I haven’t mowed my lawn in over a month, but it’s groomed like a golf course. That’s because I switched from a push mower to a robot lawn mower that I manage from my iPhone. it is Antbot M9And this is by far my favorite new technique I’ve tried this year.
The Enthebot M9 Robot Lawn Mower is really easy to set up and use
When Enthebot M9 Robot Lawn Mower Rushed to test, I put off installing it until I had a few free hours to spend with it.
In fact, it took me less than 30 minutes to unbox everything, get the hardware in place, and set up the app. Ever since the Enthabot M9 robotic lawn mower came out, I have been amazed and impressed by this thing.
The Enthebot M9 consists of three pieces of equipment: the robotic lawn mower, the charging station, and a sensor called the RTK Reference Station.
More primitive robotic lawn mower systems rely on burying a perimeter wire. That is not the case here.
I chose a location in the backyard with a clear view of the sky for the RTK reference station. It is attached to a pole that includes a forked end to allow it to stick to the ground. No need to dig.
I then set up the charging station at the edge of my back patio area in a spot where the Enthebot M9 robotic lawn mower can call home.
A wire connects the RTK sensor station to the charging station, and a power cable runs from the charging station to the nearest power outlet.
I was able to run both cords along the concrete of the patio and out of sight. There are a handful of plastic nails in the box that hold these cords in place. Even after more than a month of rain and robot mowing of the lawn, they are still out of sight and do not require any attention.
App lets you manage experiences from your iPhone
Once the hardware is installed, the rest is done from the Enthebot iPhone app.
I completed the setup process by manually controlling the Enthebot M9 robotic lawn mower with virtual controls on an iPhone to create a digital map of my backyard.
There are some areas to avoid, such as loose dirt near holes and large tree roots, where the robot lawn mower could get stuck. The app lets you mark these locations as areas to avoid on the map.
From there the Enthabot M9 got the job done. The robot lawn mower is impossibly quiet. If it weren’t for the mowing progress, you might wonder if it was working at all.
The app has changed several times since I started testing the Enthibot M9.
It lets you set the mowing direction with lots of customization. The current version includes the ability to mow in a criss-cross pattern, completely mowing twice per job.
Because it’s so cool and perfect, I find it incredibly satisfying to just sit back and watch it work.
Anthebot M9 comes ready for weather, rain or shine
I’m new to the world of robot lawn mowers, so I still had questions after the first mowing job was completed.
For example, what do I do with the robot when it rains? Enthabot sells a “garage” accessory that goes on top of the charging station, but it’s completely optional.
The Anthebot M9 system is designed to survive in the rain without any issues, and several days of rain have successfully tested that claim.
The robot also has a sensor that detects water and stops mowing during rain. Once no rain is detected it can automatically resume work after specified time period. It works well.
So weather is not an issue. Solid.
A single RTK reference station supports front and rear lawns
The second pleasant surprise came when I fully realized how capable the Enthebot M9 is as a robotic lawn mowing system.
I thought I would need a second RTK reference station to handle the front and side lawns on the other side of the fence. This was a foolish assumption on my part. Of course the Enthebot M9 robotic lawn mower can handle my entire yard without additional hardware. This is the point of the product.
After a few sessions of mowing the front and side grass myself, I wised up and tested adding the rest of my yard to the app’s map.
Exposing the robot lawn mower to the rest of the yard presented some new challenges.
For example, there are areas that should be avoided, such as wet areas around trees, sidewalks, and driveways.
To avoid the tree in the center of the yard, the app lets you map out the area to avoid by manually controlling the robot once around the perimeter. Works great. For a driveway, the app lets you designate it as a route between mowing areas.
Other news and details
You can manually control the robotic lawn mower from the iPhone app so it can mow wherever you direct it. This can be helpful for the occasional missed piece of grass. Allocating each task to run twice per session will also take care of those.
The robot is height-adjustable, so you can adjust how short or tall your grass will be, including the zones. I have favored the 30mm height so far, but for thicker grass I might also consider the 50mm height.
An anti-theft feature can make the robot make a sound if someone moves the robot away from the designated mowing area. Although I don’t need it, it’s nice to know it’s an option.
The Enthbot M9 supports connectivity over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Optional 4G cellular service is also supported.
During testing, I experienced a connectivity issue for a weekend that I think was related to the rollout of cellular, but it resolved automatically. I was relieved, because the M9 robot lawn mower has actually been just as reliable and useful before and after the connectivity blip.
Enthebot’s app lets you create zones for complete control over lawn mowing preferences like direction, scheduling, and more. This is helpful because I need to open a gate to get out of the backyard. I can put it simply as just don’t get your work done. You can also specify certain areas for certain days.
My dog is totally unbothered by the robot lawn mower. The M9 actually runs quieter than a robot vacuum.
Single purchase without ongoing costs
I especially appreciate that this is a one-time purchase that doesn’t require an active subscription. In terms of maintenance, Enthabot recommends turning over the five blades every three to six months and replacing the blades every six to twelve months. The company sells a 15-pack for $19.
Overall, I am still surprised and pleased with how well the Enthabot M9 has performed as my lawn maintenance solution over the past several weeks.
The Enthbot M9 is remarkably flexible. If it gets stuck and the app alerts you, you just pick it up and press a few buttons and it will pick up where it left off. When it starts a task, it will automatically return to the dock to recharge, then restart until the task is completed.
The most recent surprise for me was when I got a notification on my phone saying work would resume after sunset. It used its built-in headlight to mow in the dark. I pulled out the app and told the robot to return to its charging station for the night, but it was so quiet I didn’t even hear it turning on.
9to5Mac’s take
The main thing for me is that it has completely replaced any need for me to mow the lawn myself. I enjoy spending time outside with my dog or doing other yard work while the Enthebot M9 is mowing the grass.
The Enthebot M9 robotic lawn mower keeps a routine that doesn’t change depending on when I’m free. I also appreciate that I don’t have to buy gas or deal with slow-charging batteries in my push mower.
Anthebot M9 retails for $899And Amazon currently has a robot lawn mower $80 off at $819. If a robotic lawn mower fits your budget and sounds like an interesting solution for summer work, I highly recommend considering the Enthebot M9.
For a limited time, the price of the Enthibot M9 has been fixed $769 directly from their websiteAnd 9to5Mac readers can Save an extra $50 with our special link.
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