What is a Radar Detector?
A radar detector is a device that scans for police radar signals and then alerts you to their presence. Radar guns actually send out radio waves, on specific frequencies that are prescribed by the FCC. These radar/radio signals are referred to as X band, K band, Ka band, and Ku band. (The Ku band is used only in European countries.) Because radar signals propagate in a wave that gets larger as it moves outward, and because they bounce off of other objects, they can often be detected from over a mile away, giving you ample time to adjust your speed.
In addition to radar signals, some police cars are equipped with more advanced laser (lidar) devices. A lidar device sends out narrow beams of laser light, usually directed at a car's license plate, grill or lights. The laser is reflected back to the lidar unit and the speed of the targetted car is calculated in under a second.
A good quality radar detector will identify all frequencies of police radar (X, K, and Ka band) at distances that are great enough to allow you to slow down before your speed is detected by police radar. A high-end radar detector will also detect laser (lidar) devices used by the police. Unfortunately though, if your detector picks up a laser signal, it's probably too late to slow down and avoid detection if you're speeding.
There are some add-on products that can increase your protection against lasers, such as the Laser Shield (an anti-laser license plate cover) and Laser Veil (an anti-reflective coating for headlights, fog lights and license plate). These products can reduce the effective range of the police laser gun, giving you 5-10 seconds to reduce your speed. For maximum laser defense, you can use a laser jamming or laser shifting device, which is designed to block laser signals before they hit your car.
Which Radar Detector is Best?
There are several radar detector vendors that make quality products. Beltronics, Escort, PNI, Valentine, Whistler and Cobra all have offerings, but a quick scan of the available products will show that prices range from $99 to over $300, and the critical features can be hard to discern due to the technical jargon used in the descriptions of the various products. Having recently purchased a radar detector, here is my layman's advice...
Don't buy a cheap radar detector. If the model you pick saves you $200 on the purchase price, but fails to protect you on the road, then you haven't saved money at all. The cost of getting a speeding ticket (fines, lost time, and increased insurance premiums) can mount up to $800, $1000 or even higher. My recommendation is to purchase a high-end model that has a complete feature set, excellent reviews and a price tag somewhere around $300.
My choice after quite a bit of research was the Bel Professional Series RX65 Radar Detector from Beltronics. At just over $300, the RX65 provides advanced radar detection, supporting X, K, Ka, Ku and the new POP mode radar, as well as 360-degree laser protection. The AutoScan feature eliminates most false alarms, and VG-2 Stealth technology makes the unit invisible to "radar detector detectors" used by police. The RX65 has an alphanumeric display with brightness control, and over 60 programmable voice messages for easy recognition of alerts. You probably won't find this advanced model in big electronics stores, but you can buy it online or at a local auto accessory shop.
The Escort Passport 8500 X50 and the Escort Solo S2 Cordless are also popular models in the same price range.
Do I Need Laser Protection?
Not all police use lasers along with radar detection. My advice is to buy a model that includes laser detection, and use it for a few weeks on the roads you travel most. If you DO pick up laser signals in areas where you frequently travel, you can purchase Laser Veil Stealth Coating and the Laser Shield Anti-Laser License Plate Cover for about $100 extra.
If you have money to burn, and want to absolute best in laser protection system, consider the Bel LaserPro 905 Laser Defense System which integrates into high-end Bel models (including the RX65), or the Escort Shifter ZR3 Laser Jammer which works with the Escort units mentioned earlier. These laser-jamming devices will cost about $500 extra.
Learn More About Radar Detectors
You can learn a lot about radar detectors, laser detectors, related products and technology online. I recommend the Buy Radar Detectors site because they have lots of free reference material about radar detectors, speed traps, and what to do if you get a speeding ticket. And as the name implies, you can also buy radar detectors at their online store. I have no affiliation with Buy Radar Detectors, and I don't benefit in any way if you buy a radar detector from them. I did purchase mine there, and was very happy with the customer service as well as the product. Another site I found useful was RadarTest.com, which offers comparisons, reviews and reports.