One mapped system for every season |
The robots we carry, the Yarbo range, are all wire-free RTK systems. If your yard is mostly under dense canopy, tell us before you buy and we will be straight with you about whether RTK will work well there.
What about slopes and remote control?
Navigation is only one part of the choice. Yarbo rates the Core with the Lawn Mower Pro module for slopes up to 70% (35°). For ground steeper than that, no autonomous robot we carry is rated for it, and a remote-control mower like the Mowrator S1 is the answer: it needs neither wire nor RTK, because you steer it. Our comparison of Yarbo vs Mowrator covers that choice, and the guide to the best robot lawn mower for 1, 2 and 5 acres covers sizing.
Want us to check your yard?
Send us a note on your lawn size, tree cover and any buildings close to the lawn, plus the rough size of each lawn area and where your outdoor power points are, since both shape where the dock and Data Center go. A Yard Automation Pro will then tell you honestly whether an RTK robot will run well there. Book a free consultation by email, or call +1 423-927-3776, 9am to 5pm EST. For an instant answer, try our Find Your Robot quiz and cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between RTK and boundary wire?
A boundary wire mower stays inside a cable laid around the lawn. An RTK mower uses satellite positioning corrected by a base station on your property, so no wire is needed.
Does Yarbo need a boundary wire?
No. Yarbo uses RTK with its Data Center base station, plus stereo vision, an IMU and odometry. You map the areas in the Yarbo app.
Does RTK work under trees?
Dense canopy can weaken satellite signals. Yarbo lists vision, IMU and odometry for navigation under trees, and makes an RTK Antenna Pro that it says improves signal stability under trees.
Where should the RTK base station go?
Somewhere with a clear, open view of the sky, away from tall buildings and dense trees. Yarbo's Data Center is powered over Ethernet.
Is RTK more accurate than boundary wire?
RTK systems are designed to position to within centimeters across the whole lawn, which lets a robot mow in planned lines. A wire is exact at the edge, but many wire-guided mowers move randomly inside it.
Can I change my lawn layout with RTK?
Yes. You edit the map in the app instead of lifting and relaying wire.
