Segway Navimow H206E Review: Cordless mowing at top level

The market for robotic mowers has undergone a remarkable development in recent years. While earlier models were reliant on an elaborately laid boundary wire, new robots can do without these wires altogether – thanks to the latest navigation technology. Navimow has been one of the most popular manufacturers of wireless robotic lawn mowers for some time now. With the Navimow H206, the Segway subsidiary now has an exciting upper mid-range device on offer, aimed at garden owners with a lawn area of up to 600 m². With a retail price of 1,699 euros, the device is positioned in the upper mid-range – and promises technical innovations that were previously only available in the absolute top class. Read our detailed test report to find out whether the newcomer to the H2 series can keep this promise.

Technical data of the Segway Navimow H206E

Model	Segway Navimow H206
Mowing capacity	max. 600 m²
Navigation and obstacle detection	EFLS (GNSS + RTK) + VisionFence (camera)
Mowing time per charge	approx. 110 min
Cutting width	22 cm
Cutting height	20 to 70 mm
Climbing ability	up to 45 %
Operating volume	58 dB
Protection class	IP66
Connectivity	Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 4G mobile radio
Battery capacity	5.1 Ah
price	Price not available *

Scope of delivery of the Segway Navimow H206E

• Segway Navimow H206 robotic lawnmower
• Charging station
• Ground pegs (incl. Allen key)
• Spare blades
• Cable management
• Power supply + extension cable

Design and workmanship of the Segway Navimow H206E

Visually, the Navimow H206 is a seamless continuation of its predecessors and retains the brand’s characteristic design language: a compact, flat body, a striking bar at the rear, which also serves as a sturdy carrying handle, and a raised central tower that houses the mower and the sensor unit. The numerous orange accents are striking and make the machine unmistakable and instantly recognizable as a Navimow.

This clearly reminds us of the Navimow i105E(Test | € 648.00 *). The workmanship makes a very good impression overall. The dark gray plastic housing looks robust and, according to the manufacturer, is certified to IP66 – the robotic lawnmower is therefore fully protected against dust and water jets. In practice, this means that you can use a powerful jet of water for cleaning without hesitation.

With dimensions of 62.4 × 44.5 × 29.5 centimetres, the H206 is somewhat more compact than some of its competitors, and with a weight of 15.65 kilograms, it is within the typical range for appliances in this performance class. This pays off, especially in combination with the aforementioned carrying handle. After all, the H206 can be easily carried from A to B for most users. What’s more, a lower weight always reduces the risk of getting stuck.

The integrated color display with physical control buttons is located on the top. It enables direct, intuitive control directly on the device. The Navimow app is used for advanced settings, which we will take a closer look at in a moment. On the underside, you can first see the heavily profiled rear wheels, which come in a striking orange color.

These enable the Robo to climb inclines of up to 45%. There are also two smaller wheels at the front, which are used for steering. The mowing disc has a total of six blades and enables a cutting width of 22 cm. Thanks to the EdgeSense system, the cutting disc is also designed to ensure a clean edge mowing with maximum margins of 5 cm.

Setup and commissioning

One of the biggest plus points of the Navimow H206 is how easy it is to set up for the first time. In keeping with the “set down and mow” concept, there is no need for the laborious laying of a boundary wire or the installation of a local GPS antenna. Instead, the robot connects directly to existing mobile phone networks via network RTK – a satellite-based precision positioning system.

The mobile data required for this is included in the purchase price and is free of charge for the first year, after which an annual extension is possible for around 30 euros. If you don’t have stable Wi-Fi on your property, you will certainly be happy to take advantage of this service. Initial commissioning is child’s play. First, set up the charging station and secure it to the ground using pegs. The robot is then connected and switched on.

Now start the Navimow app and add the robot as a new device. Once you have done this, simply follow the instructions in the app. Once the Robo is in your home network, you can start creating maps. Here you can choose between automatic and manual mapping. While the Navimow is steered through the garden like a remote-controlled car in manual mapping mode, it automatically follows the boundaries of the lawn in automatic mode.

In the test, I opted for manual mapping as it didn’t want to start automatically. However, as I have read in other testimonials that it is capable of automatic mapping, I simply put this down to my own conditions. Regardless of whether you opt for manual or automatic mapping, you will end up with a digital map of your property. In automatic mode, the Robo also works out obstacles, boundaries and zones independently.

Thanks to GeoSketch technology, the result also looks really cool and almost photorealistic. Once the map has been created, you can also make individual adjustments to it. For example, you can create several mowing zones or restricted areas. In practice, the complete initial setup only takes a few minutes. Anyone who used to spend hours laying cables through the garden will immediately appreciate the added convenience.

Navimow app

Without the Navimow app, very little would work with the H206 – it is the central control element of the robot and much more than just a replacement for a remote control. After the initial setup, it becomes your daily companion for everything to do with mowing. The app is available for iOS and Android and is set up very quickly after the first start. The interface is clearly laid out and easy to understand, even for less tech-savvy users.

The focus is on the aforementioned GeoSketch map, which provides a photo-realistic representation of the garden and is updated in real time. It can be used to define mowing zones, draw in restricted areas and make individual settings for each area – from cutting height and mowing frequency to fixed time schedules. Up to 30 zones are possible, which is more than enough even for complex garden geometries.

Remote control in real time is also practical: if you want to direct the robot manually to a specific spot, you can do this conveniently via the app. Status messages, battery status, mowing time and any error messages are clearly displayed on the home screen. If you like, you can also give the robot a name and set up your own voice prompts – a playful but nice feature. However, there are drawbacks when it comes to stability.

In the test, there were occasional small connection interruptions between the app and the robot, but these could be rectified after a brief restart of the connection. The automatic mapping, which could not be started straight away in the test, is also controlled via the app – a little more reliability would be desirable here. Overall, however, the Navimow app is a successful control center that makes good use of the H206’s range of functions.

Navigation and obstacle detection

Segway relies on the so-called EFLS LiDAR AI triple fusion system for the Navimow H206 – a combination of high-resolution solid-state LiDAR, network RTK satellite positioning and AI-supported image processing of real-time camera recordings. The special feature of this system is that all three technologies do not work independently of each other, but merge in real time to form a single, highly precise situational image.

Switching between the positioning modes takes less than 20 ms. The embedded solid-state LiDAR scans the environment at almost 200,000 points per second, has a long-range of up to 70 meters and a scan interval of 50 milliseconds. Compared to mechanical LiDAR, the solid-state design scores with significantly higher durability and shock resistance.

According to Segway, the H206 has been tested to more than 60 reliability standards and 50 G vibration shocks. This pays off particularly in rough everyday use, when branches fall down or the robot drives over uneven surfaces. The Navimow H206 proves what this system is capable of on unclear terrain: Under trees, where satellite signals are blocked, the LiDAR seamlessly takes over navigation.

In open areas, network RTK ensures precise satellite positioning and even narrow passages from 70 cm wide are reliably navigated. Day or night – the LiDAR works under identical conditions as it is not dependent on visible light. The VisionFence technology for obstacle detection is particularly impressive. According to the manufacturer, it detects over 200 different obstacle types with an accuracy of one centimeter.

This also includes small objects such as chair legs, toys or garden hoses, but also hanging objects such as trampolines or swings, under which the robot judges the free passage. Animal-friendliness was obviously particularly important to the developers. The H206 recognizes over 20 animal species – from dogs and cats to hedgehogs and sheep – and automatically slows down to a distance of one metre before swerving out of the way.

That’s why my dog didn’t have to be afraid during the test. The robot always avoided him reliably. And that also applied to non-living obstacles. No matter whether it was a soccer or a family of plastic hedgehogs. The H206 reliably recognized the obstacles I placed in front of it. Should a collision nevertheless occur, a 3-directional bumper system protects against unexpected collisions. The H206 also shows its strength on challenging slopes: thanks to LiDAR-supported terrain adaptation and electronic stability control, it can cope with gradients of up to 45%.

Mowing performance of the Segway Navimow H206E

In terms of mowing performance, the Navimow H206 comes with a 100-watt mowing motor that delivers top performance for dense grass. The mowing disc is equipped with six blades and a non-clogging disk, which easily shreds even tall or thick grass. The cutting width is 22 cm and the cutting height can be infinitely adjusted between 20 and 70 millimetres.

This means that the H206 covers a broad spectrum from short ornamental lawns to somewhat more robust utility lawns. The result is largely even and attractive to look at. The H206 works according to a slightly different concept than comparable competitors. For example, it first cuts the edge of the lawn and only then takes care of the inner area. Many others work in exactly the opposite way.

Here and there, however, I had to manually rework blades of grass that remained standing in standard mode. Here you probably have to switch to precision mode, where the Navimow works more precisely and takes a little more time. The EdgeSense function is practical – at least on paper. Thanks to the laterally offset cutting unit, the robotic lawnmower can approach walls, fences and flower beds up to five centimetres away. This promises a clean edge pattern without reworking. However, the edge mowing only worked well for me and not very well.

Here you can’t avoid having to use a manual lawn trimmer. Another cool feature is the ride-on mode. This enables the Robo to mow without edges across borders and transitions. Up to 30 customizable mowing areas can be assigned individual height settings, frequencies and schedules in the app so that different lawn areas can be maintained exactly as desired.

Battery, safety and convenience

Acoustically, the H206 is pleasantly quiet with a sound pressure level of approx. 60 dB. This is roughly equivalent to the volume of a normal conversation and will neither disturb your evening relaxation in the garden nor drive the neighbors crazy. The robot is also equipped with a rain sensor and weather forecast integration.

In heavy rain, frost, snow, strong winds or extreme heat, it automatically returns to the charging station and stops mowing. A four-fold security system rounds off the overall package: geo-fence notifications, a lifting alarm, GPS tracking and integration into Apple’s “Where is?” network protect the robot from theft.

Proximity unlocking automatically deactivates alarms when the owner approaches the device – a well thought-out detail that scores points in everyday use. The H206’s battery has a capacity of 5,100 mAh and, according to the manufacturer, enables a mowing time of up to 110 minutes per charge. In this time, the device can mow up to 321 m² under optimum conditions, which corresponds to an area output of around 175 m² per hour. The charging time is around 110 minutes.

Conclusion

The Segway Navimow H206 is a technologically impressive robotic lawnmower that scores points above all with its uncomplicated set-up and sophisticated navigation system. The wireless start-up without boundary wire and without a local antenna is child’s play and done in no time at all. The EFLS LiDAR AI triple fusion system delivers impressive navigation precision and the VisionFence obstacle detection works reliably in the test – whether soccer, animal figure or real dog. But there are also drawbacks.

The mowing performance in standard mode is solid, but not flawless: blades of grass were occasionally left standing, which required manual reworking. The much-advertised EdgeSense system also only lives up to its promises to a limited extent – the edge pattern was good, but not good enough to completely dispense with a manual lawn trimmer. Anyone expecting perfect edges will be somewhat disappointed here. In addition, the automatic mapping could not be started as intended in the test, which, along with occasional disconnections, shows that the software is still a little idiosyncratic at times.