Stinger VIP vs AntiLaser Priority: Laser Jammer Head Size Comparison

So I received a Stinger VIP again today for testing purposes. I’ve been curious just how small the heads are compared to the AntiLaser Priority’s heads and since I’ve played around with the radar bit before, I spent the past few hours comparing the head sizes with my ALP and shooting some photos and I wanted to share the photos here with you guys. Let’s take a look…

Here’s how the laser jammers look. First up is the normal receiver.
Stinger VIP standard head
Long box on one end and a Mini USB port on the other.

Here’s a look at the fiber head. I always figured it was basically just a long skinny wire, but you can see the tube where the laser jammer is, like the normal head, and then an extension out to the fiber head.

Stinger VIP fiber head
Now I gotta admit that I wasn’t too impressed initially.. at least not until I went out to my car, started playing around, compared it to my ALP’s, and started realizing what the smaller heads meant. Looking at them in the box, it’s just some wiring and boxes.. and I guess they’re small. Cool.

Let’s take a look at the head sizes next to the ALP.
Stinger VIP ALP heads labeled
The ALP head is much wider. The Stinger heads are clearly smaller. The wires are thinner too. The ALP is shorter front-to-back which is preferable for rear installs when you’re installing under your trunk lid. If that area is short, the Stinger heads may stick out further beyond your trunk. Otherwise the Stinger heads are definitely not nearly as wide. It’s like a similar idea, just reoriented. ALP is wide, Stinger is long. Let’s take a look at the face of the heads.
Stinger VIP and ALP head front
The square heads are very tiny. The ALP heads are definitely much wider. Now to be fair, one ALP head covers both the transmitter and the receiver. The Stinger heads are transmitter or receiver only.. so the heads are smaller but you’ll need twice as many of them.. so it’s a trade-off.

The square shaped head is the receiver. The standard transmitter has the same shape but the face is a little different. Below you’ll see the standard transmitter (left) and receiver (right).

Stinger VIP normal laser receiver and transmitters

You also have the ability to upgrade your transmitter head to a super tiny fiber head. Here’s a look at all the different head sizes, including the fiber head.
Stinger VIP, fiber, ALP heads front
That fiber head is really tiny. It’s only 2.6mm across which makes it super easy to hide on your vehicle. I was expecting that, but I wasn’t expecting how small the standard heads would be. They’re basically the same height as the ALP head, just barely a smidge taller. (16mm vs. 14mm)
Stinger VIP and ALP heads front side
Here’s a similar shot, adding in the fiber head for comparison.
Stinger VIP, fiber, ALP heads front, side
Now I shot those photos with my rear ALP heads since they’re sitting in a bracket on either side of my rear plate and they’re easy to pop out for pics. When I went around to the front of my car, I found out some more really cool things.

For my front ALP heads, I had a professional cut into my car. He had to pull off the bumper and dremel the holes in the grill. It turns out that with the Stinger heads, I could actually install them in my grill without drilling! Holy cow… Granted I had to mount them down lower, but it’s still feasible. That’s way cool… I was very happy to see they slid right into place nicely.
ALP and Stinger heads in my grill
I think these smaller heads will open up a lot of possibilities for installation with being able to install in grills that the ALP’s are too big for. (That’s why I went for HP-905’s over LI’s in my last car.)

For people who don’t want to cut their grills, the Stingers are a better option. That’ll make for a potentially cheaper install and a quicker install too so even though the Stinger heads may be more expensive (or less, depending on the configuration), you can put that money into the heads rather than the install which I’d prefer. Now you will have twice as many heads which may negate the time and money saved in not cutting, but you still have a much better shot at avoiding having to cut your grill which is awesome.

That also helps when it comes time to sell your car and so you don’t have to buy a new grill. You could sell your car as is with holes in it. Hopefully the salesperson/buyer wouldn’t notice, but either way, it’d be nice to just avoid that altogether. (I’m a fan of not cutting the grill if possible.)

I also really like that the Stinger heads look much more like parking sensors compared to my ALP heads.

Here’s another shot where I installed the laser fiber as well. See if you can find it. 🙂 (Hint: It’s down lower than the receiving head.)

ALP, Stinger VIP, and fiber heads in my grill
If we zoom out further, you can see how the heads look compared to my ALP’s. I’ve got 2 ALP heads and 4 Stinger VIP heads (2 TX fibers, 2 RX square heads).
Stinger VIP and ALP heads in my Miata
Now this isn’t necessarily the “best” locations for installing your heads. I actually had no idea where to install these heads since it’s a totally different idea than with your standard integrated heads we’ve had with Blinder/LI/ALP so I asked Cliff and here’s what he suggested.
stinger miata placement
So with the tinier heads, we can get them closer to the targets which is awesome. The upper red receivers would still require cutting in the grill, but at least they’d be much smaller holes. The bottom heads wouldn’t require any cutting. Woohoo! That’s also pretty wild about putting the transmitters down in the corners of the headlights like that. That’s an option we didn’t have before… so we’ve got new possibilities with these smaller heads.

The way you wire the Stinger heads up is pretty cool too. If you wanted to do an ALP triple up front, you’d have to run 3 wires back through your firewall. With the Stinger, all your laser jammers (up to 4 Tx, 4 Rx) plug into this laser analyzer box (LAB) which stays in your engine bay somewhere and then you run just one cable back through your firewall, into your cabin. That makes installation and uninstallation much much easier. Plus you’ll need smaller holes in your firewall which is easier to do.
LAB outsideLAB open

LAB inside
So yeah, I’m pretty impressed with these tiny heads, more than I thought I would be. I knew they were small, but I figured you’d have to upgrade to the fibers to get the smallest heads. However, even with the normal heads, they’re already pretty small which means you’ve got more options as far as placement, especially if you’re wanting to avoid grill cutting. (I just did the ALP setup guide so placement stuff is fresh on my mind.)

I hope Stinger gets everything fully sorted out on the software side too because the ALP’s definitely are more solid currently in terms of performance, but focusing strictly on the head sizes, these smaller heads are really slick… I’m a fan.

If you want a set of Stinger Laser Jammers, click here.

If you want a set of AntiLaser Priority Laser Jammers, click here.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2016/02/stinger-vip-vs-antilaser-priority-laser-head-size-comparison/

Installing a Beltronics STi-R Plus Radar Detector in my 2012 Hyundai Sonata

I wanna show you guys my Beltronics STi-R Plus install that I did on my 2012 Hyundai Sonata. These pics are all from a post few years back in 2012 when I still had the car (the lease has expired since), but I feel this would be great to share nonetheless. 🙂

STi-R Plus installed in my 2012 Hyundai Sonata

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2016/02/installing-a-beltronics-sti-r-plus-in-my-2012-hyundai-sonata/

The Best Radar Detector Under $200 for 2016

Best Radar Detector of 2016 under $200: Uniden LRD950If you’re looking for an inexpensive radar detector, most of them basically suck to be honest, but the big standout exception to the rule is the Uniden LRD950. It offers long range and really good false alert filtering on par with (or even better than) many higher end and higher priced detectors, except you can find it online for less than $200 which is kinda crazy. This means it’s the best inexpensive and affordable radar detector on the market.

Buy an LRD950 from BRD.
Buy an LRD950 from Amazon.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2016/02/the-best-radar-detector-under-200/

Blendmount Coupon Code

Max360 on BlendmountSo I just got off the phone with Blendmount today after having a chance to review their Blendmount. They liked my review and we had a chance to bounce some ideas off one another. One comment that people brought up about the Blendmount was the price so they gave me a Blendmount coupon code to help save you guys some money on the mount.

Blendmount Coupon Code

To save 10% off a Blendmount, use the coupon code Vortex10 at checkout.

Click here to Purchase a Blendmount.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2016/02/blendmount-discount-coupon-code/

AntiLaser Priority Review: The Best Laser Jammers on the Market

AntiLaser Priority Review: Best Laser JammerUpdated: November 2017

It’s time for the AntiLaser Priority review. 🙂 While radar detectors are great against helping you avoid speeding tickets from police radar, they’re virtually useless against police laser. Radar detectors also have laser detectors built in, but against laser they’re little more than ticket notifiers. As soon as they go off, your speed has been acquired and you won’t get any warning ahead of time. Additionally, because a laser beam is so small, there’s a good chance that your radar detector may not even go off at all if an officer is shooting your license plate or headlights and your radar detector is up on your windshield. If a police officer is using laser (and laser is used all over the country), you need to pair a laser jammer with your radar detector.

A laser jammer is designed to fire back at a police laser gun, jamming it, and preventing it from displaying a speed. When your jammers go off, you slow down to the speed limit, quickly turn off your jammers, and allow them to get a reading off your car doing the speed limit. They have no idea that anything weird happened, they see you doing the speed limit, and they shoot the next car in line. Simple.

There’s several laser jammers on the market from a variety of companies. Everyone wants to say that they’re the best, they can jam all the lidar guns out there, and so on… but which one really is the best?

AntiLaser Priority Review

If you want the quick answer, the best jammer on the market is the AntiLaser Priority. They’re the ones that countermeasure enthusiasts are all buying and they are the most effective jammers when it comes to jamming all the different lidar guns on the market, including the latest guns with sophisticated anti-jamming technology. Additionally, unlike many other companies which provide very limited support in terms of updates over time after they sell you a jammer, AntiLaser is very good about staying on top of things and issuing updates to make sure that your jammers stay current and able to jam all the known guns out there which is critical. They spend tens of thousands of dollars every year buying new laser guns so that if something changes in terms of laser guns, you’ll quickly get an update for your jammers to keep you ahead of the curve. Laser jammers are something that need to be updated periodically as things change and so long term updates are very important.

AntiLaser Priority Review: Best Laser JammerCompared to the previous generation laser jammers out there, the ALP is also more sensitive at detecting lidar than other jammers which means that they’re better at protecting your entire vehicle, the increased sensitivity means you’re less likely to have a weak spot on your vehicle far from the jammer that a gun can get a reading off of, you have more options in terms of placement of the jammer heads on your car while still maintaining solid protection, plus they’re more forgiving of less than perfect installs or heads moving over time which can lead to punchthroughs (a lidar gun getting a reading off your car while your jammers are trying to jam it). Because the ALP’s can run up to 6 heads instead of 4 (up to 3 per side of the vehicle), it means that if you need more than 4 heads (common for larger vehicles), you can simply add an additional head rather than having to buy another system entirely which is more expensive and leads to more unnecessary duplicate hardware in your vehicle, dual kill switches, and so on. Being able to plug additional heads into a single ALP brain is great.

The ALP also has a bunch of accessories available that helps add a lot of useful functionality. For example, you can integrate it with a variety of different radar detectors to have just one setup for both radar and laser, you can get voice alerts with the HiFi module, you can pair it with your phone over bluetooth if you don’t want the control pad installed in your cabin, and so on. If you want a fully integrated radar/laser setup, there’s now also the Net Radar available which is a very good radar detector so you can have a complete radar and laser system for your car that’s good in both departments.

These are the jammers that just about everyone in the enthusiast community is now running, myself included. When it comes to laser jammers, there isn’t really the same level of competition that there is with radar detectors.

Find out how the AntiLaser Priority compares to the best laser jammers of 2016.

Find out how the AntiLaser Priority compares to the best laser jammers.

ALP installed in a 911 with arrows

ALP duals installed on a 911, image courtesy of BRD & JK Automotive Designs

What About The Other Laser Jammers?

The previous top jammers were the Blinder HP-905 Compact and the Laser Interceptor.

AL Head Comparison

The LI’s were the previous top jammers on the market and they were the best for many years. They were the jammers to get. After some time, the heads started showing their age, especially as new anti-jamming lidar guns like the DragonEye started coming onto the market and the LI’s weren’t able to respond accordingly due to them using older hardware. That was around when AntiLaser stepped in with their far more sophisticated hardware with the ability to jam these new guns while LI basically threw in the towel. The US distributor is now no longer even involved with LI’s and is now involved with Stinger. Stinger makes what is currently the second best jammer and I’ll talk about them in just a moment.

When the LI was popular there was also the Blinder HP-905. These were similar in capability to the LI’s and their main advantage was the fact that they offered smaller heads. This meant for a less visible install and also made it easier to install the jammer heads in grills where the LI’s were too large to fit. This was the reason I went for HP-905’s over LI’s and they saved me every time I needed them. I’m glad to have run them. The main drawback is that Blinder’s history of updates is pretty lousy and they would claim to be able to jam certain lidar guns like the Poliscan when in reality they couldn’t. They’re just not very good at keeping their jammers updated over time (there hasn’t been an update for several years now) and this is something that you really do need to look for when selecting a jammer. So the lack of updates along with the inability to jam some of the newest guns on the markets is what is having people move away from the Blinder units. It’s why I switched.

To save some cash, you could always get one of these other systems, especially a used one. Generally though, I wouldn’t recommend it. There’s two reasons. Number one, you often have to drill holes into your grill for the jammers and potentially your interior for the controls. That’s not something that’s easy to undo and change once you need to switch systems. Additionally, the install can be a PITA when it comes to running the wires through your firewall, mounting the heads on your car, potentially having to remove your bumper, and so on. You can do it yourself which takes a lot of time, or you can have it done professionally which takes a bunch of money. I’ve seen some people doing professional installs where the install costs more than the jammer itself! Uninstalling down the line to switch over is a pain and it’s for that reason that I’d recommend that you do it right, right from the get-go. The peace of mind of knowing you’re protected is a big part of it too.

When it comes to good jammers that would be worth installing, the only other company that’s producing laser jammers that can deal with the latest lidar guns is Stinger. The Stinger VIP radar detector is an advanced radar detector and it also offers laser jammers that are designed to pair with the radar detector (unlike the ALP’s which are designed to be standalone but also have the ability to integrate with several different detectors). The Stinger’s laser jammer heads are smaller than the ALP, about the size of a dime, and they even offer ridiculously tiny fiber heads that are only 2.6mm wide so they’re easy to conceal and almost impossible to spot.

Stinger VIP, fiber, ALP heads front, side labeled

It’s more expensive for the Stinger system, but these tinier heads make for a popular choice among those who want the stealthiest install possible where the jammers don’t take away from the aesthetics of the car as much, especially with those who drive higher end or exotic cars. Stinger uses separate transmitters/receivers so while each head is smaller, you have twice as many of them. The main limitation right now with the Stinger jammers, and why they’re not the best, is that their software is still in development and their jamming capabilities are not yet totally solid. There’s users who are still reporting that they can’t completely jam lidar guns on a consistent basis, especially at closer range. The Stinger engineers have been pretty good with issuing updates which is awesome so I do expect them to be solid down the road, but they’re just not there quite yet and it’s for that reason that I’d recommend the ALP’s today by default.

As for the other jammers out there, you’ve got the Escort ZR5 and ShifterMax jammers (what they use with the Max Ci and Max Ci 360) which is a step forward from Escort’s previous ZR4’s and LSP’s, but still lags behind the ALP in terms of jamming effectiveness (most importantly) and support for more heads for larger vehicles. The K40 Defuser Optix is using last gen hardware that also doesn’t have the ability to jam the latest guns out there either.

If you’re looking to buy a jammer these days, the ALP’s are the go-to solution. The only other ones that would be worth recommending would be the Stinger VIP if you want the smallest heads possible and are also getting their radar detector. Other than that, the ALP’s are the ones to go for.

How Do They Perform?

How well do the ALP’s jam lidar? Well they’ve been tested very thoroughly by this point. At first testing was done to see if the ALP’s actually lived up to their claims of being able to jam the tough guns that other jammers couldn’t. Then as more and more people started picking them up for their own vehicles, they’ve been tested even more and we see them tested regularly in different testing events. Because they’re so good, they’re often the only jammers you’ll see at testing events.

As far as their effectiveness is concerned, they are good at jamming both the older easier guns and the newer tougher guns. Take a look at some sample test results from a lidar test meet.

Test results from GA Lidar Test 8-30-15

Source: https://www.rdforum.org/showthread.php?t=46533

You’ll notice that everyone is running ALP’s there, and for good reason. You’ll also see that it’s mostly green on the chart. Dark green means that the lidar gun was never able to get a reading whether they’re driving towards the gun (Jam To Gun, JTG) or driving away from the gun (Jam From Gun, JFG). This is what you want to see in testing, but you never actually want to do this in the real world. You want to slow down and let them get a reading off you at some point. See here for more info on using your jammers properly.

You’ll also see that some people had punchthroughs where the gun was able to get a reading. This is usually due to heads not being aligned straight. It can also be due to heads not being placed on the ideal location on their vehicle to provide full coverage. It’s for this reason that proper installation is key and testing is important. My ALP setup guide covers all of this.

In any event, as you can see, when the jammers are installed well, they perform great. In some of the cases where punchthroughs happened, they were at pretty close range meaning that even in those situations, the driver would have enough time to slow down and kill their jammers anyways so they would help the driver avoid a speeding ticket.

A Closer Look at the Jammers Themselves

So we’ve looked at the performance of the jammers which is the most important part. Let’s take a look at the jammers themselves.

When they’re installed in your car, there’s not really much to see. You’ve got the jammers themselves which you install in the front as well as the rear if you want full protection, you have a control pad with two buttons and a little status LED, and an additional external LED you can place somewhere easy for you to see. Let me show you how it looks on my car.

Dual ALP's in the grill of a Miata

Two jammers in the upper grill of my Miata

Two rear ALP heads

Two rear ALP heads on either side of the rear plate

Inside my car I have my control pad placed right in front of my shifter. It makes it super easy to get my hand to it quickly without looking, find it by feel alone, and press the buttons to change settings or kill my jammers as needed. The external LED I’ve placed in my instrument cluster so I can see it lighting up without taking my eyes off the road. I’m thinking of moving it up on the dash where it meets the windshield so that my dashcam can see it too.

ALP inside my Miata

ALP control pad blue

Overall I really like the system. I’ve had it installed in my car for a few years now. Since I bought it, it’s had a number of really nice upgrades and AntiLaser keeps adding new features, adding support for new guns, and the product keeps getting better and better.

I really like that you can do all the configuration on your computer, copy your settings over to a USB drive, and plug that USB drive into your jammers. So much better than before! With previous jammers you had to take a laptop out to the car and update it there. With some you even had to have an internet connection to download updates (you couldn’t download them ahead of time) so you had to park somewhere close to where you could get WiFi. Some also used a serial port instead of USB, something many modern computers didn’t have so you’d need a USB to serial port adapter. The new method with the USB drive is so much better. If you get the Bluetooth module, you can even change settings or update the jammer’s firmware through your phone which is awesome.

There’s also some nice accessories you can pair with your ALP. I use the HiFi module which includes an external speaker which is not only louder, handy if you’re out on the highway with the windows down and the music up (it can automatically mute your stereo too if you wire it up to do so), and it also gives you voice alerts to make it much easier to navigate the menus. You’ll also get notified of what gun you get shot with when you get shot. Super handy. Some other jammers include the speaker as part of the standard equipment, but with the ALP it’s an optional extra.

Another option is the ability to add a Bluetooth module and pair it with your phone for a visual display. Here’s a video comparing the ALP using the Bluetooth option on both iOS and Android, as well as the HiFi module.

Two updates after this video was released:

  1. If your phone is not connected, the jammer now falls back to the control pad so your system is always up and running. It no longer shuts off altogether if the app isn’t running.
  2. You can now use the BT module and control pad simultaneously to a certain extent. You can be connected via your phone and use the menu button on the right side of the control pad to JTK when you get shot so you always have a dedicated JTK button. Awesome.

Integrating the Net Radar radar detector

Net Radar detector packageIf you want a fully integrated radar/laser installation, they make a radar detector specifically designed to pair with the ALP called the Net Radar. Not only do you get a cleaner looking cabin and a more OEM look with less clutter, but there’s no detector to put up or take down, nothing on the windshield to potentially get stolen, nothing visible to police officers, and so on.

The Net Radar offers very good performance, excellent blind spot filtering, has the option of adding a second rear antenna for improved rear detection and arrows, and even a third antenna specifically for the MRCD for people in Alberta or Quebec where this new low powered radar gun is in use. It also comes with some of the additional accessories you need like the GPS antenna for low speed muting and the Radar/GPS (RG) module to plug the antenna into the ALP while the other antennas require you to purchase the accessories separately at an additional cost. If you also pick up the Bluetooth module, you’ll also be able to do manual GPS lockouts using your phone so that you can teach it where the false alerts are located and it will automatically mute them for you in the future.

You can purchase the Net Radar here.

If you like, you can watch a quick demo of both radar and laser alerts on the ALP. This setup shows you what you’d see if you pair your phone to the ALP with the Bluetooth module. The audio alerts are exactly the same if you were using the HiFi module.

Conclusion

These are the most effective jammers on the market these days. They’re the ones that people who know about laser jammers buy. They’re the ones that people who use previous generation jammers are upgrading to. If you want to know what the best jammer is, it’s the ALP. I wish recommending a radar detector was this simple. It would make my life so much easier, lol… 😀

The jammers are able to jam all the known guns on the market today, they are continually being updated as new guns are released and when there’s helpful new features and accessories to be added, their customer service is top notch, the heads are pretty small so they’re not very noticeable, and with the ALP’s you’ll be set up for both the short term and the long term as much as possible.

A Couple Quick Laser Jammer FAQ’s

A couple quick frequently asked questions for those of you looking to get these jammers now.

Q: How many heads should you get?

A: Depends on your car, where you drive, and if you want just front or both front/rear protection. See this section of my ALP setup guide.

Q: What if jammers are illegal in my state?

A: You can look here to see if they are. I understand that’s a concern for people. I don’t recommend breaking the law of course, but remember that speeding is illegal too. In fact the penalties for speeding are far worse than having jammers (higher ticket prices, insurance hikes, potential court costs, etc.). The penalty for having a jammer is typically the equivalent of a “fix it” ticket, similar to having window tint that’s too dark or missing a front plate if you need one. Additionally, if you use your jammers properly as explained here, they won’t know you have them in the first place and you’ll be able to drive away just fine after you get shot.

Q: How do I install these jammers?

A: You can do it yourself or hire a professional. It takes some time to run the cables through your car, wire everything up, power your jammers, find a suitable location for your jammers, and install the controls inside your car. Some cars are easier than others. If you want a professional to help, make sure you’re both on the same page as to how you want the install done. 🙂 See this section of my ALP setup guide for more important installation info.

Q: What happens when I get shot with laser?

A: An alarm will go off in your car using the ALP’s speakers. The LED’s will also light up. They’ll be red when you get shot in the front. If you have the rear jammers, they’ll light up yellow. If you have the HiFi module or Bluetooth module, the jammer can also announce which gun you’re being shot with and if you’re being shot in the front or in the rear. Your goal then is to slow down to the speed limit as quickly as possible and kill your jammers, allowing the officers to get a reading off your car doing the speed limit. This process is called JTK, or jam to kill. You jam them until you kill your jammers.

You can kill your jammers manually by pressing either button on the control pad, by tapping on the phone’s screen if you’re running the app, or by letting the ALP automatically kill the jammers for you. When configuring your ALP, you can select how long it will jam for before automatically stopping jamming. You’ll want to get this process down to about 2-3 seconds. Most people set their jammers to automatically kill after 4 seconds, maybe 5 seconds max, as a backup to manually killing their jammers. When the alarm goes off, brake, and when you are down to the speed limit, kill your jammers.

Buying the AntiLaser Priority

ALP 5 heads availableIf you’re looking to buy the ALP, make sure you buy it for your region. Prices vary in different areas, but ALP’s are region locked so they’re different if you buy them in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, etc. They’re only designed to work against the guns in use in your region and so ALP’s are only sold from specific dealers in your region.

You can buy them from a local dealer/installer in your area if they carry them, but what I did was buy online. They start at $750 for a dual head setup. I recommend Tom who’s the main guy here in the States for the ALP, knows all about them, and would be the man to talk to when it comes to customer service, warranty support, installation, answering questions, and so on.

If you live in the USA, you’ll need to order them from Tom at ALPriorityUSA.com.

If you live in Canada, you’ll need to order them from Alex at KMPH.ca. (Save $50 with the coupon code “VortexRadar50”)

You can buy the ALP there, as many heads as you need, as well as any accessories you’ll want to pick up.

I have a comprehensive ALP setup guide designed as a followup to this AntiLaser Priority review to help you buy what you need and get your jammers installed properly so that they can work most effectively. Definitely check that out. Before you buy, check out the section of the guide going over how many heads you need as mentioned earlier, that way you know how many you’ll need.

Enjoy your jammers, get them installed properly, use them correctly, and they should treat you well for years to come.

Happy driving! 🙂

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2016/02/antilaser-priority-review-the-best-laser-jammers-on-the-market/

Buying the AntiLaser Priority & Optional Accessories

If you’re in the market for a laser jammer and you’re looking for the best performing jammer available, the AntiLaser Priority is the one to get. It is the go-to recommended laser jammer.

In this post we’re going to go over the main AntiLaser Priority components as well as the optional AntiLaser Priority accessories available.

Updated: Mar 2018

Note: This pricing is for American customers only. Pricing varies in different countries. Additionally, ALP’s are designed to be used only in the region they’re purchased, so if you need protection against European guns, you’ll want a European ALP. They have Australian ALP’s, American ALP’s, etc. This guide focuses on the American ALP, but the same ideas will apply to international ALP’s. 🙂

In the US you can purchase the ALP online directly from ALPriorityUSA.com.

In Canada you can purchase the ALP online directly from KMPH.ca.

AntiLaser Priority Components

AntiLaser Priority System: $499 – $1499

This is the main kit. The price varies depending on how many laser jammer heads you want to purchase.

AntiLaser Priority Components: Laser Jammer

1 Sensor – Recommended for motorcycles, $499

2 Sensor – Recommended for small to medium vehicles for front protection, $749

3 Sensor – Recommended for medium to large vehicles for front protection, $999

4 Sensor – Recommended for small to medium vehicles for front & rear protection, $1249

5 Sensor – Recommended for medium to large vehicles for front & rear protection, $1499

Purchase your ALP here.

Tx Sensor: $349

AntiLaser Priority Accessories: TX Head

For those of you who encounter the DragonEye laser guns and/or want a third head for the rear of your vehicle because you have a larger vehicle and two heads don’t offer sufficient coverage (ie. a truck or SUV), you can pick up a Tx sensor.

The Tx (short for transmit) is a special tiny sensor (even smaller than regular sensors, about the size of a quarter, that have 3 separate transmitters inside.

If you encounter the DragonEye guns, you’ll want 3 heads per side of the vehicle. The ALP supports 3 heads up front and you can replace the middle standard sensor with the Tx head for even better protection against the DragonEye. For the rear of the vehicle, the ALP only supports two heads, so you can use two standard heads (which both plug into one of the rear ports of the CPU using a splitter) as well as the Tx head in the center (plugged into the other rear port of the CPU) and achieve solid protection both front and rear.

Additionally, for those of you who need a third head for the rear, the ALP doesn’t support 3 normal heads, even with a splitter, but you can do two normal heads and one Tx sensor for the rear to get full protection for the rear of your larger vehicle.

Purchase Tx sensors here.

AntiLaser Priority Accessories

HiFi Module: $119

ALP HiFi ModuleThe HiFi module adds an external speaker to your ALP to give you not only louder alerts which you can hear better over any music or road noise, but it will also announce what gun you’re being shot with, it makes it easier to navigate the menus since it tells you what menu option you’re accessing (otherwise you have to look up what different beeps and LED colors mean), and it allows you to use several different profiles at once so you can quickly switch settings on the fly.

It’s a replacement for the standard control pad that comes with the ALP. The standard control pad has a little buzzing speaker inside it. The HiFi module comes with an upgraded control pad that hooks up to the external speaker.

It’s a highly recommended addon.

Here’s a comparison between the standard control pad and the HiFi module. Note: All current control pads and HiFi modules now offer the ability to dim their LED’s and the external LED. My older original control pad didn’t so you can ignore that part in the video below since the ALP has now been updated. 🙂

Purchase the HiFi module here.

GPS Antenna: $59

AntiLaser Priority Accessories: GPS antennaYou can plug in a GPS antenna to add some speed-based functionality to your ALP. For example, you can give yourself low speed muting for radar, have your laser jammers automatically disable at low speeds, have your parking sensors disable at higher speeds, plus the GPS antenna is required for the Tx sensors. Additionally, you can have your ALP log how fast you were going when you got shot so you can see how big of a save you got and the ALP can also function as a VBOX and measure your vehicle’s 0-60 times, so there’s a bunch of useful features that the GPS antenna offers.

Purchase the GPS antenna here.

Radar / GPS Module: $99

AntiLaser Priority Accessories: RG ModuleThe RG module is designed to allow you to plug in your Net Radar radar detector antenna into your ALP if you’d like to add a radar detector to your laser jammer and have an integrated radar and laser setup. The old version of the RG module (RGv2) supported antennas such as the STi-R Plus, 9500ci, Radenso HD+, and V1, but that module has been discontinued and most of those radar detectors have since been discontinued too. The latest version of the RG module (RGv3) is specifically designed for Net Radar and Net Radar DSP integration and so if you want a radar detector to pair with your ALP, the latest version of the RG module you’ll see online is the one to get.

Purchase the RG module here.

Net Radar DSP Radar Detector Add-On Package: $649

AntiLaser Priority Accessories: Net Radar RG GPS

 

If you’d like a fully integrated radar and laser package to install in your car while keeping your windshield and interior looking clean, there’s several different remote radar detectors that you can install that also go in the grill of your car like the ALP heads. There’s the high performance Net Radar DSP and the more affordable original Net Radar. Both are very capable radar detectors that plug right into your ALP and share the same controller and display so you don’t need to install additional components in your vehicle’s cabin. The Net Radar DSP is the newer and more popular option so let’s start with it.

It offers long range performance, good blind spot filtering capabilities, as well as MRCD detection capabilities. It is also effectively stealth to radar detector detectors. Its biggest appeal though is that it’s designed for the ALP which is the laser jammer that most people are going to get anyways so it’s the go-to choice, plus it offers the performance of remote radar detectors that cost thousands of dollars, yet it’s available at a fraction of the price.

To run it you’ll need the R/G module as well as a GPS antenna. AntiLaser sells a package with all three components to give you everything that you need. If you’d like to get directional information, order a second antenna for the rear as well and it will plug right into your R/G module too.

Note: If you do a lot of driving in urban areas, I’d recommend you get the Bluetooth module as well (covered below) which adds GPS lockouts. This way you can run the iOS or Android app and your phone can learn all the false alerts from shopping centers and speed signs that you regularly drive by and filter them out for you in the future.

Purchase the Net Radar DSP package here.

Purchase a Rear Net Radar DSP Antenna here.

Purchase the Bluetooth module here.

Net Radar (original) Radar Detector Add-On Package: $549 

AntiLaser Priority Accessories: Net Radar RG GPS
Prior to the Net Radar DSP we had the original Net Radar antenna. It was a capable radar detector too, but it’s more of a mid-tier performer rather than a long range detector. It also lacked MRCD capabilities (important for Canada) and so MRCD detection required a second dedicated MRCD-only antenna.

Now that the Net Radar DSP is available for only $100 more, that is the way that most people go. However, the original Net Radar is still a capable detector, it’s more affordable, and not everyone wants crazy long range.

Speaking of saving money, you can also opt to get a Net Radar DSP up front and an original Net Radar for your rear antenna. This will save you $100 over getting a pair of NR DSP’s and yet you’ll still get your arrows. Long range detection is less important in the rear than in the front. Having two NR DSP’s is still optimal since both antennas will be equally sensitive, but if you don’t mind your arrows taking an extra second or two to flip after you pass the source (because the rear antenna will be less sensitive), you save a little cash and do a regular NR for the rear.

Purchase the Net Radar package here.

Purchase a rear Net Radar antenna here.

Bluetooth Module: $99

The bluetooth module allows you to pair your AAntiLaser Priority Accessories: Bluetooth ModuleLP with your phone and it works on both Android and iOS. With your phone you can update your ALP’s firmware directly through the app rather than needing to download the update on your computer and transfer it to your ALP with a USB drive. You can also adjust your settings through the phone while sitting in the car. Like the HiFi module, you can add voice alerts, except the audio will now play through your phone’s speaker or through your car’s stereo over Bluetooth. Here’s a quick demo of how the alerts look and sound over Bluetooth:

As you can see, when using the Bluetooth module, you can see what frequency your radar detector is picking up and what lidar gun you’re being shot with.

You can also review your logs much more easily and see what gun you were shot with after an encounter. One of the biggest benefits is that if you’re using radar with your ALP, your phone will give you GPS lockout functionality so your phone can learn where the stationary false alerts are located around town and mute them for you when you pass by again. This is an invaluable feature for people who drive in urban areas.

One thing to be aware of is that when you’re connected to your phone via Bluetooth, it takes over for your dedicated control pad (both regular and HiFi). Luckily you’ll still be able to use the menu button on the control pad to kill your laser jammers when shot, but all the other functionality for the ALP such as powering on and off, changing settings, or muting radar alerts will be handled by the phone instead of the control pad. Also, if you plug the HiFi module into the Bluetooth module, the HiFi module’s speaker will not work. Audio will go completely though your phone and out through your vehicle’s stereo. I personally like having HiFi too for times when I’m not running the app and so it falls back to HiFi and the audio sounds identical to Bluetooth, but there are some limitations to running Bluetooth and HiFi simultaneously.

Purchase the ALP Bluetooth module here.

ALP Head extension cable: $29

AntiLaser Priority Accessories: Extension CableThe cables that connect the ALP heads to the CPU are 5m (16.4 feet) long. This is generally enough for connecting the front heads, but for some vehicles you may need an extension cable for the rear heads, especially when you are running the wires under and around the trim of your vehicle. The extension cable will add an additional 2.5m (8.2 feet) of length. You’ll need one extension cable for each head you’re extending the length of.

Purchase ALP head extension cables here.

Pocket Laser Tester: $49

AntiLaser Priority Accessories: Pocket Laser TesterIf you want to test your ALP and verify that the heads are working, having a device that can trigger your ALP is very handy. This pocket tester simulates the pulse pattern of a bunch of different lidar guns. It’s great for not only verifying that your ALP works properly, but also to troubleshoot if you suspect that one of the heads isn’t responding to lidar. The ALP does its own self-check and will let you know if a head fails at any point, but this is a great add-on as well.

This is not a substitute for testing your ALP’s with an actual lidar gun, however. This will let you check each head individually to ensure that it’s plugged in and responding to laser, but it will not help you verify that your ALP heads have been installed properly so that they can jam the laser gun effectively. Make sure that you follow the installation instructions in the ALP manual and in my comprehensive ALP setup guide.

Purchase the AL pocket laser tester here.

Flic Wireless Bluetooth Button: $35

Flic buttonFinally, the last accessory to consider is a wireless Bluetooth button called the Flic that adds a dedicated control button to your ALP to let you do things like kill your jammers, mute or lock out your radar alerts, and power the system on and off.

The button is especially handy for those running the Bluetooth module because when doing so, while you can still JTK with the dedicated control pad, you’ll lose the ability to mute or lock out radar alerts. The only way to control your radar detector otherwise is via the app and it’s not always convenient to switch apps or tap on your phone’s screen while driving.

The Flic is a small button you can stick somewhere in your vehicle (ie. on the dash, behind your steering wheel, etc.) so that you always have a dedicated button on hand to remotely control your ALP while it’s otherwise being controlled by your phone. It can do lots of other things too like control your music and stuff like that. The ALP now interfaces with the button as well so you can use it to control your laser jammers and radar detector as well.

Purchase a Flic button here.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2016/01/buying-the-antilaser-priority-optional-accessories/

Everything You Need to Know to Set Up and Use your AntiLaser Priority Laser Jammer System

AntiLaser Priority

The AntiLaser Priority is arguably the very best laser jammer system currently available on the market. It’s offers the highest level of protection against all known lidar guns. Lots of jammers advertise that, but this one of the few that can actually jam not only the standard older lidar guns in use, but also the newest lidar guns that are designed with sophisticated anti-jamming software. Additionally, AntiLaser is very good about continuing to keep it current with firmware updates as new guns come out on the market. The update process is much better than with other jammers, the lidar heads are more sensitive than competing jammers which means they’re more forgiving to installation issues, the jammer can integrate with a number of popular radar detectors, their customer service is excellent (which is very important if you need help installing and using your jammer).

In the USA, they’re available for sale from ALPriorityUSA.com.

In Canada they’re available for sale from KMPH.ca. (Save $50 with the coupon code “VortexRadar50”)

There’s a bunch of reasons why these have become the most popular jammers on the market and the standard go-to for enthusiasts all around the world, but the main reason is that as purely a laser jammer, which is the main thing you’d need this for, it’s simply the most effective jammer out there at helping you avoid speeding tickets from police officers shooting with laser guns.

Now just because you buy the best jammer on the market does not mean that it will work when you install it. You need to keep it updated against the newest guns, you need to install it correctly so that it can do its job effectively, and you need to know how to use them so that you don’t raise the suspicion of an officer who may wonder why they can’t get your speed. (Hint: Turn your jammers off when you’re at the speed limit!)

In this guide, I’ll cover all the fundamentals you need to know about your ALP’s to make sure that you have the very best laser protection available. There’s quite a bit to cover, so I’m going to break everything up into different sections. You can read them all in order (I recommend reading everything if you’re new to this since every piece of the puzzle is important) and then skip around to the appropriate sections as needed once to review you’re familiar with everything.

Continue on to Part 1: Why Choose the AntiLaser Priority?

ALP Setup Guide Sections:

  1. Why go with the AntiLaser Priority?
  2. Deciding how many heads you need
  3. Proper head placement
  4. Proper head installation
  5. Register your system
  6. Update to the latest software
  7. Configure your settings
  8. Get your setup tested
  9. How to use your jammers
  10. Installation & setup checklist

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2016/01/everything-you-need-to-know-to-set-up-and-use-your-antilaser-priority-laser-jammer-system/

ALP Setup Guide Part 10: Installation & Setup Checklist

So this whole guide is pretty long and comprehensive and we’ve covered a lot. Here’s the step-by-step checklist of everything you need to do to get your ALP’s up and running and ready for action.

Installation

  • Choose the number of heads you need
  • Choose the best locations where your heads should go
  • Install your heads straight and level, with a clear view of the road ahead
  • If you’re running 2 heads up front, use just the F1 and F2 ports
  • If you’re running 3 heads up front, ensure the middle head is plugged into the F2 port
  • If you’re running a Tx head up front, ensure it’s plugged into the F2 port
  • If you’re running a Tx head in the rear, ensure the normal rear heads are plugged into the R1 port (using a splitter if necessary) and the Tx head is plugged into the R2 port
  • Install the control pad in a location that’s easy to reach while driving
  • Do a factory reset once your heads are plugged in and your ALP is powered on
    • Long press MENU to enter Yellow menu (LED will change yellow)
    • Press NEXT (Menu Button) five times (5)
    • Press ENTER (Power Button)

Programming

  • Register your ALP’s online
  • Copy down and save the serial number to your white control box
  • Download the latest firmware (Filename will be like U1234567.bin)
  • If you’re using the standard control pad, download the basic control set (UCSET.bin)
  • If you’re using the HiFi control pad, download the HiFi control set (UCSTHIFI.BIN)
  • If you’re using the HiFi control pad, download a voice pack (VOICEPCK.ALP)
  • Configure your ALP online and download the configuration file (config.alp)
  • Copy all these different files to your USB drive
  • Power on the ALP, plug in your USB drive, and allow it to upload all the files to your ALP

Using your ALP

  • If you’re using the Bluetooth module, download the app to your phone and connect
  • Practice moving your hand from your steering wheel to the kill button so you can find it by feel
  • Get your setup tested to insure your install is working properly
  • When you get notified of updates via email, install the updates accordingly

 

Thank You!

Thank you very much for reading this guide! I hope it helps you out and makes things easier and more enjoyable for you. 🙂

A big thank you to Tom at ALPriorityUSA.com for helping answer specific questions for this guide, for those who’ve allowed me to use photos of their vehicles for sample installs, to all the testers who’ve helped confirm the effectiveness of the ALP, and to the forum members online who help create a fantastic community to learn all about countermeasures!

Enjoy your jammers and drive safely!

 

ALP Setup Guide Sections:

  1. Why go with the AntiLaser Priority?
  2. Deciding how many heads you need
  3. Proper head placement
  4. Proper head installation
  5. Register your system
  6. Update to the latest software
  7. Configure your settings
  8. Get your setup tested
  9. How to use your jammers
  10. Installation & setup checklist

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2016/01/alp-setup-guide-part-10-installation-setup-checklist/

ALP Setup Guide Part 9: Using Your Laser Jammers

Once you’ve got your ALP’s installed and set up the way you like, let’s talk about how to use them. For the most part they’ll sit in the background out of sight until you need them. The parking sensors will beep at you sometimes if you have that feature turned on, but let’s focus on the jammer functionality. It’s important to know how to use them properly to help avoid tickets while also not making it obvious that you’re using jammers.

Killing Your Jammers After You’re Shot

When your jammers are armed and ready, you’ll see a blue LED on the control pad.

ALP control pad blue

When traveling below 18 mph, the jammers will be in detection only mode and the LED will be yellow. When you get up to speed, the jammers automatically arm and the LED turns blue.

Once you’re driving and get shot, your ALP alarm will go off and the LED will light up one of two colors: Red for front and Yellow for rear. ALP jamming colors

When your ALP’s go off, hit the brakes, reach your hand down to the control pad, and once you slow down to the speed limit, press either button on the control pad to kill your jammers.

If you have it set up to automatically kill your jammers, that will work too, but if you can kill them even sooner, you’re a rockstar. 🙂 That will definitely be to your benefit as to not raise suspicion with the officer, especially if you happen to be in an area where jammers are illegal.

If you do it right, it may take an extra second or two for the officer to acquire your speed (it is normal for a lidar gun to sometimes take a little longer to get a lock, especially with older guns or when shooting some sports cars that have a smaller target area), he’ll see you doing the speed limit, and he’ll simply target the next car. No problemo. Your heart will likely be pumping from the adrenaline, but that’s about it.

By default your jammers will sit back and wait 60 seconds before rearming automatically which is a good thing. This way in case he shoots you again, he can get your speed again no problem. If you’ve configured your ALP to rearm automatically and skip the 60 second warm-up, a few seconds after you kill your jammers and he stops shooting you, your jammers will rearm. You’ll want to keep your hand on the kill switch so that you can kill your jammers again if need be.

If you’re using the bluetooth module, you can tap anywhere on your phone’s screen to kill your jammers. If you’re running the app in the background on Android, the app will pop up in the foreground to make it easy to kill. On iOS, you’ll get a notification which you can tap on to bring up the app and then kill the jammers via a second tap in the app. The control pad is the easiest for this, followed by Android. iOS is tougher given the two steps needed.

You’ll want to practice this ahead of time and get it into your muscle memory so you can do it without thinking. To make it easy, you’ll want to place your control pad or phone in a convenient location where you can reach it and press it without looking, this way you can keep your eyes on the road and focus on the road ahead, the speedometer, and even your rearview mirror to make sure the car behind you doesn’t slam into you as you hit your brakes. 😉

The first time your jammers go off, you’ll probably get startled by the alarm and confused as to what’s going on, so that autokill option via the LID timeout in the settings is a great backup should you hear your alarms go off and instinctively brake in response, but not know what to do next.

Killing your jammers will keep you out of trouble and it’s best both for that specific encounter as well as for the long term well-being of the jammer community as a whole.

Using Your Profiles

If you’re using the profiles option in your ALP, you’ll want to remember what the profiles are for and what each one does. It’s easy to forget after a little while. If you have different profiles for different purposes such as when you’re driving, when someone else is driving your car, for testing, for reverting them back to parking sensors only, etc., you’ll want to remember which profile is which.

It’s handy to remember that the LED is blue for jamming mode, yellow for laser detection only mode, and green for parking sensor only mode.

If you ever forget how you set it up, you can always go back to your computer and create new profiles again so it’s no big deal.

Checking Your Heads Periodically

If you drive through mud or snow, you may get some build-up up on your jammer heads which could prevent them from working. Obviously you don’t want to speed in the snow or anything, but if you ever find yourself in a situation where your heads may be compromised due to gunk blocking their view, it’s good to check them and wipe them off if needed.

Additionally, over time your heads may move around a bit depending on how they’ve been attached to your vehicle. If you don’t have a super secure mount, you can inspect them every now and again to make sure that they’re still mounted straight and level. Don’t do it all the time of course, but just something to keep in mind down the road.

Staying Updated

You’ll be getting email updates periodically notifying you of firmware updates available for your jammer. Make sure you keep it updated as new updates are made available. If you have the bluetooth module, you can also update your jammers through your phone.

Need Support?

If you ever need help with your ALP or you simply want to learn more, there’s a number of great resources at your disposal.

You can check out the AntiLaser discussion area at RDF.

The AL Priority support is also excellent. You can get help with anything from general questions about the ALP’s to specific installation questions for your vehicle, solutions to any problems that may arise, warranty service, and more.

You can also ask any questions down in the comment areas of the appropriate sections of this guide and I’ll be happy to answer. 🙂

Where to Buy

ALP’s are sold through a variety of different distributors and installers around the country. If you want to buy online, I recommend purchasing directly here:

www.ALPriorityUSA.com

You can find the AntiLaser Priority there, as well as all the different accessories you may need. If you want more information about the accessories, check out this short 1-page guide about the different accessories.

Thank You!

Thank you very much for reading this guide! I hope it helps you out and makes things easier and more enjoyable for you. 🙂

A big thank you to Tom at ALPriorityUSA.com for helping answer specific questions for this guide, for those who’ve allowed me to use photos of their vehicles for sample installs, to all the testers who’ve helped confirm the effectiveness of the ALP, and to the forum members online who help create a fantastic community to learn all about countermeasures!

Reviewing Previous Sections of this Guide

ALP Setup Guide Sections:

  1. Why go with the AntiLaser Priority?
  2. Deciding how many heads you need
  3. Proper head placement
  4. Proper head installation
  5. Register your system
  6. Update to the latest software
  7. Configure your settings
  8. Get your setup tested
  9. How to use your jammers
  10. Installation & setup checklist

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2016/01/alp-setup-guide-part-9-using-your-laser-jammers/

ALP Setup Guide Part 8: Getting Your Jammers Tested

Once you’ve got your jammers installed on your vehicle and configured the way you want, you’ll want to get them tested. Testing will help verify that your jammers are working properly and that there aren’t any weaknesses in your setup. Better to find out during testing than from your friendly local police officer! 😉

Note: Don’t test with police officers… There’s testing groups all over the country comprised of enthusiasts who own police lidar guns and help one another out to make sure that everyone’s installs are working properly.

Here’s an example set of test results.

JTG (Jam to gun) and JFG (Jam from gun) are perfect results. That means the gun was never able to get a reading. If you see a number, that’s how far away the gun was able to get a reading. Those are what we call punchthroughs.

Test results from GA Lidar Test 8-30-15

Source

As you can see, everyone there is running ALP’s, for good reason, and generally with various combinations of quads (4 heads) and quints (5 heads).

Even still, some cars had punchthroughs against certain guns which revealed the weaknesses in their install due to placement issues, not having enough heads, or misalignment of a head as you’ll see in the comments. This is what’s so valuable about testing and why I go into so much detail in this guide. Those issues can be resolved by following the recommendations I provide.

Get Tested

To find a testing event in your area, you can check out the different testing events scheduled here.

If you don’t see an event scheduled in your area in the near future, you can check out this list of lidar testers all across the country to find someone locally. You can also check out the regional section of RDF and ask if anyone in your area would be willing to help.

If you like, you can also purchase a used lidar gun on eBay and find out for yourself! You can test out your own vehicle and even offer to help out others. That’s what other people do and the more testers we have within the community, the better. You can buy any inexpensive gun online and it will do the job for testing purposes, or better yet, if you know what guns are used in your area (check the RDFGS to find out), you can purchase one of those guns specifically and that would be ideal.

Finally, let’s wrap up this series by going over using your laser jammers properly when out on the road.

Continue on to Part 9: Using Your Jammers

ALP Setup Guide Sections:

  1. Why go with the AntiLaser Priority?
  2. Deciding how many heads you need
  3. Proper head placement
  4. Proper head installation
  5. Register your system
  6. Update to the latest software
  7. Configure your settings
  8. Get your setup tested
  9. How to use your jammers
  10. Installation & setup checklist

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2016/01/alp-setup-guide-part-8-getting-your-jammers-tested/

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