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 mount Escort radar detector.
Escort ZR6 Components
First up, let’s look at the different components of the ZR6.
The main physical difference, compared to the previous ZR5, is the actual laser jammer heads. They are smaller (and better performing) than before.
The ZR6 now comes standard with 3 heads (not just 2) and is expandable to 6 heads (up from 4). The extra heads provide better coverage across the surface of your vehicle. The included 3 heads are designed to protect the front of your vehicle, and you can add the additional heads to cover your rear.
The heads all plug into the VX Bridge box which is typically installed somewhere in your engine bay.
You’ll note there’s distinct ports for the transceivers (that both transmit and receive) along with the transmitters (which only transmit). The heads all look the same, but they behave differently and have different connectors. The transceivers go by the headlights / taillights while the transmitters are installed in the center of your grill or near your rear plate.
The Bridge box then plugs into the control box that has a built-in speaker for you to hear the alerts (so you’ll want to install it somewhere in your cabin), has DIP switches to adjust which heads are assigned the front and rear, wires in to power, and connects your wired controller or radar detector.
If you opt for the included wired controller to run the system standalone, you’ll install the controller somewhere accessible in your cabin to let you power the system on and off, adjust your volume, mute your alerts, disable your laser jammers, and change modes.
Alternatively, if you’re running a compatible windshield mount Escort radar detector, you can connect your ZR6 to your radar detector and your detector will now be your interface to change settings and see and hear your laser alerts.
Escort ZR6 Head Size
One of the key improvements of the ZR6 is the more compact head size.
Here is one of the VX Shifter heads used in the ZR6 (bottom) compared to an older ShifterMax head used in the previous gen ZR5 (top).
Old ZR5 head (top) and New ZR6 head (bottom)
The smaller head size means that the heads can now fit into more locations in your grill that wouldn’t have fit the older larger style head, plus the final install will look more stealthy and hidden too.
Both the transceivers and transmitters, as mentioned earlier, look exactly the same and have the same size and shape.
Escort ZR6 Performance
Now the other key improvement with these new VX shifters is the improved performance compared to the ShifterMax heads used with the now discontinued ZR5, ZW5, Max Ci 360, and iX Ci.
I was never particularly impressed with the performance of the older ShifterMax heads used in the ZR5. However, we’re seeing a nice step up in performance with the VX shifters used in the ZR6.
Given that these shifters are again the same as what’s used in the Redline Ci 360c (just with a different interface), you can check out some of the latest Redline Ci 360c laser jammer testing and apply the same results to this ZR6.
For example, in my latest round of laser testing, the system performed excellent on my SUV, including against the DragonEye.
Furthermore, in some testing in Florida earlier this year, a system with 3 heads up front and 3 heads in the rear of a minivan also did very well.
One of the weaknesses we have seen though, is that you will want at least 3 heads installed per side if you want to jam the DragonEye. For example, take a look at these test results from an Escort system on an M3 with 3 heads up front but just 2 heads in the rear (the Redline Ci 360c ships with 5 heads, but supports up to 6).
So we are finding that having 3 heads per side is recommended. (Escort has also recommended installing 4 heads up front for even better performance, but that will leave you with just 2 heads in the rear.)
Speaking of weaknesses, we’ve also been discovering a few other issues in testing.
For example, the head sensitivity can be kind of weak which means that less optimal head placement is more likely to lead to punchthroughs.
Additionally the system is designed to fire both the front and rear jammers simultaneously (unlike some other systems) and those extra laser pulses flying around can lead to diminished performance in certain situations.
Nevertheless, this is looking like a step up compared to what we saw with Escort’s previous gen jammers.
Escort ZR6 compared to Blinder HP-905 Ultra
If you’ve noticed a resemblance to the new Blinder HP-905 Ultra laser jammers, that’s no coincidence.
Blinder built these laser jammers (just like they did with the ShifterMax used in the ZR5), but here in the US they’re being sold under Escort’s brand name.
There are some changes between models though. For example, Blinder’s version is designed to wirelessly communicate to your phone inside the car via Bluetooth, with no cables running through your firewall. The ZR6 is a wired system that does use a cable that runs through your firewall, and uses a dedicated speaker and controller so you won’t be dependent on your phone for hearing and controlling the system.
Additionally, Escort’s version will be able to interface with your Escort radar detector, plus it should be able to share its alerts with other drivers when your radar detector is connected to the cloud via the Drive Smarter app or over WiFi.
Given that Blinder’s jammers are already wireless and that Escort used to sell a wireless version of the ZR5 called the ZW5, I’m curious to see if we also wind up getting a wireless Escort ZW6 in time as well.
According to Blinder, even though the heads are effectively the same, you won’t be able to use a Blinder head with an Escort system or vice versa.
Finally, only the Escort version will be sold here in the USA. I’m curious to see if/when Escort brings it to Canada as well, though it’s not (yet?) listed on Escort’s Canadian site. The Blinder version will be sold abroad.
Escort ZR6 vs. AntiLaser Priority
Well, while we have seen some performance-related issues with some of the newer firmware versions of the ALP, I expect the ALP’s performance to be more bulletproof in more situations, especially when equipped with dual TX sensors up front. We’ll have to see what jamming changes they bring in upcoming firmware updates to know for sure.
With an optimally placed Escort install though, you should receive pretty solid protection in many situations.
Speaking of firmware updates, over the years ALP has done a better job of providing continuous updates over time to add features or as laser guns evolve. Escort (Blinder) less so.
On the hardware side, I was hoping for additional changes with the recently released ALP HW6 CPU, but not much has changed there.
The Escort heads are smaller than the regular ALP heads, but the ALP TX heads are the smallest of them all.
ALP TX (top), ALP Regular (middle), Escort ZR6 (bottom)
Finally, when it comes to price, the Escort ZR6 retails for $1,499. A comparably equipped AntiLaser Priority (2 Regular, 1 TX, HiFi) retails for $1,569. For just an extra $70, personally I’d still go for the ALP.
If you want to add rear protection, additional Escort transceivers and transmitters are $399. Additional ALP heads are $299 for regular heads and $399 for TX heads. This means that for a 6 head systems with 2 Regular + 1 TX per side, you’re looking at $2,699 for the Escort and $2,569 for the ALP, making the ALP even cheaper than the Escort!
As a bonus, with the ALP you also have the option of adding a second TX head up front ($399) and Bluetooth ($129) for even more features and protection.
That said, there are 2 situations where I think choosing the Escort might make more sense:
- You need the smaller heads to fit in your grill and you don’t want to cut into your grill to fit the larger ALP heads.
- You have a windshield mount Escort radar detector and you want your laser jammer to integrate with it, avoiding the extra control pad which would otherwise need to be installed somewhere in your cabin.
My Thoughts on the Escort ZR6
I’m glad to see that Escort has released the ZR6. Unlike the ZR5, performance seems to be pretty capable and so it’s no longer a laser jammer that I would otherwise write off, plus some of the benefits like the smaller head size and integration with Escort’s windshield mount radar detectors means that it offers some advantages over some other popular laser jamming systems.
While I wouldn’t necessarily rank the ZR6 as the best laser jammer out there, should its unique benefits be valuable for your specific situation, it is one that I think could be worthy of consideration.
I am curious to see how the system evolves over time with future firmware updates, if Escort releases a wireless ZW6, as well as how the competition responds (for example, if Uniden finally releases their promised laser jammers to integrate with the R4 and R8).
If you’re running an Escort windshield mount radar detector and you’d like a laser jammer that can integrate with it, plus you’d like to take advantage of the smaller laser jammer heads, you can purchase the Escort ZR6 here.
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