I am new to the Yarbo family and got my snowblower/mower combo as part of the black friday special. The units arrived without the battery, so I had to wait until the battery arrived to do any programming and testing. Luckily it arrived in time for a light snowfall test after I programmed part of my driveway. My first impression was pretty good. I attached a video.
However, the DC is decidedly in a temporary location on my home. My issue is that I have a large home with high 2 story roofline on nearly 2 acres of property.
I already had trouble mapping the driveway on the far side of the house due to the GPS signal loss. PPV helped, and I was able to map it, however, I am fairly certain I will not be able to mow the furthest corners of the property unless my DC is in the best position.
Before I relocate it I am looking for some advice other than “trial and error” since I will have to hire someone to run cable and mount the DC somewhere where I can’t reach easily.
Currently the DC is mounted on the NW corner of my property with good views of the west, Northm and South skies, but obstructed East view. If I move it just to the first floor roofline in the same NW corner, it will have good 360 viee of the sky, but the RTK signal is possibly going to be obstructed by the roof structure for the SE corner of the property, about 1000 feet away.
My question is - is it necessary to mount it at the very top roofline where I won’t be able to service it at all without hiring someone to come out, or can I mount it somewhere along the second-story roof line where the RTK signal will still be partially blocked by the roof structure, but not the home structure?
I’ve included a couple of pictures and the current DC screenshot.
It is recommended to go as high as you can to get 120 degree clear view of the sky. You ideally won’t need to service it. That should be rare that you ever need to do anything to it except power cycle it, which you could do from inside the home. Especially if you put the POE injector on a smart outlet.
Out of curiosity, in your diagnostics screen, tap the yellow details and connect to your DC. What are your current CNR values?
The ultimate goal is that the DC get an unobstructed view of the sky in all directions. Generally speaking that is accomplished by installing on the roof somewhere where the roofline (and trees, etc) don’t block the view of the sky.
You don’t really need to worry about signal strength between the DC and the robot that link is a very robust 900Mhz and does not need to be line of sight.
My advise is to really make sure the DC is mounted properly. That’s the cornerstone of the whole Yarbo system. Get that piece wrong, and it will cause lots of problems in other areas.
Thank you for sharing such a detailed description of your setup and concerns. Based on the feedback from several experienced Yarbo users, we do recommend installing the Data Center (DC) at the highest possible point with minimal or no obstructions. This helps ensure the most reliable GPS/RTK performance and smooth overall operation of your Yarbo across the entire property.
While we understand the challenges of mounting and future access, placing the DC in a location with the clearest view of the sky will significantly reduce mapping and coverage issues—especially on larger properties like yours.
We hope this helps guide your decision, and please feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions.
I have a similar setup as @stuartdo and want thoughts and opinions.
NOTE: I am uncomfortable with heights so anything higher than about 10’ I will need to hire someone each time.
I will be hiring someone to assist with the physical installation, it is any future touching of the DC that I worry about. I’m trying insure Yarbo works very well (i.e. solid satellite visibility) while avoiding paying someone repeatedly to manually do something with the DC in the future.
I can either mount the DC;
a) “Low Option” - on the facia of the roof with approx 180° degree unobstructed view of the sky to the east. Possibly accessible by me.
b) “High Option” - at the peak of the house where I would have 360° - will require someone comfortable on high roofs.
I’m planning on powering the DC via by Ubiquiti ethernet switch capable of POE++ which appears more than adequate for the DC’s needs. I can also connect via POE Injector plugged into a smart outlet if required. Either way I’ll have power-cycling capability regardless of where it is mounted.
Thank you all in advance for your thoughts and opinions.
The dock may be too close to the house. Try and keep it at least 7FT away if at all possible. You aren’t going to want to hear this, but I would highly recommend paying someone to mount it high. You will be happier with its operation that way. Any obstructions and you’re going to have issues with GPS at some point. It’s a pain, but hopefully it’s a one time thing. If for some reason you need to have your core replaced, you can always pair to the old DC if the core happens to come with a new DC. If your DC fails or needs replaced, then you will certainly need to get someone up there to replace it. Hopefully nRTK comes soon to the Y series like is promised for the M series. At that point, you could have the DC inside the house near your home router. But, that would probably mean a subscription.
As Bryan has suggested, if you choose the low option, there may be GPS issues in the future. Therefore, the high option would be better for Yarbo’s operation.
