Cobra iRadar iRAD-100 Radar Detector for iPhone and iPod touch (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

Product Information

Verified alerts from Defender®, the world’s largest database of red light, speed, and mobile cameras Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. Read our editorial mission & see how we test. The Cobra iRadar justifies its entry-level price as a good radar/laser detector. And when paired with a smartphone running the iRadar app, it becomes a much more flexible and useful speed management tool.

Cobra claims the iRadar 200 detects 14 different radar types, including X, K, and Ka-band radar, VG-2, and six kinds of laser guns, with 360-degree protection from all sides. On the road, the iRadar 200 performed in line with what I'd expect of a low-end detector. I tested it on a trip between Philadelphia and Baltimore for PCMag's Fastest Mobile Networks project, driving a new Fusion Energi on loan from Ford.

REPORTING MODULE

The greatest weakness with the iRadar comes, perhaps, from without. Testing the device in the 2014 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, I was getting a lot of persistent false alerts when in heavy traffic. After repeatedly tapping the mute button just to be met with a new false alert a few minutes later, I eventually realized that the false alarms were coming from the Highlander's Adaptive Cruise Control system and Forward Collision Warning (FCW) systems. These safety and driver aid functions make use of a forward-facing radar array that bounces off of the vehicle ahead to help determine a safe following distance, which was causing the Atom to throw false alarms. This view combines radar station products into a single layer called a mosaic and storm based alerts.

Before all this, I was in IT supporting Windows NT on Wall Street in the late 1990s. I realized I’d much rather play with technology and write about it, than support it 24/7 and be blamed for everything that went wrong. I grew up playing and recording music on keyboards and the Atari ST, and I never really stopped. For a while, I produced sound effects and music for video games (mostly mobile games in the 2000s). I still mix and master music for various independent artists, many of whom are friends. The iRadar Atom's reliance on the smartphone app is both its biggest strength and a potential weakness. Aside from volume and mute, the Atom has no physical controls. There's no display aside from the red/blue LED. It will function without your phone, but without the app telling it what to do, there is decidedly less finesse to how it handles false alarms. The iRadar app serves as the display and control panel for the Atom hardware. Screenshot by Antuan Goodwin/CNET

The iRadar app didn't seem to mess with the iPhone's other features; I was able to make and receive calls while using the detector, as well as stream music while connected to the Fusion Energi's Ford Sync system. But the biggest problem, as with last year's iRadar RAD-105, is the user-reported alert feature. On the plus side, the app also delivers red light camera and speed trap warnings. But many people seem to have called in various alerts, because I kept seeing this dialog pop up and hearing the alert sound. Very rarely did they ever correspond to an actual source visible in the road. The URL will automatically update as you select the view and settings. You may bookmark the URL to return later to the same view with the selected settings. For example, if you select "Weather for a location," then select a location, the bookmark will return to your location on your next visit.