How to lay boundary wire for your wired robot mower
Updated: October 2026
You have a reel and a sketch of the lawn. How to lay boundary wire is one closed loop back to the pins your station actually has, pegged or buried, with islands run out and back and the spare laid flat. Copying a Husqvarna distance onto a WORX, or a Yard Force 300 m cap onto a Gardena, is how the mower crosses a bed or never finds the dock. The reels are on the [Boundary wire comparison](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/boundary-wire). Peter F. checked the saved listings on 22 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We did not peg a test lawn.
You have a reel and a sketch of the lawn. How to lay boundary wire is one closed loop back to the pins your station actually has, pegged or buried, with islands run out and back and the spare laid flat.
You have a reel and a sketch of the lawn. How to lay boundary wire is one closed loop back to the pins your station actually has, pegged or buried, with islands run out and back and the spare laid flat. Copying a Husqvarna distance onto a WORX, or a Yard Force 300 m cap onto a Gardena, is how the mower crosses a bed or never finds the dock. The reels are on the Boundary wire comparison. Peter F. checked the saved listings on 22 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We did not peg a test lawn.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Wire length | Conductor | Supplied as | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Gardena Gardena 150 m boundary wire | 150 m | Not stated | Wire only | 8.5 | about £82.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  COZCLAM COZCLAM 175 m boundary wire kit | 175 m | Tinned copper-plated aluminium | Kit with pegs | 7.8 | about £33.52 | View offer |
| Alternative |  JAVEX JAVEX 153 m tinned copper wire | 153 m | Tinned copper | Wire only | 7.6 | about £79.99 | View offer |
On this page
Plan the loop before you peg
Start with the station where it will live and draw the mowing area as a single loop. The wire leaves one pin, goes around the grass, and returns to the other pin. Gardena’s SILENO quick guide labels those pins L and R and says the right-hand wire goes to the right-hand pin. A Yard Force guide uses F for the outgoing wire and B for the return. Your manual’s letters win. A swapped pair looks exactly like a break. Put the maximum loop length from that chapter on the sketch before you unroll anything. If your perimeter, islands, guide and spare exceed the maximum in your manual, shorten the route. Mark every island and the guide on the same sketch. Husqvarna’s UK article says to use the same type of wire and the original couplers. If the reel is already short of that drawing, stop and use the boundary wire buying guide.
Peg it or bury it
Peg the wire if you may still move the edge in the first weeks. Flymo’s UK installation page tells EasiLife owners to peg while you are adjusting, then bury if you dethatch or aerate. WORX recommends above-ground laying so you can change the route later, and points you to WORX pegs, which are not in that box. Bury the wire if you scarify or aerate. Flymo, the Gardena R40Li manual and Husqvarna’s UK note all give a bury depth of at least 1 cm and at most 20 cm. That range is those pages, not a legal depth for every UK lawn. A scarifier will still cut a wire you left on top. If the reel is wire only, pegs are a second purchase before you start.
Islands and the guide
A flower bed, a tree or a pond edge stays out of the cut by an island, not by crossing the loop. Run the wire out to the obstacle and back in parallel, so the mower can drive over the pair. Husqvarna’s text says those sections must be parallel and that the guide must not cross the boundary wire. A crossed pair is a wall the mower will not pass, or a bed it will enter. The guide starts at the station and runs straight into the lawn before it joins the boundary. Use an original coupler for that join if the brand requires it. A twisted joint and tape is how rain opens the circuit a week later. On the models Husqvarna quotes, the barrier before water, a drop or a road is at least 15 cm high. That is not a Flymo figure. Mark your manual’s centimetres before the first peg.
Power, spare wire, and when to stop
The loop is not mains. Do not connect boundary wire to a 230 V socket. Gardena’s quick guide puts the power supply on 100–240 V. Keep that low-voltage lead at its original length. The R40Li manual forbids shortening or extending it. UK plugs on the supply side are BS 1363. Do not coil the offcut under the station. When the pins are on and the wire is continuous, the station should show the good-loop indication in your manual. Lamp colours are not universal. If the lamp will not settle, do not keep buying reels. The next page is boundary wire break: pins, then a short test loop, then the search. Call an installer when the wire runs under paving you cannot lift, or when a new short test loop at the station still fails. That last case is the station or the supply, not another 150 m.
Common questions
Do I peg the wire or bury it?
Peg it while you may still move the edge, which is Flymo’s advice for the first weeks. Bury it if you scarify or aerate, or if the surface is uneven enough to catch a peg. WORX’s 50 m listing recommends above-ground laying so the route can change. The two methods can meet: peg the bits you are still judging, and bury the strip the scarifier will cross.
How do I keep a flower bed out without blocking the path?
Run the wire out and back in parallel, close enough that the mower can cross the pair, and do not let the guide cross that pair. Husqvarna’s text requires the out-and-back sections to be parallel. A single wire that loops the bed and then crosses itself becomes a barrier or a gap, and you will not see which until the mower tries it.
Where does the guide wire start?
At the station, in a straight run into the lawn, then joined to the boundary with the coupler your brand specifies. Husqvarna describes about 2 m of straight wire on many models and about 1 m on the Aspire R4. Use your manual’s figure. The guide is the same cable as the boundary, not a second product from another reel.
Can I coil the spare under the station?
No. UK brand guides, including Core Service’s Yard Force article, say a coil upsets the signal. Lay the spare flat outside the mowing area. If the offcut is most of a 150 m reel, you bought too much. Do not hide the surplus in a loop beside the docking point.
When should an installer take over?
When the route goes under paving you cannot lift, when the lawn meets open water or a public edge and you are unsure of the barrier, or when a short new loop on the station pins still will not show a good signal. Neighbours’ robots that interfere are a layout job too. A single nick you can see in the grass is still a repair you can do before you call anyone.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources listed in the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk listing files for prices, stars and review counts. Checked on 22 October 2026.
- Husqvarna UK: standard Automower boundary wire (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Husqvarna UK: heavy-duty boundary wire (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Husqvarna UK: how to lay a guide wire (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Husqvarna UK: find and repair a wire break (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Gardena UK: boundary wire 4088-60 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Flymo UK: robot installation (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Core Service: Yard Force boundary wire and charging station (retrieved 22.10.2026)