I spent many many hours doing side by side comparisons of different POC radios to use daily in my small business. All the manufactures are buying advertising space on social media touting themselves as the best fit for your needs, but I had no experience in using these devices and buying them would cost a fair amount of money upfront in the hope that the one I picked would fit my needs. Well, I have purchased both Rapid Radio and POCLink and used in the field as a service mechanic in a heavy industrial setting and I offer my opinion to help guide you as a consumer to choose what fits your individual need.
Rapid Radio:
I was pleased with Rapid Radios coverage. I easily talked across multiple states without issue. Crystal clear audio, no issues. I often had full reception where my cell (T-Mobile) did not and the handset performed well.
POCLink:
Again, quite pleased with POCLink coverage. Again, talked across multiple states without issue.Again, the unit offered coverage where my cell did not. I also spoke to a user in Canada by chance without issue.
I would fairly call both brands comparable in this area.
Rapid Radio:
The device was small, easily portable and offered no real issues to carry all day. Typically, I slide it in my front pants pocket facing inward. The speaker is plenty loud enough to hear and didn't inhibit hands to do work. However ... in this is a huge pain, the PTT button is SENSITIVE, so much as the slightest bump and you make a transmission. I also find the PTT button quite picky, if you don't land dead center on it your transmit will be broken up. You have to consciously remember to nail it dead center, which is REALLY annoying.
POCLink:
The Ultra unit, which is what I have is somewhat smaller, thinner and lighter than the Rapid Radio. It fits easier in the pants pocket, but I find myself usually clipping it on my shirt or safety vest due to the lighter weight. The speaker is not as loud and not quite as clear at higher volumes.
Both devices function well in noisy environments in my experience. Rapid Radio gets props for the louder speaker, but POCLink gets a huge nod for for the PTT button functioning correctly.
Here's where these units REALLY start to differ.
Rapid Radio:
They offer a Windows ONLY portal to easily reassign radio names, groups and monitoring (scan list). It is quite simplistic, but gets the job done. Those with highly limited computer skills will appreciate how easy it is to use.
POCLink:
Offers a IOS and Android app to name radios, groups, and listeniing (scan list). Also offered are GPS tracking (incremental) and the abilty to use the app as another send/receive device. You can also use the app to monitor radio traffic in the phones background.
Rapid Radio:
Should cellular coverage not be accessible, these radios will not work until coverage is re-established.
POCLink:
The Ultra model offers a build in FRS radio that works line of sight enabling communication with ANY FRS radio without cellular coverage. This device can also monitor both POC and FRS simultaneously and the user can easily switch instantly due to the radio having independant PTT buttons. I have found this to be a GAME CHANGER for my needs.
Rapid Radio:
I have found when calling the customer experience to be awesome. They are extremely helpful and go out of their way to help.
POCLink:
I have had similar experiences with very good customer service, also going out their way to be helpful.
From my experience: I personally hands down prefer the POCLink due to size, weight and double radio band functionality to meet my needs. The build in FRS makes this radio my everyday carry. I'm not even commenting any pricing/rates, that's already all over the internet and you'll have no trouble find that everywhere.
If you found this information helpful and you are considering purchasing, please use my link located below. Thank you.
A little late to get in the game, but Poclink is now offering a device that is wifi enabled. Rapid Radio has had something similar to this on the market for months now, but from what I can tell there seems to be some comparable differences.
The Rapid Radio RAD1 is advertised to be waterproof and floats as well as having a wifi capability for backup/primary communications from what I can tell. Poclink is now offering a similar concept unit called the POC-1 Pro, but I don't believe Poclink's version to be waterproof and doesn't float. However, I couldn't not immediately notice the physical size of the Rapid Radio RAD1 is quite larger than their own standard nationwide radio. The Poclink Pro appears to maintain the same physical size as Poclink's earlier offered versions, keeping Poclink way ahead of Rapid Radio in the portability department. But, Rapid Radio in my opinion is offering a clearly more durable unit if size and weight aren't a major consideration for you. Having owned and used both brands on jobsites, I prefer a smaller and lighter radio to carry with me daily.
Then we get to the price .... The Rapid Radio RAD1 is currently offered at a considerably higher price point than the Poclink POC-1 Pro. To some people, that alone may be the difference as to which to buy. Let's face it, bang for the buck matters in this economy and with Poclink currently offering a lifetime SIM included, that makes a difference over the time of ownership.
Again, if you found this information helpful and you are considering purchasing, please use my link located below. Thank you.
Yes ... I carried 2 radios around for the last few weeks like an idiot only because the overwhelming curiosity of an electronic showdown made my work day a little more exciting. Now that we've proven I seriously need some sort of hobby, let's get you the info you're here to read ... I like to get to the point, you're time is valuable too.
Out of the gate, the Poclink Pro have a way more easily readable screen and offers a neat feature of the screen clearly showing who is talking on a pop up window, a much needed improvement. Also, the Pro speaker sounds much cleaner than the Ultra. I still think the Ultra sound quality is quite good, but the Pro is noticeably better. Worth noting, the Pro runs a completely different software than the Ultra, that's not a plus or minus ... it just looks a little different. The physical size and button layout remains the same, so any cases you may have or will order fit either unit.
After using Wifi, I discovered that the radio does not seem to like open networks, it will connect than almost immediately loose the connection. When connecting to a secure network (with a password), things seem to operate fine in the long term. However, from time to time the Wifi seems to drop out and return to 4g. I'm not sure if this is from prolonged inactivity or what .... but it immediately reconnects when the radio wakes up.
Side by side, the radio signals to the 4g tower are pretty much identical and pretty much function identically when hitting the cell towers, so there's not much to report there. But when I move inside, the Pro will automatically re-establish the Wifi because previously connected WLANs are stored on the device ... this is seamless.
My take away? I prefer the Pro for the better audio and piece of mind of a solid connection when indoors. Which one do I use more? The Ultra ... mainly due to working outside (sometimes in very remote areas) where having the FRS handy is when communicating with coworkers. The radio selection made for everyone is honestly going to boil down to individual needs. Both units are solid, it really depends on usage environment.
To thank you for you time ... I can offer a 5% discount on orders over $100 if you plan on purchasing from Poclink by using the code: JK5
If you're interested in purchasing, you can click the link below to be sent to Poclink's main website.
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