Camera detection - current leader?
Discussion
Well... spent some time looking through posts, and have learned a lot!
However, there's a lot of material out there, and I'm no expert, so I'm hoping to find someone who is
Not looking for anything too complicated, seen all sorts out there from jammers to TomToms, but looking for something along the following lines:
1. Effective (spotting cams, notifying fixed cams)
2. Easy to live with (works, good battery life, comes with the right leads etc)
3. Simple (doesn't need diffusers fitting to numberplates etc - i.e. 1 box)
4. < £300
As I said, appreciate there's a lot of info out there, and I have looked. I'm thinking the Snooper 3ZERO? GPS and Laser detection all in one...? Sounds like the right kinda combo? But happy to be pointed in a better direction!
Welcome any pointers...!
Edge
However, there's a lot of material out there, and I'm no expert, so I'm hoping to find someone who is
Not looking for anything too complicated, seen all sorts out there from jammers to TomToms, but looking for something along the following lines:
1. Effective (spotting cams, notifying fixed cams)
2. Easy to live with (works, good battery life, comes with the right leads etc)
3. Simple (doesn't need diffusers fitting to numberplates etc - i.e. 1 box)
4. < £300
As I said, appreciate there's a lot of info out there, and I have looked. I'm thinking the Snooper 3ZERO? GPS and Laser detection all in one...? Sounds like the right kinda combo? But happy to be pointed in a better direction!
Welcome any pointers...!
Edge
I've been a very satisfied Snooper customer for several years - my S5-R Radar Detector has never let me down. Up until now I've been running:
The issue for me at the moment is that my SatNav maps are out-of-date and it makes more sense to replace the whole unit than purchase new maps. I've pretty much decided to buy the new Garmin 1490 SatNav, which I understand is compatible with the PocketGPSWorld.com Speed Camera Database http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/subscription.php. That'll mean I can dispense with the Road Angel and just keep the Snooper S5-R for laser/radar detection.
If I was in the market for purely a camera detector though (rather than a new SatNav), the 3ZERO is almost certainly what I'd go for but that's based largely on my experience with another Snooper product. I haven't seen many reviews of the 3ZERO, probably because it's so new. If you go for it, I'm interested to know how it goes.
- Garmin SatNav (standard mapping, no additional features such as speed camera locations)
- Snooper S5-R Radar Detector http://www.sciuridae.co.uk/technology/snooper_s5r_...
- Road Angel Compact (fixed site camera alert system)
The issue for me at the moment is that my SatNav maps are out-of-date and it makes more sense to replace the whole unit than purchase new maps. I've pretty much decided to buy the new Garmin 1490 SatNav, which I understand is compatible with the PocketGPSWorld.com Speed Camera Database http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/subscription.php. That'll mean I can dispense with the Road Angel and just keep the Snooper S5-R for laser/radar detection.
If I was in the market for purely a camera detector though (rather than a new SatNav), the 3ZERO is almost certainly what I'd go for but that's based largely on my experience with another Snooper product. I haven't seen many reviews of the 3ZERO, probably because it's so new. If you go for it, I'm interested to know how it goes.
One other thing... I keep reading that radar/laser detectors will be outlawed soon in the UK, which I presume would make whole 3ZERO unit illegal.
With that in mind, you might also like to have a look at the Pogo Alert by Origin http://www.lordpercy.com/pogo_alert_review.htm, which has a removable laser detector module.
I've heard that the Origin database is the most comprehensive of all camera site databases http://www.pogo-gps.co.uk/origin_360_camera_databa... and most reviews I've read describe it as "award-winning" but don't know if that means much.
With that in mind, you might also like to have a look at the Pogo Alert by Origin http://www.lordpercy.com/pogo_alert_review.htm, which has a removable laser detector module.
I've heard that the Origin database is the most comprehensive of all camera site databases http://www.pogo-gps.co.uk/origin_360_camera_databa... and most reviews I've read describe it as "award-winning" but don't know if that means much.
Just don't let any detector lull you into a false sense of security, especially on the motorway, because VASCAR is obviously undetectable. Ironically, the faster you drive, the more difficult it is to get caught by VASCAR because it's much easier to spot unmarked vehicles pulling out behind to monitor your speed.
Having 'laser detection' is a useless feature - it just says 'you have been lasered' - too late then...... laser jammers are your only help in this situation. If you have a tomtom, camera database is now used directly from blackspot data (road angel).
I use a Roadangel professional - top piece of kit, no false alerts. Get one.
I use a Roadangel professional - top piece of kit, no false alerts. Get one.
Edited by Brewsters on Thursday 29th April 11:31
Brewsters said:
Having 'laser detection' is a useless feature - it just says 'you have been lasered' - too late then...... laser jammers are your only help in this situation. If you have a tomtom, camera database is now used directly from blackspot data (road angel).
I use a Roadangel professional - top piece of kit, no false alerts. Get one.
A valid point but I wouldn't agree with it absolutely 100%. Certainly if yours is the vehicle being targeted then you're pretty much screwed as it only takes about a third of a second to get a laser reading (whereas I believe 'radar' takes more like 3 seconds, giving enough time to cut your speed). My understanding of laser is that if police are targeting vehicles at short range, then the beam is very narrow and unlikely to cause any signal scatter. However, if they're targeting vehicles further away then there's a chance that a proportion of the signal will scatter, which will allow detection by laser detectors depending on their detection range. There are a couple of other scenarios where laser detectors will help but I'll post a link rather than reinvent the wheel... http://www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk/faqlaserdet.htmI use a Roadangel professional - top piece of kit, no false alerts. Get one.
Edited by Brewsters on Thursday 29th April 11:31
There's also some useful info here http://www.radardetectors.co.uk/radar_detector_tec...
Personally I think you might as well have one as not.
Regarding the Road Angel Professional, I read a review about 18 months ago that didn't rate it massively highly http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/224... although I suspect it was marked down a bit by the price. I think reviews are always better coming from someone who uses a piece of kit on a regular basis anyway, rather than a journo who uses it for a weekend. The thing that really appeals to me about the Professional is on the Connected version, as described in this review... http://www.talkaudio.co.uk/index.php?option=com_co...
This is the excerpt...
"The bit I love best and am not even sure if it isn’t a contravention of laws regarding interference with the execution of the duty of, and the wasting of time of certain individual workers is the Live Camera Van feature.
Your unit alerts you to a possible camera van location. You grip the wee remote and feel for the top left bump on it as you lift it off the Velcro it came with. There’s rats on the roadside. You press the button and for the next two hours, other users of the device will get a vermin alert to tell them, that the area really IS infested."
The bit that puts me off slightly is the price (£50+ per annum contract on top of the purchase price).
Do you have the Connected version Brewsters and if so, have you found the Live Camera Van feature useful???
Also, have you any experience of laser jammers? I've read plenty of reviews of kit like this http://www.radar-detector-shop.co.uk/products/lase... but I'd rather hear from someone who has actually used one!
Sorry for War & Peace!
Brewsters' post got me thinking about laser jammers, which got me reading more about them, which has now got me paranoid about not having one 
Just in case anyone's interested... I found this site http://www.laserjammertests.com/ which suggests that this product is the best available laser jammer http://www.laserjammertests.com/laserstarvsprolase... available direct from Snooper here http://www.snooperuk.com/products/laserstar/index.... or about £20 cheaper from independent sellers.
Just in case anyone's interested... I found this site http://www.laserjammertests.com/ which suggests that this product is the best available laser jammer http://www.laserjammertests.com/laserstarvsprolase... available direct from Snooper here http://www.snooperuk.com/products/laserstar/index.... or about £20 cheaper from independent sellers.
I have had the Road Angel Pro Connected since its launch and rate it very highly, if you have done a search no doubt you may have come across mine and other comments. I recently bought the three year subscription at a good price. The mobile van alert does work and again if you come across a local set up (or is that stitch up)you can provide info for other drivers. As a note the other day on one of my local sites the policemean was facing away from me with the gun pointed under his arm how sneaky was that!
I have laser jammers front and rear on my vehicle. The firm that installed them also brought 6 laser guns with them and showed the guns being pointed and activated before and after the jammers were fitted and they all came up without a speed reading.....
I tend to drive fairly steady these days anyway, but it's a device I'd higly recommend.
I tend to drive fairly steady these days anyway, but it's a device I'd higly recommend.
Brewsters said:
I have laser jammers front and rear on my vehicle. The firm that installed them also brought 6 laser guns with them and showed the guns being pointed and activated before and after the jammers were fitted and they all came up without a speed reading.....
I tend to drive fairly steady these days anyway, but it's a device I'd higly recommend.
Make, model, price or a website link please?I tend to drive fairly steady these days anyway, but it's a device I'd higly recommend.
YRRunner said:
Brewsters said:
I have laser jammers front and rear on my vehicle. The firm that installed them also brought 6 laser guns with them and showed the guns being pointed and activated before and after the jammers were fitted and they all came up without a speed reading.....
I tend to drive fairly steady these days anyway, but it's a device I'd higly recommend.
Make, model, price or a website link please?I tend to drive fairly steady these days anyway, but it's a device I'd higly recommend.
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