About Radar Detectors

I imagine many people have a radar detector in their car. Until about three years ago, we had a screen-style unit mounted on the dashboard too. (The radar detector shown below isn’t the exact model we had, but ours looked similar and was mounted on the right side of the driver’s seat.)

*Image: [Parts Review] Comtec ZERO602V Radar Detector

One day, my husband said, “I wonder if there’s a better radar detector out there…” I asked, “What’s wrong with the one we have?” He replied, “Honestly, it’s no good at all (-_-).” When I asked why, he gave me this list:

① A unit on the dashboard makes the interior look cluttered.
② There’s no point displaying lots of information on a screen when you’re not going to look at it while driving.
③ With radar, by the time you notice it, it’s too late. GPS is definitely the way to go.
④ The wiring is a hassle.
⑤ He wanted to remove it near home and install it only for longer trips.

That made sense. I’d also thought that even if a screen displays all kinds of information, you don’t have the time to glance at it while driving—especially on the highway, where even a brief look away from the road can be dangerous.

Cellstar’s GPS Radar Detector

So my husband did some research and found this: the Cellstar plug-in GPS receiver. It costs a little over ¥4,000 on Amazon and other online retailers.

セルスター ソケットタイプGPSレシーバー GR-81/B 日本製 3年保証 (ブラックメタリック)

created by Rinker

セルスター(CELLSTAR)

• Amazon
• 楽天市場

This easy-to-use, plug-in GPS receiver alerts you to speed cameras and enforcement hotspots with audio alerts and lights.

・One-touch installation: just plug it into the cigarette-lighter socket.
・Compact, with no wiring required.
・Easy to move between family cars or into a rental car.
・Includes more than 16,000 high-accuracy GPS data points, with free updates available at any time.

I couldn’t believe there was a product that addressed every one of my husband’s complaints: “A unit on the dashboard makes the interior look cluttered,” “There’s no point displaying lots of information on a screen when you’re not going to look at it while driving,” “With radar, by the time you notice it, it’s too late. GPS is definitely the way to go,” “The wiring is a hassle,” and “I want to remove it near home and install it only for longer trips.” What a clever solution… lol

This GPS radar detector starts alerting you with voice announcements and LEDs from 1 km away, then gives additional alerts at 500-meter intervals. The LED colors indicate:

【Red】…Speed cameras and red-light cameras
【Yellow】…Enforcement hotspots, N-System vehicle-recognition cameras, overweight-vehicle monitoring points, police stakeout areas, and speed-limit change points
【Green】…Police stations, traffic police units, and traffic checkpoints

I don’t pay much attention to the lights, though. (You’d have to take your eyes off the road to look at them, lol.)

How Does It Look Installed in the Car?

Here’s what it looks like plugged into the cigarette-lighter socket in the Panamera’s center console.

Our car has the Smoker Package (¥10,000), which adds ashtrays and cigarette lighters to the front and rear center consoles, so there’s a socket right here.

With the receiver here, the dashboard stays uncluttered, it doesn’t get in the way while driving, and it doesn’t block your view. In use, it gives clear, timely announcements such as “Enforcement hotspot ahead” and “Caution: police stakeout area.”

Recently, my husband took the Boxster out for a drive with friends. The receiver announced, “Enforcement hotspot ahead,” so he stayed alert—and, sure enough, an unmarked police car came up behind him. (Apparently, my husband showed no sign of speeding, so the police car turned around and went back.)

“Because it uses GPS data to give you an alert, you know to pay attention as you approach. I think that’s better than radar. And since I can take it out when I’m near home, it doesn’t keep making unnecessary noise. It’s convenient,” my husband said.

It’s inexpensive and does the job well, so we have one in the Panamera, the Boxster, and the Golf. I really recommend this GPS receiver for anyone looking for a simple solution.

セルスター ソケットタイプGPSレシーバー GR-81/B 日本製 3年保証 (ブラックメタリック)

created by Rinker

セルスター(CELLSTAR)

• Amazon
• 楽天市場