It’s a sweltering summer afternoon just three months out from the presidential election. The outdoor venue is jam-packed for a major campaign event, thousands of excited supporters squeezing in to hear their candidate. There’s a lot going on, and naturally, security is high – local and state police and the Secret Service are all on scene, watchful for danger. Times are tense, and both candidates face elevated threats.
Between the climate, the clothing (professional-looking dress blues or well-tailored suits, possible ballistic gear) and the crowd, it’s going to be a long, uncomfortable event for those working. Keeping them engaged and vigilant means keeping them comfortable – or at least as comfortable as rally conditions permit.
There isn’t much departments can do about the weather, attendance or protective requirements of their attire. But for those in tactical, undercover, dignitary protection and event security kinds of roles, one small concession to comfort departments can make is to let them wear their choice of wireless earbuds.
Odds are, they have a brand they prefer for their off-hours listening enjoyment. That may be an easier wear for them than something selected by their department. Allowing them to use that personal choice is a key distinction of the Air Pro Wireless Motorola APX/XPR BLE combo kit from Earphone Connection. “The main premise of the Air Pro,” said company founder and owner Ruben Scheimberg, “is that you can utilize what you already have.”
That includes almost any TWS Bluetooth earbuds, among them popular models like Beats and Apple Airpods. For buyers who’d prefer a complete kit, the company now also offers an option that includes earbuds, the Air Pro Max kit. Both options provide the benefits of a recent BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) upgrade among their numerous advantages.
PAIR THE PIECES AND GO
The Air Pro Wireless BLE combo kit works not only with Motorola’s popular APX line, widely used in law enforcement, but with most major radio makes and models. It consists of an upgraded multifunction Bluetooth adapter and remote push-to-talk switch, and wearers need only pair the kit to their earbuds to be ready to go. The only difference in the Max kit is the provided ENC Feather wireless earbuds. “It takes the guesswork out if people don’t have to use their own earbuds and can buy turnkey,” noted Scheimberg.
The “ENC” in those refers to Environmental Noise Cancellation technology, designed to improve the quality of listeners’ audio experience. The included buds are lightweight and comfortable for extended wear, with each providing about six hours of talk time. One can be recharged while the other is worn so there’s no gap in readiness.
If you’d rather use your own earbuds, just attach the adapter to the radio via its speaker/microphone port and turn the radio on. The adapter will enter pairing mode. Power up the earbuds, and they’ll link automatically. The standard antenna provided by the radio’s manufacturer provides optimal performance.
The remote switch activates the earbuds with the touch of a finger. It can be mounted to a weapon, steering wheel or even worn on the hand for convenience and a low profile. It will provide 300 hours of operation on a single USB charge. The Air Pro Wireless kit’s BLE chip reduces energy consumption and ensures 128-bit key encryption.
The Air Pro Wireless system also works with wired headsets available from Earphone Connection, as well with wired microphones like the company’s popular Hawk EC M1 tubeless lapel microphone. That features a Micro Sound tubeless earpiece and powerful signal levels to sustain clear audio without distortion or loss.
“You could wrap the switch around your long gun and then put your weapon down and still utilize the push-to-talk on the microphone itself,” said Scheimberg. “Or, if you’re in the car, it has a Velcro strap you could wrap around the steering wheel and push to talk right from the steering wheel. If you’re on bike patrol, you could wrap it around a handlebar and never have to remove your hands. Right now a lot of bike officers have to remove their hand from the handlebar and reach up to press their push-to-talk button, which can be really dangerous.”
The flexibility to accommodate wired choices means the Air Pro combo can be just as suited for patrol work – with its potential for chases, fights and other physical activities – as it is for surveillance and undercover work.
MORE OPTIONS BENEFIT LAW ENFORCEMENT
Additional features help make the Air Pro Wireless kit an effective choice for law enforcement. One is the adapter’s on/off kill switch for Motorola radios. Turning it on activates paired devices; turning it off stops the Bluetooth connection and returns the user instantly to talk-and-listen radio communications. This is a safety feature that ensures the wearer always has an option available.
“That’s important because let’s say your Bluetooth device, your earpiece, runs out of battery,” said Scheimberg. “You can flip the switch, and it’ll revert back to the radio default, which means the microphone speaker. Then you can listen and talk to the radio without having to remove the adapter.”
The push-to-talk transmit button is also “bump-free,” meaning it’s designed flush to prevent accidental activation. With some adapters, the company notes, the button can be pushed and radio keyed up inadvertently.
The kit’s finger switch also works with push-to-talk cellular for organizations that use phones rather than radios. “Paired with the earbuds and the switch, you have pretty much the same setup, minus the radio adapter because you’re not using the radio,” said Scheimberg. “You can just use the finger switch a la carte, and the button opens up the app.” That works with both Android and iOS phones.
BLEND IN WITH THE CROWD
You don’t have to live in a contested state to face major election-year events and candidate security challenges. Violence can occur anywhere – all it takes is one disturbed individual.
The Air Pro Wireless Motorola APX combo kit isn’t intended as a tactical product. But for undercover work and keeping a low profile at high-stakes events, both political and otherwise, it offers numerous advantages for police users.
“It works very well for blending in with the crowd,” said Scheimberg. “You could be right next to a potential suspect, and they wouldn’t know – they’d just think you’re on your phone and wearing an earbud.”
For more information, visit Earphone Connection.
