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The Ultimate Radar Detector Buyer's Guide

New to Radar Detectors?

If you have no idea what radar detector to purchase, then this radar detector buyer's guide will have everything you will ever need to become a radar detector expert yourself.

What is a Radar Detector?

If you have a car, like to drive or just want to save money, then a radar detector is a must-have device for you. A radar detector can go hand-in-hand with a dash camera. While each of them serve different purposes, both of them work hand-in-hand to protect you.

Mounting Your Radar Detector

A radar detector is best mounted as high up in the vehicle as possible so that the detector has a good range of radar detection. The most common and the standard location for mounting the radar detector would be on the front windshield of the vehicle, near or around the center of the rearview mirror.

Differences Between Ka, K, and X Bands

Radar detectors are used to detect when a police radar gun is in use so that you can slow down in time and avoid a speeding ticket. It uses LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology to remotely sense light in the form of pulsed lasers to measure ranges. When a radar detector detects a radar gun, it will alert you with messages about X band, K band or Ka band.

What are False Alerts?

One of the biggest differences between the lower end and the best radar detectors is the number of false alerts given by the device. For example, a common police radar gun shares the same K band frequency as a lot of other common devices such as automatic door openers and the blind spot detectors of many vehicles.

Differences Between Traffic Cams & Red Lights

Red light cameras are automatic ticket-issuing systems that are placed at traffic intersections to detect when a vehicle runs a red light. Once detected, the red light camera will take pictures of the vehicle and its license plate during the traffic violation and send these to the department of motor vehicles.


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