LawMate AR-100 Covert Voice Recorder Review #193

Written by Andrew in Private Investigator Equipment Review,Private Investigator Blog

Lawmate Ar-100 black

The LawMate AR-100 Covert Voice Recorder is designed to look like a remote-control car door opener and it does a good job of it.  Covert audio devices come in various shapes and sizes and this will be the first time I have reviewed a covert recording device designed as a car remote.

In this review I will cover the following topics:



What is in the Box?

In the box you will find the following items:

 

  • LawMate AR-100 Covert Voice Recorder

  • Instructions (Quick Guide)

  • USB Charging Cable

  • Headphones/ Volume/ Playback

LawMate AR-100 Instructions Quick Guide (5 out of 5)

The provided instructions are well written and easy to read.  The instructions diagram both the audio recorder and the headphones when describing where everything is on each device.

I had no problems with the instructions in regard to determining where buttons were or how to operate the device.

USB Charging Cable/ Data Transfer Cable (5 out of 5)

The charging cable is a USB cable that appears to have a charging port that would be specific to this device.  Having a USB charging cable allows for the user to charge this device more conveniently from a computer, charging box or anything with a USB port.

Lawmate Ar-100 USB port

Covert Design (4 out of 5)

This covert audio recorder is a convincing replica of a remote-control car door opener.  Unless this device was revealed to be a covert audio recorder, someone casually inspecting it would not know.

If this device is turned on, lights can be observed coming from the device if closely inspected from a specific angle where a keychain would attach to it.  These lights are for the benefit of the user so they know the device is on and if it is recording.

Lawmate Ar-100 indicator light

Features (5 out of 5)

The main feature of this device is to record audio covertly.  Audio recording can begin manually or it can be voice activated.

You also can turn on and off the vibration notifications on the device.

This device comes with headphones that have volume/track skipping buttons.  The audio quality on playback through the headphones was good.

Voice Activation

Voice activation is an option that allows for the device to record only when sound is heard.  This can save a great deal of time when listening to audio recordings because there will be very little dead air time.  Because it only records when sound is heard it can save internal storage space within the device.

The voice activation worked very well and better than some of the actual voice recorders I use for interviews.

The voice activation worked well when I tested it in my office with little to no other sounds other than my voice to activate it.

Additional Features

15 Hours of Battery Life

This device has a built-in 550mA battery which they say lasts up to 15 hours.

2GB built-in Memory

This audio recorder has 2GB of built-in memory (no external memory card needed).  And because it records in MP3, it will not use memory as fast as something recorded in WAV.

Audio Quality (4.5 out of 5)

In Noisy Conditions

I recorded a conversation with my daughter and while sitting in my vehicle.  I had a YouTube video playing and the engine running during our conversation. The microphone was only a couple of feet from the both of us during our conversation.

After the conversation, I played the audio recording from both the provided headphones and on my computer.  The recording of our conversation sounded distant and I can only assume this was due to the additional sounds being recorded along with our voices.

Normal Conditions

I came back to my office and just recorded my voice with little to no background sound and it sounded very clear on playback.  Even in voice activation mode, it was very sharp.

I tested the recording using voice activation from 5 feet to 20 feet while in my office with no background noise.  The audio sounded very clear even when speaking in a normal voice when standing a good distance away.

Ease of Use (5 out of 5)

This device is relatively easy to use.  It takes one button to turn on the device and another button to initiate a recording and to end a recording.

Whenever an individual wants to do something covertly (recording audio or video) having a device that isn’t complicated to operate is important so there is no confusion as to whether the device is actually recording or not.

Lawmate Ar-100



Final Thoughts on the LawMate AR-100

Overall this is a great device to covertly record audio.  I am a big fan of devices that are not complicated to use and can be activated quickly when needed.  The LawMate AR-100 Covert Voice Recorder is a device anyone can use with ease.

The design and look of the LawMate AR-100 Covert Voice Recorder is very convincing and looks very much like a vehicle remote.

The audio recording is pretty good and in some cases even rivals the quality of the dedicated audio recorders I use for recorded interviews.

So if you’re in the market for a quality covert audio recorder this is a device that should be considered.  If you looking for a non-covert audio recorder I reviewed some recently which you can check out here.

Here is a link to this device on PIGear.com



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