This tutorial will help you to assess the possible cause and tell you how to fix the issue accordingly.
Your Landroid's boundary wire may get damaged or cut by external factors — soil aerator, shovel, rake... If damaged, the wire will carry a low signal that's not enough to be sensed by Landroid. If cut apart, there will be no signal at all. In both cases, Landroid will not operate and display the error message "wire missing".
Watch the video or follow the steps below:
Step 1: check the LED on the charging station
Remove Landroid from the base and check the LED on the charging station.
If the LED is off, check that the power supply is well connected to the base and to the AC mains. In doubt, plug any electric device into the wall socket to check if there's current. If the problem persists (LED off), chance is the power supply needs service.
If the LED is solid green, still Landroid indicates "wire missing", the loop is not interrupted but may be damaged and emit a signal too weak for Landroid to detect. Proceed to step 3.
If the LED shows an anomaly (either flashes green or is solid red, depending on the model), it indicates that the loop is interrupted (cut apart) somewhere. Proceed to step 2.
Step 2: check the clamps
Make sure that both ends of the wire are firmly connected to the clamps in the charging station. If this does not fix the problem, move to step 3.
Step 3: make a test loop
Take a piece of electric wire some three meters long (10 feet). Strip both ends and plug them into the clamps on the charging station. Lay the wire on the ground in a circle as to create the test loop. Place Landroid on the base inside the loop and check if the error message persists.
If it doesn't, you are now sure that the problem is with the boundary wire. Then you can proceed reading the article here below to fix it.
How to find the break/damage point
If the issue is wire cut apart ("wire missing" error + LED flashing or red, depending on the model), start with a visual inspection of the perimeter where the boundary wire lays. If you have made a wire repair in the past, it is strongly advisable to start from this. If you notice any unexpected scratch or other signs on the ground, the chance is the issue is there. Take a closer look at the wire and try to see if it is broken or damaged. If not, search for other anomaly clues along the perimeter.
If eventually, your visual inspection does not get you anywhere, follow one of these methods:
Method 1: AM radio
If you have a small portable AM radio at hand (if you don't, you can buy it on Amazon for cheap), tune it to approximately 700kHz. Using a pair of headphones will help. Fine-tune it making sure you cannot hear any station. Fully extend your radio's telescopic antenna and point it to the ground. Because the wire loop acts as an antenna, you will hear a disturbance noise. The closer the tip gets to the wire, the louder the noise. Keep the radio's antenna as close as possible to the wire. When you reach the broken/damaged point, you will hear a substantial drop of the noise level. Move to Step 4.
Method 2: loop wire break detector
Get a loop wire break detector at your local electricity store or online (approx. 20-30€/£/$). Follow the manufacturer's instruction, which will basically tell you to clamp the red and black terminals of the device to the two stripped ends of the boundary wire loop, then follow the wire with the tip of the detector as close as possible to the wire. The detector will emit a sound that gets louder the closer you are to the wire. It is advisable that you plug a headset to the detector so that you are insulated from background noise (traffic, wind...). As the sound level drops substantially, you have reached the break/damage point. Move to Step 4.
Step 4: repair the wire
Because the wire stays outdoor exposed to the elements — moisture, rain, hot, cold — it is important that the repair is done properly. We recommend you to follow the instructions provided in the tutorial How to repair the boundary wire