Comparison

XProtect® Mobile vs WAVE Tactical Communicator

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

XProtect® Mobile

Access your Milestone video surveillance system remotely from your smartphone or tablet. View live and recorded video, listen to audio, and speak through camera speakers. Stream video from your device and receive alarm notifications.

Highlights
  • View live video
  • Playback recorded video
  • Export recorded video
  • Listen to audio
  • Speak through camera speakers
  • Stream mobile device video
  • Receive push notifications
Features
Read full description

This free XProtect Mobile app gives you secure access to your Milestone video surveillance system anytime, anywhere from your smartphone or tablet. Available in 31 languages the application lets you conveniently view live video, play back and export recorded video, listen to audio and speak through the camera-connected speakers using the Push-To-Talk button. Compatible with XProtect Corporate, XProtect Expert, XProtect Professional+, XProtect Express+, XProtect Essential+, and the Milestone Husky NVR series. (For use with XProtect Express and Professional, please download the "XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro" app) Additional product highlights: • Document any event while it happens by streaming video and audio from your mobile device’s camera directly into the Milestone solution • Get peace of mind and stay constantly on top of things by receiving push notifications based on alarms defined in the Milestone solution Try it out Download the app and take a look yourself. XProtect Mobile includes access to a demo server so you can explore the product even if you do not have a Milestone system installed already. Getting started In order to connect and view cameras from your Milestone system, you should have the latest version of the Milestone surveillance system and the XProtect Mobile server installed. For further details on getting started, visit www.milestonesys.com/mobile. Milestone distributes and sells its market-leading XProtect® VMS and the Milestone Husky NVR Series through an authorized partner channel of distributors and resellers in more than 115 countries around the world. Please go to https://www.milestonesys.com/community/find-a-milestone-partner/ to find your local authorized Milestone reseller or distributor.

About

WAVE Tactical Communicator

This app transforms your device into a secure broadband push-to-talk handset for unified workgroup communications. It enables secure voice and text messaging, location sharing, and integrates with land mobile radio systems.

Highlights
  • Secure broadband push-to-talk
  • Encrypted voice and text messaging
  • Location and presence information
  • Group and private calls
  • Land mobile radio integration
  • Emergency support
Features
Read full description

WAVE Tactical Communicator by Motorola Solutions turns your device into a broadband push-to-talk (PTT) handset for fully secure, unified workgroup communications anywhere you have a network connection. WAVE is the industry's most powerful and flexible work group communication tool for secure PTT on the go. It transforms smartphones, tablets and PCs into team communication tools and integrates with land mobile radio (LMR) to provide unified voice, text messaging, location and presence in a single application. • AES256 encryption of all communications • Group calls for secure one-to-many communications • Private calls for secure one-to-one communications • Group and Private text messaging • Presence & location information • Emergency Support • Remote PTT accessories for most devices (Bluetooth low energy, wired headsets, badge microphones) WAVE Tactical Communicator is utilized on the WAVE Tactical System, which is Motorola's highly scalable, feature-rich, enterprise-grade PTT solution. It enables full interoperability between different radio systems and extends the reach of these systems using any combination of broadband networks and devices. Radio Integrations: • Motorola Solutions ASTRO 25 with wireline interface • Motorola Solutions DIMETRA with wireline interface • Motorola ASTRO 25 and TETRA with MOTOBRIDGE wireless interface • Motorola MOTOTRBO with wireline interface • Other vendor P25 and non-P25 systems with MOTOBRIDGE wireless interface • Other Analog Radio interfaces WAVE Tactical Communicator supports WAVE Server Release 5.19.1 and newer, and will operate in the following environments. • Public cellular networks, if the device is Mobile Device Managed and configured in Supervised mode • Private cellular network • Pre-configured Wi-Fi networks • Via a VPN over Wi-Fi and cellular networks Note: For use with Wi-Fi networks, the Wi-Fi must be configured via in App Settings under Configure Wi-Fi. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

Screenshots

XProtect® Mobile4 screens
WAVE Tactical Communicator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: XProtect® Mobile at 2.2 against WAVE Tactical Communicator's 1.8. XProtect® Mobile also leads on ratings volume (126 vs 16). WAVE Tactical Communicator's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

XProtect® Mobile holds the better App Store score, 2.2 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: XProtect® Mobile has 126 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 25% and 25% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 5, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
XProtect® Mobile versus WAVE Tactical Communicator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterXProtect® MobileWAVE Tactical Communicator
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.2 (126 ratings) — better1.8 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews24.8% of reviews25.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings126 — better16
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB133 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMILESTONE SYSTEMS A/SMotorola Solutions, Inc

Customer experience

XProtect® Mobile

All ratings126 ratings
Positive26.2%
Neutral4.8%
Negative69.0%
Written reviews125 reviews
Positive24.8%
Neutral7.2%
Negative68.0%

WAVE Tactical Communicator

All ratings16 ratings
Positive18.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative81.3%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%

Bugs and requests

XProtect® Mobile

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to connect to servers
  • Incompatibility with iOS versions
  • Duplicate camera displays
  • Playback issues with self-signed SSL certificates

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add audio support
  • Improve motion event thumbnails
  • Allow disabling of PIP mode
  • Implement Touch ID support

WAVE Tactical Communicator

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

XProtect® Mobile

No in-app purchases

None

WAVE Tactical Communicator

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is XProtect® Mobile free?
XProtect® Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is WAVE Tactical Communicator free?
WAVE Tactical Communicator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, XProtect® Mobile or WAVE Tactical Communicator?
XProtect® Mobile is rated higher. XProtect® Mobile averages 2.2 out of 5 from 126 ratings, while WAVE Tactical Communicator averages 1.8 from 16 ratings.
Do XProtect® Mobile or WAVE Tactical Communicator have ads?
Neither XProtect® Mobile nor WAVE Tactical Communicator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, XProtect® Mobile or WAVE Tactical Communicator?
XProtect® Mobile ships an update every 2 months, and WAVE Tactical Communicator every 2 months. Most recently, XProtect® Mobile was updated on September 5, 2026 and WAVE Tactical Communicator on September 21, 2026.

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