Best Radar Detectors: Reviews, Tests, & Guides

Welcome to Vortex Radar, your trusted guide for the road. I provide comprehensive tests, comparisons, and reviews of the best radar detectors, laser jammers, and dashcams available on the market. My mission is to keep drivers safe, informed, and ready for every trip, enhancing your experience on the road with the latest tech.

Best Radar Detectors of 2024

Escort Redline 360c: Best Set-It-and-Forget-It Detector ($799)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Uniden R8: Best Performing Detector ($699)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Valentine 1 Gen2: Best for Enthusiasts ($599)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Uniden R7: Best Bang for the Buck with Arrows ($499)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase, Custom Firmware

Best Non-Arrow Radar Detectors

Uniden R4: Best Non-Arrow Radar Detector ($369)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Radenso DS1: Best for Custom Mounts ($369)
Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Escort Max 3: Bluetooth and Autolockouts ($399)
Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Uniden R3: Best Radar Detector Under $300 ($299)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Uniden DFR7: Best Radar Detector Under $200 ($199)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Best Custom Installed Radar Detectors

Top Performing Custom Installed RD & Laser Jammer: Uniden R9 ($3,999)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Most Automated Custom Installed Radar Detector: Escort Max Ci

Discontinued and replaced by Redline Ci-c which I haven’t tested yet, but I’m sure will be better. Review date TBD.

Affordable Remote Radar Detector: Net Radar DSP for the ALP ($679)

Review, How to ConfigurePurchase

Best Laser Jammers of 2024

Best Laser Jammer: AntiLaser Priority ($1069 Dual, $1699 Triple TX BT HiFi)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Affordable Option: Adaptiv TPX ($949 Triple)

Review, Purchase (Save 10% with coupon “Vortex”)

Recommended Apps:

Best Countermeasure App (optimized for the V1): JBV1 (Free)

Learn More, Download

Real-time police spotted alerts: Waze (Free)

Learn More, iOS, Android

Cloud-based alerting sharing with Escort radar detectors: Drive Smarter (Free)

Learn More, Download

Recommended Radar Detector Accessories:

Rear View Mirror Mount: BlendMount ($99, save 10% with coupon “Vortex10”)

Review, Purchase

Hardwire Cable ($10-$70)

How to Install, Purchase

Best Dash Cameras of 2024:

Best Entry Level Front Only Dashcam: Viofo A119 Mini 2 ($129)

Review, Purchase

Best 2K Front/Rear Dashcam: Viofo A229 Plus ($199)

Review, Purchase (1CH Front, 2CH Front/Rear, 3CH Front/Rear/Interior)

Best 4K Front/Rear Dashcam: Viofo A229 Pro ($299)

Review, Purchase (1CH Front, 2CH Front/Rear, 3CH Front/Rear/Interior)

Best Long Term Parking Dashcam: Thinkware U3000

Review, Purchase (1CH Front, 2CH Front/Rear)

My Recommended Countermeasure Setup:

This website contains affiliate links and I sometimes make commissions on purchases. All opinions are my own. I don’t do paid or sponsored reviews.

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Uniden R7 Firmware 1.46: Mazda CX-5 Filtering, Gatso, and More

Uniden has released firmware 1.46 for the R7 which brings a number of nice changes. For example there’s a third K Block for Mazda CX-5’s (yay!), 5 new custom K blocks, some lockout changes, Gatso support, and more. Here’s a look at all the improvements, as well as my thoughts about each change. The update …

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Uniden R9: Display, Laser, & Bluetooth Improvements in Firmware 1.26

Uniden has released the first public firmware update for the R9, firmware 1.26, and it addresses many of the complaints I shared in my full R9 review. This update primarily adds improvements to the arrow display, adds a bunch of laser improvements, and enables Bluetooth. Here’s a look at all of the changes:

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How to Set Up and Configure your Uniden R9 Radar Detector & Laser Jammer

Let’s take a look at how to use your new Uniden R9, what all the buttons and menu options do, and how to configure your R9 for optimal performance and minimal false alerts. (Last updated February 2023.) Purchase a Uniden R9 here. This guide is current as of firmware 1.19. You can download the latest …

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Escort Redline 360c North America & International Firmware Updates

Recently Escort released updates for the Redline 360c, including both the International and North American versions. Here’s the info about the updates:

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Black Friday 2023 Discounts on Radar Detectors & Dashcams

Black Friday started early this year! We’ve now got some of the best discounts of the year on different radar detectors and dashcams. Cyber Monday is very similar, but we have discounts on some different detectors now.  Here are some of my favorite discounts on the best countermeasures to keep you protected. As new deals …

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V1Driver vs. Radar Companion Apps

If you’re an iPhone user running a Valentine 1 Gen2, Radenso DS1, Uniden R4, or Uniden R8, there’s two options for apps to connect to your detector and add more useful features: V1Driver and the different Radar Companion apps. Both are excellent and help extend the capabilities of your radar detector. Both of these apps …

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Drive Smarter adds Apple CarPlay Support

Escort’s Drive Smarter app recent received an update that adds support for Apple CarPlay. With this latest update, you can now use your vehicle’s display for not only turn-by-turn navigation, but also to display your radar detector’s radar and laser alerts, cloud alerts shared with other drivers, and red light camera & speed camera alerts. …

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Prime Big Deals Days 2023 Discounts on Radar Detectors & Dashcams

Prime Big Deals Days 2023 runs Oct 10-11. It’s like early Black Friday with some of the best discounts of the year. This year we’ve got deals on radar detectors, dashcams, and more. New deals will keep popping up and old deals will expire. Some deals go live Tuesday, some Wednesday. Lightning Deals will only …

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Prime Day 2023 Deals on Radar Detectors & Dashcams

Prime Day 2023 is this week! It’s like early Black Friday with some of the best discounts of the year. Check out all the Prime Day deals here. Prime Day runs July 11-12 and now that the deals are live, I’m regularly updating this page with the very best discounts on countermeasures.

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Uniden R9 Review

The Uniden R9 is Uniden’s first custom installed radar detector and laser jammer. The radar detector is based off the popular R8 and their laser jammer is all new. I and several others have been beta testing the R9 for the past 3 years while it was under development, and now that it’s available for …

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