I still remember the first robotic lawnmower I had: the Parkside PMRDA 20-Li. For 179 euros, it was practically a gift. It had various cutting heights, a suitable battery to cover a 200 meter garden and suitable wheels to avoid getting trapped. Of course, a perimeter cable had to be installed to indicate the limits, doing it so that the blades did not cut it in their paths or that the wheels would get caught with it. If this happened, the installation had to be started again. It also did not have very fine obstacle detection nor could it be controlled remotely through an app. It was effective and basic. That happened two years ago.
During that time, buying a robotic lawnmower meant making one of two compromises. The first was to opt for an economical model and spend an entire afternoon installing a perimeter cable around the garden. The second was to forget about that cable and enjoy much more intelligent navigation, although in exchange you would have to pay more than 2,000 euros. It was a black or white dilemma. No intermediate tones.
Until the MOVA ViAX 500 arrived. It is true that it is not the most advanced robot on the market, nor does it claim to be. And that is probably its biggest advantage. It does not seek to compete with high-end professional models. Your bet is much more interesting: offer an experience very close to that of those premium devices for a considerably more affordable price (€750). In short, what MOVA has done with this lawn mower is what Xiaomi did 10 years ago with mobile phones: bringing the high performance of flagships closer to the prices of the mid-range.
And, after trying it, that feeling is maintained throughout practically the entire user experience. The big difference begins before you start cutting. Although MOVA focuses on the 360-degree LiDAR sensor, the cameras with artificial intelligence and the navigation system, The really important thing starts before you start it up: you don’t need to install a perimeter cable.
With the ViAX 500 that process practically disappears completely. The robot creates a map of the garden using its LiDAR sensor and cameras, while the application allows you to define the different cutting areas directly from your mobile phone. If you change the layout of your garden later, simply modify the virtual map instead of reinstalling hundreds of meters of cable.
For those of us who have ever installed a cable, it is not a minor detail: it completely changes the user experience. Saves time, increases control and facilitates cutting whims, such as different heights depending on the area and random routes to avoid a single form of growthsomething that makes the grass grow stiffer. The result is a much more uniform lawn and more contained work times.
During the tests I carried out (garden of almost 280 square meters, with many trees), the navigation was convincing, not enough to cover everything in one go, but enough for I didn’t have to worry about scheduling the next task or pointing out where I had left the unfinished cut. The VIAX 500 avoided most trees and even some sunbeds efficiently and managed to climb some slopes above 35º, more than enough for most terrain. It should be noted that it reliably saves areas that do not require cutting.
The LiDAR system maintains good precision even when lighting conditions were not ideal, while the cameras complement that information to improve recognition of the environment. Another of the strong points of the ViAX 500 is its mobile application. From there, schedules, work zones, restricted areas, maps and different operating parameters can be configured without having to physically manipulate the robot. The interface is well designed (thanks Dreame, the subsidiary company for pouring its knowledge into this section) and is intuitive even for those who have never used an autonomous lawnmower.
When it comes to recommendations to make it more effective, the key is to think about a robot vacuum cleaner: if it faces tables, chairs, large speakers or furniture, it performs reliably, but if we leave socks, toys and notebooks on the floor, we complicate the task. The same thing happens here: small pots, small garden decorations and any small object complicates navigation. It doesn’t prevent it, but it makes it difficult.
Verdict
The MOVA ViAX 500 is not the most sophisticated robotic lawnmower you can buy. But if we establish a price/performance ratio, theirs is much more effective. For almost a third of what the “kings of the market” cost, this lawn mower comes out of the box and is already cutting the grass within ten minutes. In two years, we will forget, but right now, we are seeing the pioneer of this market sector, the one responsible for proving that it is not necessary to spend a fortune to enjoy a truly intelligent robotic lawnmower.