I Bought the GR-91 Cordless GPS Radar Detector—and Compared It with the GR-81
公開日：2018.12.09
A New GPS Radar Detector
I previously wrote about how Cellstar’s socket-style GPS radar detector is affordable at around ¥5,000, incredibly convenient, and a handy gadget to have.
Cellstar has since released a new GPS receiver, the GR-91. My husband bought one right away, and we’ve started using it at home, so today I’m sharing what it’s like and how it compares with the previous model.
About the GR-91
Like its predecessor, the new GR-91 plugs directly into a socket. Just plug it in and it’s ready to go.
It’s compact and needs no wiring, so moving it between cars is easy. You can even take it along when you rent a car.
As before, one of its key features is that it uses voice alerts and colored lights to warn you about speed cameras and other speed-enforcement locations. For example, when it detects the GPS location of a loop-coil speed camera, it says, “Loop-coil camera in 2 kilometers. Danger. Please slow down.” It then gives further warnings at 1 kilometer and 500 meters. Just before you reach it, the alert says:
“The camera is straight ahead (on the right, on the left, and so on). Your speed as you pass is XX km/h.”
When you’re driving on the highway, you honestly don’t have much chance to look at a screen—and taking your eyes off the road is dangerous—so voice alerts are a real help.
The light system has also been simplified compared with the previous model. The earlier unit had a small indicator that was hard to spot at a glance, while the GR-91 has a single light in the center. It lights up red, yellow, or green to indicate the level of alert. You can see the color immediately when you glance at the socket, so the new model feels easier to use.
Other key features include:
1. Zone 30 alerts
Provides warnings for “Zone 30” areas designated in published traffic enforcement guidelines—urban and residential areas where the speed limit is restricted to 30 km/h.
2. Locations of new speed cameras
Includes locations where deployable speed cameras intended for use on local roads have been installed, as well as locations where cameras were previously installed or have since been moved.
3. Wrong-way driving alert zones on expressways
Warns you about areas on expressways where there is a risk of driving the wrong way.
*Source: Cellstar Industrial Co., Ltd., GR Series “GR-91”
That’s the gist of it. The other day, while we were driving on the Kyushu Expressway, the unit gave us a warning about one of these wrong-way driving alert zones. At first, the phrase “wrong-way driving alert zone” was unfamiliar, and I didn’t understand what it was warning us about. But after listening again, I realized it meant “wrong-way driving alert.” (You can turn this feature off.) The new GPS receiver also supports mobile speed cameras, which have been making headlines lately.
How the GR-91 Compares with the Previous Model
So how does the GR-91 compare in everyday use with the model we had before? First, they’re almost exactly the same size.
However, the metal section of the plug is a little wider, so “it doesn’t feel loose when you plug it in, and it’s less likely to fall out,” my husband says. (The previous model sometimes came loose in cars like the 964, so he used a rubber band to keep it from slipping out.)
It also fits properly in an air-cooled 911.
The sound quality hasn’t particularly improved over the previous model (it sounds a little muffled and can be hard to hear when music is playing), and the clearer color-coded alerts are probably the main day-to-day improvement. That said, the GR-91 covers newer enforcement locations, receives free monthly GPS data updates, and costs less than ¥7,000—a reasonable price. If you’re buying one now, I’d go for the newer model.
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