Listening Devices
How to choose a listening device
Recorder or live
A recorder captures audio to its own memory for you to play back later: a meeting, an interview, a call you are on, a lecture. Voice activation turns hours of battery into weeks of standby. A live listening device stores nothing: it carries a SIM, and when you call it or it detects sound you hear the space it is sitting in, in real time.
What live listening is for
A place you own that has nobody in it: a shed, a boat, a bach, a workshop, a parked vehicle. You get a sound alert and can listen to confirm what it is. It is not for other people's conversations. The moment someone else is talking in that space you are no longer a party to what you hear, and that is the line the Crimes Act draws.
Compare the types
 Pocket recorders |  Pen and USB recorders |  Live 4G units |  GPS trackers with audio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stores audio | Yes | Yes | No, live only | Some models |
| Needs a SIM | No | No | Yes, any NZ 4G SIM | Yes |
| Battery | Days, weeks on voice activation | Hours to days | Weeks on standby | Weeks to months, or hardwired |
| Suits | Meetings, interviews, notes | The same, in a shirt pocket | Your own empty premises or vehicle | Your own vehicle or equipment |
| Range | Voice recorders | Voice recorders | This page | GPS trackers |
Older 2G and 3G devices
New Zealand no longer has a 2G or 3G network, so an older GSM or 3G listening device no longer connects anywhere in the country. Everything on this page that uses a mobile network is 4G, and works on a Spark, One NZ or 2degrees SIM.
Buying guides
Voice Recorder Buying Guide NZStandby is the number that matters
GPS Tracker Buying Guide NZHow it gets power decides everything
Counter-Surveillance Buying Guide NZIf you think a device has been left somewhere it should not be
Related
Voice recorders GPS trackers Listening device detectors Microphone blockers
Common questions
Do I need a SIM?
For live listening, yes: any New Zealand 4G data SIM, prepay included. Recorders work with no SIM and no WiFi.
How far does the microphone pick up?
It depends on the model and the room. Each listing gives the figure the manufacturer states, and a quiet room stretches it while a noisy one shrinks it.
Can I get the audio onto a computer?
Recorders plug in over USB or slot a card into a reader, and files come across as ordinary audio. Live units do not store audio at all, so there is nothing to transfer.
Is it legal to record a conversation in New Zealand? NZ law
Yes, if you are part of it. Under the Crimes Act 1961 (section 216B) you can record a conversation you are taking part in, and you do not have to tell the other people. Listening to or recording a private conversation you are not part of is an offence with a penalty of up to two years, and so is passing on what you heard (section 216C). These devices are for your own meetings, calls, interviews and notes, or for hearing what is happening in a property or vehicle of yours that nobody else is using. A business that records calls or meetings also has to tell people it is doing so under the Privacy Act 2020.