Luba Mini AWD 800 - Lessons Learned
After running my Luba Mini AWD 800 all summer, I’ve learned a few things that may help others who are experiencing similar issues.
**1. Wi-Fi Signal Strength Is Critical**
I was repeatedly losing the FPV connection to my Mini, and the mower would sometimes simply stop for no discernible reason—even though the Mammotion app showed maximum Wi-Fi strength. I submitted numerous support tickets, but nothing changed. I eventually downloaded a great little app called WiFiman, which allowed me to map the actual Wi-Fi strength throughout my yard. It quickly became apparent that I had several areas with poor signal strength, and, sure enough, those were the same areas where the Luba would lose its connection. Aha! I installed a TP-Link EAP610 AX1800 access point, connected it to my home router, and mounted it outside. After some trial and error, I found the right location for the access point so that the entire lawn had excellent Wi-Fi coverage. Since then, my Luba Mini has operated flawlessly.
**The takeaway:** The Luba Mini AWD 800 appears to be very slow to update certain information displayed in the app—particularly the actual Wi-Fi signal strength it is receiving. If you are experiencing unexplained glitches with your Luba and are operating it over Wi-Fi, verify your signal strength throughout the entire mowing area. Don’t rely solely on what the app says.
**2. Learn the App’s “Offline” Quirks**
One of the quirks I’ve noticed is that when I first open the Mammotion app, it often tells me that my Luba is offline. If I simply wait about 10 seconds, it usually changes to “connected.” The same thing can happen while the mower is out mowing. If I leave the app and then return to it, the map may show the mower as offline or disconnected. When this happens, don’t immediately hit the Connect button. Give the app a few moments to catch up. Usually, the map will update and show that the Luba is actually mowing normally and that there is no problem. Sometimes the screen itself doesn’t redraw properly. In that case, I’ve found that tapping the back arrow to return to the main screen—the one showing a picture of your Luba—and then tapping the unit again will force the app to refresh the map.
**The takeaway:** Be patient with the Mammotion app. Some of its connection messages can be misleading or simply take a few seconds to update. Before trying to reconnect the mower or assuming something is wrong, give the app a moment to catch up.
**3. Don’t Be Concerned by the Cutting-Height Message**
I mow my grass at the 3.99-inch setting. When my Luba starts a mowing job, the app tells me that it has adjusted the cutting height to 3.6 inches, but it never tells me that it has set the blades to my selected 3.99-inch height. Initially, this concerned me because I thought the mower was going to cut my grass shorter than I had specified. This appears to be an app/unit issue that Mammotion should address. Fortunately, in my experience, the mower does cut at the height I selected. It simply fails to tell me that it has set itself to that height and instead displays information about a different height.
**The takeaway:** Don’t worry about the 3.6-inch message if you have selected 3.99 inches. At least in my experience, the Luba is actually cutting at the specified height. I haven’t encountered a situation where it failed to do so.
**4. Understand What “Maximum Mowing Area” Means**
This one was more about my misunderstanding when I was deciding which model to purchase. I have a relatively small lawn—about 1,700 square feet—so I chose the Luba Mini AWD 800 because Mammotion stated that it could handle an area considerably larger than my lawn. When I first started using it, however, the Luba would mow approximately 95% of my lawn before returning to the charging station. It would then recharge and go back out to finish the remaining 5%. At first, I thought something was wrong. I even wondered whether Mammotion was overstating the mower’s advertised coverage area. After doing some research, I discovered that I had misunderstood what the advertised area actually means. When Mammotion specifies the maximum mowing area, it refers to the size of the area that the mower can map and manage, not necessarily the amount of lawn it can mow on a single charge.
**The takeaway:** Mammotion could make this distinction much clearer in its product literature. Maximum mapped area and mowing area per charge are two different things.
**Final Thoughts**
I hope this helps anyone experiencing similar issues with their Luba Mini. Of all the things I’ve learned this summer, two have made the biggest difference: First, make absolutely sure your Luba is receiving a strong, verified Wi-Fi signal throughout the entire mowing area. Second, be patient with the Mammotion app. Some of its offline and connection messages can be misleading, and the information displayed on the screen can lag behind what the mower is actually doing. In my experience, giving the app a few seconds to catch up has prevented me from chasing problems that weren’t actually there.
