Radar Detector Types

Page 5 - Radar Detector types

There are three different types of radar detectors, the customary corded units, the newer cordless units that use batteries and can be mounted on the dash, visor or windshield and the remote units that are permanently mounted in your vehicle and that are concealed.

Remote Mounted Radar Detectors.

The advantages of having a remote mounted radar detector are:

In Virginia and Washington DC and several provinces in Canada and countries such as France and Spain, radar detectors are illegal. Remote mounted radar detector s are more inconspicuous to law enforcement.
Concealed units are also inconspicuous to thieves. Your detector is less noticeable than a unit hanging on the windshield.

Also the SR7 Plus and the RX75 Plus remote units also include an active laser jammer.

The disadvantages:
Higher costs: A remote mounted radar detector, typically, is more expensive than a dash mounted unit. This is because of the different modules that are used. As an example, both the Escort SR7 and the Beltronics RX75 have a remote mounted radar antenna that mounts behind the grill, two remote mounted laser antennas (front/rear), a controller device (in which everything plugs into) and a display module.

Remote mounted radar detectors should be professionally installed. Most of the remote mounted radar detectors sold on Radarbusters come with an "Install Card". This install card is prepaid and allows you to take your remote mounted radar detector to our installers to have your unit professionally installed.

Corded Detectors

The most popular radar detectors are the corded ones designed to either be plugged into your car's cigarette lighter or into the fuse box and then mounted on the windshield using suction cups.

Corded detectors offer a number of advantages over remote mounted units and cordless detectors that include:

Ease to install: Just mount and plug in. It takes seconds and can be easily transported from car to car.

Ability to detect all the bands: MPH Industries has developed "POP Radar" and now offers it in many of their newer radar guns as a way to defeat radar detectors. Because cordless radar detectors cycle their power on and off in milliseconds, there would be no possible way that a cordless could detect the new POP mode when it is activated on these radar guns. This will better protect you from speed traps.

No batteries: When you have a cordless radar detector you must remember to replace the batteries. Depending on how often you drive this maybe as much as once every three weeks.

Cordless Detectors

Although you will be free of dangling cords, Radar Roy says that if you can stay with a corded detector instead of going cordless, do so!

In order to conserve battery life, cordless radar detectors turn themselves off and on in milliseconds. Because of this you will be sacrificing:

Range and sensitivity: Cordless radar detectors typically have 30% less range than a corded radar detector.

The ability to detect POP radar: As POP radar transmits in a burst of 67 milliseconds, many current models of cordless detectors are not able to detect POP radar. The Whistler 1788 is the first cordless detector to detect POP radar.

Because the detector itself is designed to operate on batteries, plugging it in will not increase the range or sensitivity.

If you want to free yourself of the power cord that plugs into the cigarette lighter, Radar Roy recommends that you consider a direct wire cord for your radar detector. This will allow you to plug your detector into the fuse box of your car and then you can conceal the wire by tucking it under the molding.

If you are still sold on cordless, then Radar Roy recommends that you consider purchasing a higher end cordless radar detector. The Solo 2 from Escort is the ONLY high end cordless radar detector made today and it has the highest range and sensitivity. To view the range testing charts and to compare the Solo 2 and other radar detectors, click here.

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