3 best radar scanner for car

A radar scanner for a car, commonly known as a radar detector, is an electronic device designed to alert drivers to the presence of police radar guns or other speed detection equipment used by law enforcement.These devices are related to vehicle electronics accessories and are commonly used by drivers to help avoid speeding tickets. Here's what you should know about radar detectors for cars:

Functionality: Radar detectors are designed to detect the radio waves emitted by radar guns and speed measurement devices used by law enforcement officers. When a radar signal is detected, the radar detector alerts the driver, typically with visual and auditory signals.
Types of Radar Signals: Radar detectors can detect various types of radar signals, including X-band, K-band, and Ka-band radar frequencies. Different law enforcement agencies may use different frequency bands, so radar detectors are designed to cover a range of frequencies.
Laser Detection: Some radar detectors also include laser detection capabilities. Laser guns, also known as LIDAR devices, are used by police to measure vehicle speed. Laser detection alerts drivers to the use of these devices.
False Alarm Filtering: Many modern radar detectors are equipped with technology to reduce false alarms caused by non-police radar sources, such as automatic door openers or adaptive cruise control systems in other vehicles. This helps improve the accuracy of alerts.
Mounting and Placement: Radar detectors are typically mounted on the vehicle's windshield or dashboard using suction cups or adhesive mounts. It's essential to place the detector where it has an unobstructed view of the road to maximize its effectiveness.
Legal Considerations: The use of radar detectors is legal in some countries and regions but illegal in others. It's crucial to be aware of the laws regarding radar detectors in your area. Using a radar detector in an area where it's prohibited can result in fines and confiscation of the device.
Upgrades and Features: Radar detectors come with various features and price points. Higher-end models may offer GPS technology to provide additional information, such as red-light camera alerts and speed limit data. Some detectors can also be updated with new firmware to stay current with emerging radar and laser technologies.
False Positives: While radar detectors are designed to help drivers avoid speeding tickets, they can sometimes produce false alerts or fail to detect radar signals in certain conditions. It's essential for drivers to use radar detectors as aids but not solely rely on them.
Use with Caution: Radar detectors are intended to promote responsible driving by alerting drivers to the presence of law enforcement speed monitoring. It's crucial for drivers to obey speed limits and traffic laws at all times and not rely solely on radar detectors to avoid penalties.

Radar detectors are widely available in the market and are a popular accessory for many drivers. However, their effectiveness can vary depending on factors such as the quality of the device and the enforcement methods used in your region. It's important to understand the laws and regulations regarding radar detectors in your area and use them responsibly.

Below you can find our editor's choice of the best radar scanner for car on the market

Cobra RAD 480i Laser Radar Detector – Long Range Detection, Bluetooth, iRadar App, LaserEye Front and Rear Detection, Next Gen IVT Filtering, Black

Cobra

Based on 5 reviews Check latest price

Product description

The RAD 480i is the best performing radar detector in its class with 2x the detection range of its predecessor for advanced warnings plus next gen IVT filtering to eliminate unwanted alerts. Get all speed and red light camera notifications plus real-time shared alerts from the Cobra community. Get 2x the range plus enhanced Digital Signal Processing (DSP) for rapid warnings with this police scanner, the best of radar detectors for cars. Bluetooth connectivity allows you to access the Cobra community and receive real-time driver alerts from the Cobra iRadar app. Share and receive real-time alerts from the Cobra driving community. Instant red light, speed cam, and law enforcement detection notifications. Millions of user-base traffic avoidance exchanges. Increased awareness and ultimate road coverage.

Front and Rear Detection – Cobra’s new LaserEye technology detects signals from both the front and rear of your vehicle, giving you all around protection wherever your adventures take you.
iRadar App – Know what lies on the road ahead. Receive real-time alerts to red light, speed camera, and law enforcement activity from a community of over three million drivers.
Long Range Detection – Next generation updateable IVT Filter and advanced anti-falsing circuitry intelligently reduces false alerts from blind spot systems and other vehicle avoidance systems.
Early Warnings – Digital Signal Processing provides faster processing for all incoming laser gun signals and rapidly provides accurate alerts, making you aware of a threat before it is right in front of you.
Everything You Need - The Cobra RAD 480i radar detector comes with a 12V vehicle power cord, suction cup car windshield mount, and a hook and loop fastener for dash mounting, for wherever the road takes you.

User questions & answers

Question:	Is the cobra rad 450 360° coverage & ivt filter
Answer:	Yes. Radar uses radio waves which bounce around the environment causing all radar detectors to detect radar in 360° (just as your radio detects radio stations in 360°). Detectors that use "360" in their name have arrows which point to the radar source. The RAD 450 does not have directional arrows. RAD 450 does have an IVT Filter. It filters out many radar based vehicle safety systems.
Question:	Does it have Bluetooth to connect with iRadar app on the phone
Answer:	Yes, it works with the iRadar app.
Question:	How long is manufacturer warrenty
Answer:	It is 1 year from date of purchase, also you have to pay for one way shipping for warranty work. http://www.cobra.com/sites/default/files/manuals/RAD450_MANL_ENG.pdf
Question:	whats in the box
Answer:	The basic detector as you see, the power cord with cig lighter plug in and standard 12vdc round power connector at other end - about 7ft long, and a small manual. Works good at rejecting false alarms and detecting police radars. Very good value for the money.

UNIDEN R3 EXTREME LONG RANGE Laser/Radar Detector, Record Shattering Performance, Built-in GPS w/ Mute Memory, Voice Alerts, Red Light & Speed Camera Alerts, Multi-Color OLED Display

Uniden

Based on 3 reviews Check latest price

Product description

Uniden’s R3 is a top of the line Radar Detector with a built-in GPS feature With the R3 you can mark geographical points where you commonly encounter radar transmissions These can be school zones red-light cameras and places where police frequently monitor traffic You can mark these points so the detector will announce “User mark ahead” when you approach them Among other announcements the Voice Notification feature lets you know when you are approaching a radar and what type of radar it is (red light speed etc)

UNSURPASSED RANGE & SENSITIVITY - Industry Leading Performance with Advanced False Alert Filtering is THE choice for drivers who demand the highest level of protection against speeding tickets.
GPS TECHNOLOGY - Using GPS the R3 can remember and mute common false alerts (such as retail store automatic doors) along your regularly driven routes so you never have to listen to the same false alert twice.
RED LIGHT AND SPEED CAMERA ALERTS - Preloaded Red Light and Speed Camera locations with Free Database and Firmware updates ensures your detector will never be out of date.
MULTI-COLOR OLED DISPLAY - is easy-to-Read and allows for more useful information to be displayed at once. This improves your overall situational awareness.
VOICE ALERTS - Voice warnings allow for hands-free operation and provide clear communication. Voice Alerts are programable to fit your driving style so you can keep your eyes on the road with no distractions.
ADVANCED FALSE ALERT FILTERING - the R3 has advanced K/KA Band filtering offering the Least Amount of False Alerts from Blind Spot monitoring & Collision Avoidance systems in other vehicles.

User questions & answers

Question:	My audio completely shut off on me after 3 months of ownership. Anyone else have this issue
Answer:	It would be recommended to send the unit in for repair under warranty. Please contact our Customer Service on steps to send it in. 1-800-297-1023.
Question:	can you hide the wire
Answer:	You are not gonna hide the spiral stretch wire very easily. If you use hard wire kit and it's mounted up high on the windshield then you can run the wire under the edge of the trim and to the fuse panel. That's what I did.
Question:	Can i simply plug this into a cig lighter to usb adapter and use my car's usb port to power it
Answer:	Standard USB ports only deliver around 5 volts. Most detectors need 12 volts, which is what the cigarette lighter socket supplies.
Question:	Why it’s not notifying me when there’s a cop close to me every time
Answer:	As the other gentleman said, it's a radar detector, not a cop detector. It will only go off when you detect a police officer using his radar gun. Whether hand-held or the stationery type that operate as the police car is stopped or even driving. But when an officer isn't actually doing speed checks, they often turn the radar unit off. Even then, not all police cars are equipped with radar. A lot of police agencies may only have less than 10% of their units equipped with radar.

Escort Passport S55 Radar Detector – Extended Long Range, Escort Live App, AutoMute, AutoSensitivity, Audible Alerts, Adjustable LED Display, Signal Strength Meter, Black

Based on 2 reviews Check latest price

Product description

The Escort S55 police radar detector brings one of the most advanced high performing radar detectors for cars to your travels, wherever they may take you. With all of the features the S55 brings to your car, this police scanner for cars comes ready to use out of the box. However, you can also instantly customize it for your unique driving preferences, including Power On indication, Meter type, AutoMute, Brightness level, including full Dark Mode, Audio Tones, and selectable radar. The Escort S55 radar detector connects to Escort Live (Escort's exclusive realtime ticket protection network), which keeps drivers aware of upcoming alerts reported by other users in the area and gives you access to local speed limit data for over speed alerts, right out of the box.

AutoSensitivity – Based on speed, route, and more this Passport detector continuously analyzes incoming signals and adjusts the sensitivity automatically while in the city or on the highway to eliminate false alerts.
Escort Live App - Join our community of drivers sharing over 100 million alerts every year - red light and speed camera locations, speed limits, police radar and more. Compatible with Escort Live (separate SmartCord Live cord required)
Clear Audible Alerts - Allows hands free operation and crystal-clear communication. Based on signal strength, alerts will sound and occur faster as the signal strengthens allowing you to keep your eyes on the road without distractions.
Ultra Fast Protection - The Passport S55 detector warns you of all radar bands including conventional and instant-on X band, K band, and Superwide Ka band and POP. Get the alerts faster with this escort radar detector and have more time to react.
Everything You Need - The S55 Escort radar detector comes with a convenient travel case for wherever the road takes you, a SmartCord USB for power, and an Escort Radar Detector accessory kit for easy installation.

User questions & answers

Question:	Does S55 work 360 degrees
Answer:	They are stereo. They sound good for such little speakers.
Question:	Does this come.with 12V power cord
Answer:	Mine didn’t work from the day I got them.
Question:	can it be mounted upside down
Answer:	Yes. DAC can meet your need. This dac is better: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G2NQYLX
Question:	Does this detect Red Light Cameras
Answer:	That depends. Did you buy them NEW? If you bought them from Amazon, or me (DisKounters), Cyber Acoustics has a 1-year warranty. If you bought from someone else, you need to see if they're authorized and if Cyber Acoustics will honor a warranty from them.