Navimow lawn mowers precisely navigate your lawn through GPS. They mow every corner using advanced navigation technologies, such as RTK and NRTK.
But for precise navigation, the mower requires a stable and strong GPS or RTK signal. Without it, it might struggle to mow certain parts of the lawn, show a GPS error, or miss some areas.
Let’s understand why Navimow mowers have weak GPS, RTK, or positioning signal issues. We will discuss some common reasons to help you find the actual cause. We will also share some effective solutions you can try to improve signal strength and coverage.
Reasons Why Navimow Mowers Face GPS, RTK, and Positioning Issues
Physical Obstructions
The primary reason for weak signals and GPS issues is obstructions. If there are obstructions, such as high walls, dense trees, and buildings, the GPS signals are likely to get blocked.
As signals cannot pass these obstructions, your mower receives weak or no signals at all. All these things affect the navigation and positioning of the mower in the lawn.
Weak Wi-Fi Signal
Navimow robot mowers require a stable and strong Wi-Fi network. If the signal is weak in your lawn or certain areas, the mower will face difficulty in knowing its accurate GPS position.
Because of weak signals, the mower can deviate from its actual mowing path. It might miss some areas that are included in the map.
Poor and unstable connectivity prevents the map from loading properly. Therefore, the mower struggles to mow your lawn.
Outdated Firmware
If your mower is running on outdated firmware, it could be the root cause of multiple mowing issues.
The old firmware might be the reason for weak signals, bugs, errors, etc. That’s why Navimow releases firmware updates on a regular basis. Updating the firmware to the recent version will solve the issue.
Weak 4G Service
If you have selected 4G for internet connectivity, the mower relies on the 4G service to know the GPS location and load the map. In this case, if the 4G service is weak in your area, the mower won’t be able to know its accurate GPS location in the lawn. The mower requires a stable 4G network to work seamlessly.
Wrong Antenna Placement
For RTK users, the most important thing is the antenna placement. Because it decides how accurately the mower will navigate the lawn.
The antenna needs an open, unshaded space. There should be no obstructions between the antenna and the sky. Not only that, you need to ensure there are no high walls, trees, or other elevated surfaces around it that can block the signals. It requires a more than 110° unobstructed view of the sky.
Because of wrong antenna placement, your mower receives weak signals or nothing at all in certain parts of the lawn. That’s why the mower might get stuck or show an error.
Inaccurate Charging Station Placement
The charging station isn’t only for charging the mower. It also assists in navigation. For RTK users, its placement is also quite important for accurate movement of the mower in the lawn.
Typical GPS signals have errors in positioning. But the mower can find the error and improve accuracy using RTK. It knows the exact position of the charging station in the lawn. It compares it with the GPS location value and finds the error.
Thus, the mower uses the charging station’s location to calculate the error in the GPS positioning. That’s how it can accurately figure out its precise position in the lawn and mow the whole area without any issues.
If the charging station is not correctly placed and the mower is unable to connect to it, it won’t be able to navigate precisely.
NRTK Coverage Issue
If you are using Network RTK and facing issues, there could be a coverage issue. In some areas, Network RTK is still unavailable. Navimow is partnering with reliable service providers, and the coverage is expanding to more regions.
Make sure Network RTK coverage is available in your area. Without proper coverage, the mower won’t be able to receive stable GPS signals.
How to Fix Navimow GPS, RTK, and Positioning Issues
Restart the Mower and App
If you are facing the GPS, RTK, or weak signal issue for the first time, you should try restarting the mower and the app before trying any solution.
Sometimes, there is no issue with the hardware, GPS, or Wi-Fi. The only problem is the temporary memory. Once you restart the mower and the app, the memory resets.
Turn off the mower. Put it on the charging station and let it charge a bit. Also, close the mobile application. If there is a new update available, you can also update it.
After restarting both, try again. It might resolve the issue.
Update the Firmware
If the mower was working fine earlier but is creating issues now, the problem could be the outdated firmware.
In this case, restarting the mower or the app won’t resolve the issue. You have to update the firmware to the latest version.
Open the Navimow app. Go to Settings > Mower > Device Management. Look for Firmware Version. If there is a new version available, update it.
Before running the update, you must put the mower on the charging station. The battery of the mower should be at least 20%, and there should be no mowing scheduled in the next hour. Connect the mower to a stable internet connection and then start the firmware update.
Check the Cable
The antenna is connected to the charging station via a cable. Inspect the cable and see if there is any damage.
The cable can get frayed because of pets. If the cable is in bad shape, you should replace it with a new one. It is necessary to revamp the antenna’s performance.
If the antenna and charging station are far away, you need to connect an extension cable. Even if the cable is fine, the connection could be loose. Disconnect the extension cable and clean dust or debris if there is any. Finally, connect the extension cable.
Place the Antenna Correctly
You have to carefully select the place for the antenna in your lawn. Look for an open space in the lawn where there are no obstacles around.
The antenna should be at least 6.6ft away from walls, dense trees, houses, and fencing. It requires an unobstructed view of more than 110⁰.
If your lawn is small or has less unobstructed space, you can place the antenna on the house’s roof or on a wall. Once you improve the placement of the antenna, it will offer better coverage and signal strength.
After installing the antenna, check the GPS signals in the Satellite Signal Analyzer. Open the Navimow app and go to Settings > Satellite Signal Analyzer. You will see the satellites in all directions here. The blue dot indicates satellites visible to both mower and antenna, and the orange dot indicates satellites visible to antenna only. For better coverage, you can move the antenna to a location where more satellites are available.
Improve Charging Station Location
The charging station should also be in an open area. Keep it away from tall trees, walls, and houses. Otherwise, the obstructions will affect the signal strength.
There should be at least 6.6ft distance between the charging station and the trees, walls, and houses. Plus, it should not be under any shade. It requires unobstructed space between it and the sky to prevent signal blockage.
Moreover, place the charging station on a flat surface. Avoid hilly areas and uneven surfaces. Secondly, there should be 1.6ft clearance on the left and right sides and 6.5ft clearance at the front.
Upgrade Wi-Fi Router
If the lawn area is large, there is a possibility of weak Wi-Fi signals in various parts of the lawn. Without stable connectivity, the mower can’t navigate precisely.
For better internet connectivity, you can upgrade your Wi-Fi router. Go with a better router that can offer improved range and speed. You can also install a Wi-Fi extender to enhance signal strength in a certain area.
If the property is large, consider a mesh Wi-Fi. It will be helpful in eliminating dead zones in the lawn.
Check NRTK Coverage
You can check NRTK coverage even before buying the mower. Go to this Network RTK page and enter your postcode in the search bar. It will help you verify if Network RTK is available in your area. If the coverage is available, you can use the mower with NRTK without any issues.
You can also check satellites in Satellite Signal Analyzer. Open the Navimow app. Go to Settings > Satellite Signal Analyzer. It will show the available satellites in all directions. The blue dots show the satellites visible to the Network RTK base station and the mower, and the orange dots show the satellites visible to the Network RTK base station.
Moreover, you can also see the details, such as elevation, number, distribution, and state of the satellites. It will tell you which area of your lawn does not lock in GPS signals.
You can also move the base station to a suitable place in the lawn where there are more satellites and better coverage.
Final Words
Navimow GPS, RTK, and positioning signal issues arise due to obstructions, incorrect antenna positioning, unstable network, and various other issues that we have discussed. Often, these issues can be resolved by figuring out the root cause and applying an appropriate solution. We have shared some effective solutions you can try to resolve the issue yourself. But if the issue still persists, you can reach out to Navimow support at “support-navimow@rlm.segway.com”
