Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect Robot Lawn Mower Review (2020)
Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect is ideally designed for lawns up to 350 m² (or 0.087 ac.) where slopes aren’t steeper than 15° (or 27 percent).
It’s otherwise an autonomous robotic lawnmower that has 18 V 2.5 Ah lithium-ion rechargeable battery feeding off of electric power. At the bottom is a cutting system with 3 pivoting small blades which mulches grass relatively quietly (up to 63 dB) all the while maintaining your lawn at a cutting height of 30-50 mm (or 1.18″ to 1.97″).
Check its price here: Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect.
Apart from that, it’s using LogiCut navigation system to first map out the lawn to then mow it systematically row by row while remembering where it left off when it goes back for a quick recharge in the middle of it. There’s no cut to edge feature, but there is remote control, and that’s what set this “connect” version sets it apart from the non-connect version of Bosch Indego 350 robot lawn mower. Otherwise it’s got all the essential mowing, safety, and security features by default, too.
I used to bring out my push mower almost every week, fire it up and usually get eaten alive by the biting horseflies in the process. One time I got bitten right at the vein near my ankle and my leg got swollen real bad for an entire week, just for the time to mow again! I had enough! Luckily I came across robot mowers, and boy am I happy now. The running costs have been surprisingly low as well.
Table of Contents
Quick Overview for the Hasty
Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect measures 44.5 cm x 36.4 cm x 20.2 cm / 17.5″ x 14.3″ x 8″ (length x width x height) and weighs 7.6 kg (or 16.76 lbs).
If you’re new to robot lawn mowers, quickly skim over this “Robot Lawnmower Buying Guide” for a better overview on the matter.
Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect features tilt, lift, rollover, and collision sensors, but no rain sensor. It’s making use of LogiCut Navigation System which allows it to map out the garden layout, mow systematically in parallel rows, and continue mowing where it left off after a quick recharge. Otherwise it’s fairly similar to how typical robot mowers tend to work. When compared to the non-connected version, this Bosch S+ 350 Connect features remote control, which is also pretty much only difference from the non-connect version.
Pros
- 30% faster mowing
- German quality
Cons
- Poor traction on wet grass, worse in combination with slopes
- Requires flawless accuracy for docking and thus may miss the mark
For extra cost, Bosch offer custom covers for their mowers, but also shades for the charging station that act like mini garage.
Who’s Behind Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect Robotic Lawnmower?
Robert Bosch GmbH as a company dates all the way back to 1886, to a backyard in Germany (back then it was called, in German: “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering“). They’ve come a long way since.
Anything more interesting to add to that? Nah, not really. It’s German.*
What Are the Specifications of Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect?
- Dimensions – 44.5 cm x 36.4 cm x 20.2 cm / 17.5″ x 14.3″ x 8″ (length x width x height)
- Weight – 7.6 kg (16.76 lbs)
- Max cutting area – 350 m² (0.087 ac.)
- Incline – 15° (27 percent)
- Battery pack – 18 V 2.5 Ah lithium-ion battery
- Mowing time – 30 min (avg.)
- Charging time – 45 min (avg.)
- Cutting width – 19 cm (7.48″)
- Cutting height – 30-50 mm (1.18″ to 1.97″)
- Cutting height positions – 3
- Volume level – up to 63 dB
What Are the Features of Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect Robot Mower?
Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect robot mower comes with plenty of features.
1) General:
- autonomous charging and mowing
- silent operation (up to 63 dB)
- over-air connectivity
- USB port
- low running costs
2) Control System:
- manual control panel keypad
- remote control with app
- alert messages
3) Navigation system:
- parallel mowing pattern
- LogiCut Navigation System
- MultiArea [up to 3 independent cutting areas; zones up to 40 m² (0.0099 ac.)]
- SmartMowing (automatic scheduling)
- SpotMow – targeted mowing of small areas
- collision sensor
4) Charging system:
- energy saving mode
- temperature monitoring
5) Cutting system:
- mulching system
- cutting height adjustment dial
- 3 pivoting small blades
6) Safety features:
- emergency STOP button
- collision sensor
- tilt sensor
- lift sensor
- turnover sensor
7) Security features:
- security lock system
- pin code
- alarm
1) General Features
Automatic charging and mowing cycle
Almost every single robot lawnmower out there is autonomous. That means they go from mowing to recharging and then back to mowing all on their own. Same thing with this Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect robot mower – it will start mowing as per your instructions and do it on its own for a long time if you also configured a schedule in the settings.
Silent operation (up to 63 dB)
Around 60 dB is comparable to a normal conversation. For contrast, a typical motorized push mower roars at around 90 dB and up to 110 dB. All robot mowers are fairly quiet, and it’s no different with this one. You can read more here: “How Loud Are Robot Mowers?”
Over-air connectivity
This “Connect” version of Bosch Indego S+ 350 features over-air connectivity (Wi-Fi). It’s got Bosch’s robot mower app you can control the robot mower with using a smartphone. You can also update the robot mower software via this connection rather than having to manually do so using a USB storage device.
USB port
Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect features a USB port in case for some reason you need to urgently update its firmware whilst unable to create an over-air connection (say you don’t have your smartphone around that would be paired with the mower via Wi-Fi).
Low running costs
Apart from the initial purchase, there are also the running costs involved. Electricity and certain replacement parts factor into it. The battery will last anywhere from 2 to 6 years while the blades need changing roughly twice per mowing season (3 at a time). When it comes to electricity, a 18 volt 2.5 Ah battery uses roughly 0.045 kWh (calculated here). Costs a few cents to keep it running 1 day, that’d make a few tens of bucks per mowing season.
2) Control System
Control panel keypad
Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect robot mower has a fairly simple control panel with a few buttons and a screen for feedback. There’s a “Back” button on the left and “Confirm” button on the right with a screen somewhat in the middle. Then at the bottom you’ll find arrow keys to navigate through settings. You can configure scheduling options, mowing modes, security settings, and more.
Remote control
Bosch has an app called Bosch Indego’s Native app which allows you to control the robot mower remotely if you pair it with your smartphone where the app is downloaded. You need 2 things for that to work: 1) a smartphone and 2) Wi-Fi signal covering the lawn. You need the smartphone for the app and Wi-Fi coverage to interact with the mower remotely.
Alerts
The keypad screen can give you further feedback on a few things, but it’s seriously lacking for troubleshooting problems. The app functionality opens up more options and alerts.
Mowing pattern: parallel rows
Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect robotic lawnmower has a LogiCut intelligent navigation system which allows it to mow in parallel rows (30% faster than random mowing pattern). It will map out the garden layout and knows exactly where to mow. It also knows where to continue mowing after a quick recharge.
Relies on a perimeter wire
Although it knows where to mow and more, the Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect robot mower still heavily relies on a perimeter wire. It’s a harmless electrified boundary wire that defines the cutting area, helps the mower map the garden layout and guides it back to the recharging station. The wire makes a loop around the cutting area and connects at the charging station. The wire can be installed few centimeters / inches (up to 5 cm) in the soil or tightly against the ground using the pegs and let the grass grow over it. The better option is to bury it eventually.
MultiArea feature
There’s no automatic zone feature for this Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect robot mower either. Instead what you get are 2 alternatives. The first one is MultiArea feature which allows you to set up up to 3 separate mowing areas each with their own charging station and perimeter wire loop. The second option is to create a zone no larger than 40 m² (0.0099 ac.) by extending the perimeter wire around that smaller zone. I know this was a vague explanation, but there’s more info on this in the installation manual should you choose this robot mower.
SmartMowing feature
It’s essentially an automated calendar scheduling feature which creates mowing times based on your lawn size and layout. Additionally, as it’s connected to the internet now, you can allow it to pull info on weather forecast to automatically adjust the mowing schedule based on that. You can adjust the schedule yourself, too, via the app.
SpotMow feature
This is basically a manual command that makes this robot mower clear just a small area in a few meter radius from where you used this feature. This is useful for when you only want some certain area to be cut rather than wait for the mower to get to it with a full mowing cycle of the entire lawn.
Collision sensor
This one is essentially a bump sensor. When Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect bumps into an obstacle, instead of pushing forward and eventually giving up, it will instead turn and start mowing in a different direction.
4) Charging System
The recharging and mowing cycle is automatic. That means the robot mower will mow and recharge on its own, and depending on settings will do that forever as per the schedule or until the task is complete.
Energy saving mode
It’s essentially a sleep mode – when Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect is not mowing or charging, just waiting for example, then electricity to perimeter wire and the like is automatically shut. Things fire up again when it’s time to work again as per the schedule or when you manually give it a command to start mowing.
Temperature monitoring
The robot mower’s battery has a built-in temperature monitoring feature which doesn’t allow charging if the battery temperature is between 5 °C and 45 °C (41°F to 133°F). Have a read on the effects temperature has on batteries.
5) Cutting System
Mulching system
As is with every robot mower out there, they all mulch grass. Same thing with this Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect robotic lawnmower. Mulching means that the grass is being cut more often and it never grows too long, but the cut grass is not collected and instead falls down onto the soil and acts as natural fertilizer. It’s a good formula for a green lush healthy lawn – the only thing left to do is aeration.
Cutting height adjustment feature
Cutting height can be adjusted manually between 3 options from 30-50 mm (1.18″ to 1.97″).
3 pivoting small blades
Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect robotic lawnmower has 3 pivoting small blades down there making up the cutting system. The blades are attached to a rotating disc. There’s also the solid type of cutting system, but this pivoting blade type of cutting system is quieter, safer, and more energy efficient in comparison. As for the negatives, the pivoting small blades attached to a rotating disc are a little less efficient at cutting things. There’s also the higher risk of the small blades just breaking off, but the chances of it actually happening is fairly low.
6) Safety Features
Emergency STOP button
Apart from Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect robot lawn mower having a big emergency STOP button, being fairly quiet (up to 63 dB), moving slowly, and having a considerably weaker motor when compared to your regular lawn mower, meaning it will have a hard time with anything other than grass, along with blades being small and tucked deep under the chassis, there are a few more tricks under its belly (learn more: “Robotic Lawnmower Safety”).
Collision, tilt, lift, & turnover sensors
Collision sensor (or bump sensor) helps in navigation, but it’s also a safety feature. So instead of just pushing forward, with this sensor it will turn away from the obstacle fairly quickly. Tilt, lift, and turnover sensor will stop the blades almost instantly when the mower is tilted, lifted or rolls over.
7) Security Features
Auto Lock function
Auto Lock is a security measure stopping unauthorized access and can be enabled/disabled. It locks down the control over the mower if buttons are not pressed for 3 minutes. It can be unlocked again by entering the PIN code using arrow keys or through app if you’re trying to unlock remotely. it’s locked.
Pin code
At first there’s likely no PIN code and you can assign one using the arrow keys on the manual control panel. Same thing with remote control. And try not to forget the PIN code once you’ve created it!
Alarm
The alarm, too, can be either enabled or disabled. When enabled, the alarm goes off likely after some time when the robot mower is lifted and the PIN code is never entered.
Additionally, you could:
Hide from bypassers
Try installing the charging station somewhere hidden from bypassers for added protection.
Use a sticker
You can custom make a sticker with fake information about its security features and put it on the mower for the potential thief to kindly return the mower once they notice it – once they realize that they can’t do anything with it without knowing the PIN code, instead of just leaving it somewhere, they might return it knowing they could still get off easy. They might…
Fake surveillance system
Putting a camera, even if fake, in an obvious easy to spot location overlooking the area will at least make the potential thief think twice.
What’s Included In the Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect Package?
Robotic Mower
Charging Station
Installation Manual
100 m Boundary Wire
Boundary Wire Staples (140)
Nails, screws, hex key, power supply & cable, connectors, and the like.
Additionally, for extra cost:
Custom top cover
Mini Garage
Should You Buy the Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect Robot Lawn Mower?
It’s not like there weren’t options to choose from. Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect is a more expensive one among those robot mowers able to cover a lawn up to around 350 m² (0.087 ac.). If you preferred quality over price, and the features were right for you, this is a reliable option.
By default, German products are associated with quality. Most robot mowers tend to ultimately come from China.
It might not be for you if your garden layout was very complex and/or consisted of more than 3 larger zones or the slopes were steeper than 27% (or 15°) and you wanted cut height to be less than 30 mm (1.18″) or more than 50 mm (1.97″). Otherwise it’s a decent pick.
You can check its price here: Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect.
How To Install Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect?
There’s nothing too complicated about the setup of Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect robot mower. It’s mainly to do with perimeter wire and charging station placement. The whole process can take a few hours (check with installation manual).
Avoid angles of less than 45° when laying the perimeter wire as that can affect the performance. You can install the wire itself either tightly against the ground using the pegs or dig it up to 5 cm (1.97″) under the soil. At first it’s better to opt for the above ground placement and let things run for a few weeks to see if everything good. Later it would be better install the wire under the ground.
Another thing is the charging station. Setting this up is fairly straight forward (check with installation guide), but I’d like to point out a few key things still. They’re mainly to do with the charging station placement requirements:
- It must be close to a wall socket;
- preferably under shade & cover;
- install on a relatively flat surface outdoors;
- install it somewhere out of sight from bypassers;
- install on top of the wire at an outer edge of the cutting area (not in the middle of cutting area).
How To Take Care of the Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect Robot Mower?
As is with all robot lawn mowers, Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect robotic lawnmower, too, requires very low maintenance:
- clean regularly;
- replace cutting blades when need be;
- replace rechargeable battery when it seems almost dead;
- install charging station in shaded area to protect the mower from the elements;
- don’t forget to unplug the power supply connected to the charging station you left outside for winter;
- when storing the robot mower itself, charge fully, turn off, clean, and place in dry indoor conditions, and avoid leaving in freezing temperature.
Conclusion
Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect is ideally designed for lawns up to 350 m² (or 0.087 ac.) where slopes aren’t steeper than 15° (or 27 percent). It’s otherwise an autonomous robotic lawnmower that has 18 V 2.5 Ah lithium-ion rechargeable battery feeding off of electric power. At the bottom is a cutting system with 3 pivoting small blades which mulches grass relatively quietly (up to 63 dB) all the while maintaining your lawn at a cutting height of 30-50 mm (or 1.18″ to 1.97″).
Apart from that, it’s using LogiCut navigation system to first map out the lawn and then mow it systematically row by row while remembering where it left off when it goes back for a quick recharge. There’s no cut to edge feature, but there is remote control, and that’s what set this “connect” version apart from the non-connect version of Bosch Indego 350 robot lawn mower. Otherwise it’s got all the essential mowing, safety, and security features by default, too.
Bosch brand
Bosch is a German company going way, way back. That said, one can expect higher quality, but also higher prices on such robot mowers.
What’s in the package
Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect package includes the robot lawn mower itself, a charging station, 100 meters (approx. 328′) of perimeter wire, 140 boundary wire staples, and manuals, but also the power supply & cable, screws, nails, a hexagon key, wire connectors, and the like.
Where to buy
It’s simple, buy here: Bosch Indego S+ 350 Connect.
EXTRA READING
Best Cheap Robot Lawn Mowers in 2021 | post | Lawn Story
Robot lawn mower care & maintenance | post | Lawn Story
How much do robot mowers cost? | post | Lawn Story
How long do robot mowers last? | post | Lawn Story
Robot lawn mower buying guide | post | Lawn Story
How do robot mowers work? | post | Lawn Story
Robot lawn mower safety | post | Lawn Story
