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

Best Radar Detector: Uniden R8Uniden R8: Best Performing Detector ($699)5 Stars

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Best Radar Detector: Valentine 1 Gen2Valentine 1 Gen2: Best for Enthusiasts ($599) 5 Stars

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Best Radar Detector: Uniden R7Uniden R7: Best Bang for the Buck with Arrows ($499) 5 Stars

Review, How to Configure, Purchase, Custom Firmware

Best Non-Arrow Radar Detectors

Best Radar Detector: Uniden R4Uniden R4: Best Non-Arrow Radar Detector ($379)5 Stars

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Best Radar Detector: Uniden R3Uniden R3: Best Radar Detector Under $300 ($299) 5 Stars

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Best Radar Detector: Uniden DFR7Uniden DFR7: Best Radar Detector Under $200 ($199) 4 Stars

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Best Custom Installed Radar Detector

Uniden R9Top Performing Custom Installed RD & Laser Jammer: Uniden R9 ($3,999)5 Stars

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Best Laser Jammers of 2024

Best Laser Jammer: AntiLaser PriorityBest Laser Jammer: AntiLaser Priority ($1069 Dual, $1699 Triple TX BT HiFi) 5 Stars

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Best Laser Jammer: Adaptiv TPXAffordable Option: Adaptiv TPX ($949 Triple) 4 Stars

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

Best Laser Jammer: Escort ZW5 wireless laser shifter

Recommended Apps:

JBV1Best Countermeasure App (optimized for the V1): JBV1 (Free)

Learn More, Download

WazeReal-time police spotted alerts: Waze (Free)

Learn More, iOS, Android

Recommended Radar Detector Accessories:

Best Radar Detector Mount: BlendmountRear View Mirror Mount: BlendMount ($99, save 10% with coupon “Vortex10”)

Review, Purchase

Radar detector hardwire cableHardwire Cable ($10-$70)

How to Install, Purchase

Best Dash Cameras of 2024:

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

Review, Purchase

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

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

Viofo A229 Pro 2CHBest 4K Front/Rear Dashcam: Viofo A229 Pro ($299)

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

Thinkware U3000 2CHBest Long Term Parking Dashcam: Thinkware U3000

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

My Recommended Countermeasure Setup:

Vortex Radar's Recommended Countermeasures

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Black Friday 2024 Deals on Radar Detectors & Dash Cameras

Black Friday (Nov 29th) is starting early this year. Amazon’s Black Friday runs Nov 21-29, but some places have already started discounting popular radar detectors & dashcams with Black Friday pricing. Check back daily as more BF discounts go live. Let’s take a quick look at some of the best countermeasures that you can buy …

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RTach Dash R9 multiple K band signals

Uniden Releases R/TACH Radar Detector App

Uniden has finally released their own native app for their Bluetooth compatible detectors including the R4/R4w, R8/R8w, and R9/R9w. The free app is called R/TACH and is available for download on iOS and Android. It was just released this week and I’ve just started playing with it. Here’s a look at the app’s features and …

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Vantrue E360 dashcam and selfie stick

Vantrue E360: A 360 Degree Dashcam & Action Cam

I’m a fan of 360 degree dashcams to help provide additional coverage compared to traditional dashcams, and Vantrue has released a new model that caught my eye, the Vantrue E360. It’s a dual fisheye lens camera that’s sort of a cross between a vehicle dash cam and a portable action cam. I’ve been keeping an …

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Uniden R8w R9w R4w logos

Uniden Announces Wi-Fi Capable Radar Detectors: R4w, R8w, R9w

Uniden has just announced three new Wi-Fi capable detectors, the R4w, R8w, and R9w. They’re effectively the same as the original R4, R8, and R9, with the exception that they now have 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi built-in, letting you connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot and update your detector over the air.

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Uniden R8 K block 3

Uniden R8 Firmware 1.35

Uniden has released firmware 1.35 for the Uniden R8. This has several new features (Mazda CX-5 K block and improved autolockouts!) along with several bug fixes. If you remember firmware 1.34 that was briefly released before being pulled due to GPS errors, this update is essentially a fixed version of 1.34. I’m still waiting on …

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JD Power 2024 Vehicle Dependability Study

What ‘The Best’ Really Means: A Reviewer’s Perspective

When something is rated as “the best,” does that mean it’s flawless, with no issues or potential problems? And if you run into a problem, does it mean that product—and the whole brand—is bad, and no one should buy from them? It turns out it’s more complicated than that. I sometimes struggle with calling a …

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Prime Big Deals Dah 2024

Prime Big Deals Day 2024 Discounts on Radar Detectors & Dashcams

Amazon Prime Big Deals Day 2024 runs October 8-9. As usual, we’ve got some nice discounts on radar detectors and a bunch on dash cameras. Here are the discounts on my favorite countermeasures. For many of these deals, you’ll need to be an Amazon Prime member. Sign up for a Free Trial of Amazon Prime. …

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Rove R2-4K Dual, Front

Rove R2-4K Dual Dashcam Review

Rove makes several popular fake 4K dashcams including the R2-4K and R2-4K Pro. They have recently released a 2 channel model for both front and rear recording called the R2-4K Dual. This is also a fake 4K dashcam, but the front sensor is upgraded from Starvis 1 to Starvis 2. More notably, they’re also adding …

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Valentine 1 Gen2

V1 Gen2 fw 4.1035: Sept 2024 Upgrade

Valentine has released a welcome new update for the Valentine 1 Gen2. It’s the September 2024 Upgrade, firmware 4.1035. There’s several new features including enhanced false alert filtering, a silent startup option, a stealthier display option, and a few other bonus features. Join the full discussion on RDF here. Purchase a V1 Gen2 here.

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Escort Releases the ZR6 Laser Jammer

Escort has released the successor to their standalone ZR5 laser jammer. These are the updated Escort ZR6 laser jammers. They have essentially taken the same compact laser jammers that come with the custom installed Escort Redline Ci 360c and separated them so you can run them either fully standalone or paired to a compatible windshield …

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