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Customer Reviews for Cobra iRadar Detection System for Apple® iPhone®
Cobra iRadar Detection System for Apple® iPhone®
Model: IRAD-100
SKU: 1260607
UPC: 028377105647
Stay informed while you're on the road with this radar detector that features 14-Band protection, including protection from X-Band, K-Band and Ka-Band radars. Visual alerts are displayed on your iPhone's screen for easy viewing.
Average Customer Rating:
2.8
out of 5
(12 Reviews) 12
Rating Snapshot 12 reviews
5 stars
3
4 stars
3
3 stars
0
2 stars
1
1 star
5
50% of customers would recommend this product to a friend
(
6 out of
12)
Customer Reviews for Cobra iRadar Detection System for Apple® iPhone®
Review 1 for Cobra iRadar Detection System for Apple® iPhone®
Overall, a great product
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Accuracy
4.0
Features
4.0
What's great about it: Easy to setup and use
What's not so great: needs to be unplugged and plugged back in to re-sync
You really can't go wrong with this product. It's sleek, low-profile, and the app for the iPhone is easy to use. For the cost, it's great. You're able to save money on the other "full-featured" stand alone models because you're really only buying the detector head. All the software and features that are normally packaged inside the stand alone units, are in the app for this. So the manufacturer can cut the price down on these.
If I had to nit-pick something on this, it would be that if you leave it plugged into your car and walk away with your iPhone, it won't automatically re-sync once the car is started. You have to unplug it, then plug it back in. A minor annoyance, but worth mentioning.
If I had to nit-pick something on this, it would be that if you leave it plugged into your car and walk away with your iPhone, it won't automatically re-sync once the car is started. You have to unplug it, then plug it back in. A minor annoyance, but worth mentioning.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for Cobra iRadar Detection System for Apple® iPhone®
Does what it's supposed to do
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Accuracy
4.0
Features
4.0
What's great about it: Price, descrete and user friendly.
What's not so great: Does not come with the hard wire kit like my XRS R10G.
I have had this for 3 days now. It has worked great for me and you can't beat the price! You have the option to record false alarm areas and report traps to a data base instantly. Very user friendly and very discrete when hard wiring it to your car. Hides nicely behind your mirror. You can get the hard wire kit on ebay for under $9. I ran the wire all along the edge of the head liner and down behind the pillar moldings directly to the fuse box. Wire it up to the ignition fuse and it will turn of and on with your car. Give it a few days before you decide to return it. It's well worth the money and does the same as my XRS R10G for much much less money.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
4out of 5found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for Cobra iRadar Detection System for Apple® iPhone®
Saved me from many tickets
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Buckaroo1963
on 12/28/2011
I recommend a mount for your phone otherwise it's a cumbersome interface and dangerous while driving. But that aside it has detected every cop I've seen using radar or laser, false alerts are about the same as with my other radar detector. Use it enough and you'll figure them out. Good detector in my opinion!
I would recommend this to a friend!
+4points
4out of 4found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for Cobra iRadar Detection System for Apple® iPhone®
Pass 3 Cops
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: PanicHead
from Pelahatchie, MS
on 11/24/2011
Value for Price
2.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Accuracy
1.0
Features
2.0
What's great about it: Good Price
What's not so great: Doesn't Work
I passed 3 cops after buying this product and I know that 2 were shooting radar. It never once went off. I am taking this back after Thanksgiving.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-2points
3out of 8found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for Cobra iRadar Detection System for Apple® iPhone®
Doesnt detect radar, waste of money
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: RickIggy
from Georgia/Florida
on 05/17/2011
Value for Price
1.0
Ease of Use
1.0
Accuracy
1.0
Features
1.0
What's great about it: Looks cool, connects to iphone
What's not so great: Doesnt detect any radar, voice alerts are hard to hear
I purchased this and returned it in less than one day. I drove through a large city and an interstate highway. I passed several police officers, three of which were running radar/laser, a police station, and two highway patrol stations... This thing did not beep once. The only time it beeped was at a hospital due to the automatic doors. Doors opened and this thing beeped. That was it. Nothing else.
It looks nice and sleek, since its all black and has a nice shape, but it doesnt have a screen. It has one big mute button and the volume selector. The voice alerts are not very good either and often hard to hear. You cant select highway or city if you dont have your iphone/ipod with you, and you cant change any of the settings.
Save your money and buy another radar detector. You will regret it and you cannot count on this at all.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-18points
10out of 38found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for Cobra iRadar Detection System for Apple® iPhone®
Zero stars if it was a choice!
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: Smartin28
on 05/14/2011
I am a huge electronics guru and this is not an impressive radar detector at all. The response of the vehicle speed and radar detection is delayed and the app displays that the device is not connected at times when the bluetooth clearly shows that the device is connected. Returned the same day I purchased.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
+2points
11out of 20found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for Cobra iRadar Detection System for Apple® iPhone®
HORRIBLE overall. Just got a $204 ticket!
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: ConradBestBuy
from Milwaukee, WI
on 05/13/2011
Value for Price
1.0
Ease of Use
3.0
Accuracy
1.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: Looks good, interface is cool.
What's not so great: Useless to cop radar!
I just bought this radar detector 2 days ago. Yesterday I was using it and I got a $204 speeding ticket! My first one in 15 years! And this Cobra radar detector was sitting right on my window, COMPLETELY SILENT! It never went off. No sound, no visual. I was a sitting duck. Packing it up and returning it today.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
+4points
15out of 26found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for Cobra iRadar Detection System for Apple® iPhone®
Good Idea...Except for lack of overall quality
Customer Rating
2.0
Posted by: HomeyGee
from Boston
on 04/20/2011
Value for Price
2.0
Ease of Use
3.0
Accuracy
1.0
Features
2.0
What's great about it: Innovative, Easy to set up
What's not so great: Power corder keeps popping out of lighter, Cheap quality.
I bought the iRadar because I was intrigued with the idea that i could use my iPhone 4 for one more great application. Set up was easy and the iPhone app was very interactive. That's where it all ends. The iRadar was prone to many false alarms, both rural and urban. My community has the speed warning trailers positioned about to make drivers aware of how fast they are moving as they approach populated areas. The iRadar picked up the trailer about 1/4 mile upon approach. Not acceptable. As for Laser... I travel to CT often, (Laser Radar Heaven!!), and even having the iRadar positioned low on the windshield the iRadar struggled to pick up the laser signal. I was right on top of the police trap when it finally activated. One of the most annoying features of the iRadar and the deal breaker for me is the fact that the D/C power adapter consistently "popped out" of the lighter socket. I notice others have made the same observation in their reviews. Also, having two power cords on your dash is annoying and looks messy. So, bottom line I returned the iRadar to BestBuy and ended up shelling out the big bucks to buy an Escort 9500ix. Let me tell you.... This is the way to go given the fact that one ticket in MA can cost you over $3,000.00in the course of 6 years it remains on your record and jacks up your insurance. So like they say.... you get what you pay for. Take a pass on the iRadar and spend the extra money and buy an Escort!
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Other Best Buy Products I Recommend
+6points
13out of 20found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for Cobra iRadar Detection System for Apple® iPhone®
Great Gadget for Your iPhone
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: thomaspp
from Chicago, IL
on 04/06/2011
Value for Price
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Accuracy
4.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: Sleek, app is pretty, works right out the box with ease.
What's not so great: Power adapter keeps slipping out of the lighter adapter.
I was skeptical at first, but once I downloaded the app it was clear that "I just had to have the actual devices ASAP.". I ran out to my local Best Buy picked it up and installed it. I love the display and the very clear messages being displayed (especially those of approaching red lights cameras). If you have an iPhone that is mounted to your dashboard while you drive, throw away your current radar detector and get iRadar and this app.
The iRadar and the app work alongside A2DP auto connections (I.e. you can play your music over you Bluetooth Audio while still receiving both visual and audio alerts). Initially it was a little challenging to get the two things working (thank you Pioneer) but now they work together as soon as I turn the key in the engine.
Get this gadget if you already have or plan to have an iPhone. I saw that they are trying to release an Android app (supposed to have been on 4/4/2011). It'll be okay with an iPad (if you have the roo. For one on your dashboard). If you have an iPod touch... Get an iPhone... The location based alerts will not work (I.e. Red light camera warnings)
A couple things that could be improved:
1. Even with the app "running in the background" the alerts don't show. The physical iRadar sounds only the radar alerts, you won't get the red light and other iDevice based warnings. This will definitely affect those of us who use our iDevices for navigation.
2. Would be nice to change the music tracks of the playlist I'm currently playing from within the app (as is the case with many of the GpS Navigation out in the market).
3. Integrate Google Traffic in the map view (again so we don't have to switch out of the application to see this information).
4. The power adapter could be more snug in the cig lighter adapter. I tried several and it kept slipping out.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+11points
13out of 15found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for Cobra iRadar Detection System for Apple® iPhone®
Awesome
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: Robert52401
from Houston Texas
on 02/24/2011
Value for Price
4.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Accuracy
5.0
Features
4.0
What's great about it: The iPhone integration
What's not so great: Settings limited to iPhone app.
After reading the reviews on several websites, iTunes App Store, including the two reviews here, I decided to purchase the item.
Despite one of the reviews below, you can now use the radar without running the app. You will NOT however be able to change any settings or get red light camera updates without the app running. Thanks to a recent app update, you can now run the app in the background or switch to other app and return wail the radar is still connected.
I have not used the car lighter as I have a Cobra hardwire installed on my car (highly recommend).
I would recommend this to a friend!
+14points
16out of 18found this review helpful.
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Review 11 for Cobra iRadar Detection System for Apple® iPhone®
Best/coolest radar detector I have ever owned.
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: AllenInIowa
from Des Moines, IA
on 02/21/2011
Value for Price
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Accuracy
4.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: Works stand-alone, and has great location alerts when used with iPhone
What's not so great: No physical buttons (beyond volume) to configure device. Must use iOS app.
Don't take my word for it. Download the free iPhone app first and run it while you drive around. You won't get radar alerts (of course), but if you are on an iPhone with GPS (3G or later) you WILL be able to see all the map-specific alerts (speed cameras, etc.). If you like the concept, read on... If not, move on...
I heard about iRadar on a podcast a few months ago, and after reading mixed reviews, I decided to pick one up and try it myself. I was blown away.
I was replacing a "old fashioned" Radio Shack radar detector that I bought a few years ago (also around $130), and I was concerned that this iRadar would not prove as useful since it does not have any incidator display on the unit itself. Would the iOS app have to be running to do anything with it? Fortunately, that was not the case.
The only controls on the unit are power/volume and a mute button. By itself, the unit acts as a standard radar detector and announces the type of radar detected with voice. If that was all, then it would be a totally usable, though less flexible, standalone radar detector.
The iOS app is REQUIRED if you want to configure the unit, such as toggling between CITY and HIGHWAY mode. The software goes further and allows you to turn on specific types of alerts (don't want to hear K alerts because you know the police don't use K in your area? Turn it off. No VG-2 or POP alerts? Fine, as you wish). There may be other modern radar detectors that allow this type of configuration, but none of the ones I have owned in the past ever allowed this, so this was a great plus.
I will say that, for $130, it would not be my stand-alone radar detector of choice. But, when you pair it with an iPhone, it uses the phone's network detection to monitor a database of speed cameras and even speed traps. As you drive, the iOS app will pop up alerts when you enter such an area. You can also press one button to flag an area yourself, such as if you have a certain spot you want a reminder to watch your speed in. Cobra claims to verify these locations and update the database regularly, but in my town, there is one intersection flagged as having cameras that most certainly does not (it is coming, but why does the database show it's there already?).
My usage of this detector is almost always unit-only, but on road trips or driving places I am unfamiliar with, I will load up the iRadar app so I can see the pop up alerts. (Speaking of alerts, when radar is detected, you can confirm whether or not it was a false alarm, though I am not sure what happens with this information.)
You CAN listen to music or podcasts in the background while the app is running, but if you exit the app, you will not get any location-specific alerts.
The app will run on an iPod Touch or iPad, but keep in mind, iPod Touch and the non-3G iPads currently do not have GPS hardware, so you will not get any of the cool location-specific alerts -- just a fancy front-end GUI for the radar detector.
I cannot say that the unit detects and better or worse than my previous detectors. I get many false alarms (grocery stores, etc.) and I also see it go off when highway patrol is ahead...
But when it comes to overall features, this is the coolest radar detector I have owned. If you don't have an iPhone with GPS, the benefit of having a full phone display to configure the device may still be worth it to you, but it wouldn't to me.
Future requests: I would still like to see a few buttons added to the detector hardware (city/highway, voice on/off), but everything else I can think of would just be software upgrades, and so far Cobra has brought out quite a few.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+15points
16out of 17found this review helpful.
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Review 12 for Cobra iRadar Detection System for Apple® iPhone®
Better choices available
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: reThumper
from Saint Francis, WI
on 11/13/2010
Value for Price
1.0
Ease of Use
2.0
Accuracy
1.0
Features
1.0
What's great about it: Free app from iTunes
What's not so great: Needs to be plugged in, can't run the app in the background and listen to music or use a map.
What else is there to say. The free app available for the iPhone is about the best thing this product has to feature. It needs to be constantly plugged in and it's not very reliable. The app needs to be continuously running for the features available on the radar system to work. If you want to run another app with this one running in the background, forget it. There are other radar systems available for a better price.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
+45points
72out of 99found this review helpful.
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