Rode has a better way to connect your tiny wireless mics to your camera

Last November, Rode launched its Wireless Micro microphone system that paired two tiny lavalier mics with a small receiver that connected to your phone’s charging port. Rode later gave that product a free upgrade, sending out another receiver that let the mics connect to digital cameras, too. Now, the company is launching an updated version of that receiver with an OLED screen — but this time, it’s charging for it.

The new version of Rode’s wireless camera receiver is now available as part of a Wireless Micro Camera Kit that bundles it with two Wireless Micro lavalier mics and an additional wireless receiver used to connect the mics to mobile devices using their USB-C or Lightning ports. The kit is priced at $149, which is what Rode’s Wireless Micro system was initially priced at when it launched last November (minus a camera receiver) before getting a price cut earlier this month to $99 when new color options were introduced. Rode’s wireless lav mics still don’t offer as much functionality as DJI’s offerings like the Mic Mini or Mic 3, but they’re more competitively priced.

As with the original, the new receiver is designed to sit atop cameras by connecting to their cold shoe mount while audio from up to two wireless mics is delivered to the camera through a USB-C or 3.5mm audio cable. Battery life is estimated to be up to seven hours and is maximized by the receiver only powering on when it’s connected to a camera. The receiver’s runtime can be further extended to up to 21 hours using the Wireless Micro Camera Kit’s charging case when you’re away from a power source.

The 1.1-inch OLED screen shows details about the battery life and signal strength of the receiver and wirelessly connected devices. It works alongside three buttons for navigating and adjusting various settings including gain assist levels, but for ease of use the receiver can also make those adjustments automatically to suppress volume spikes and ensure all the audio coming into the camera is perfectly balanced.