[Dangerous Al]

I intend to fit my new E90 with the GPS camera detector and laser jammer from my last car as soon as it is delivered. You can never have too much protection. Can anyone tell me if the cigarette lighter sockets are switched with the ignition as this makes life a lot easier, not having to remember to turn the units on and off each time.

Just in case anyone was thinking of specifying the front park sensors, for £300 you can buy a DIY kit which has the added advantage of jamming every UK laser gun including the new stealth guns. Totally legal as it is ultimately a park distance sensor.

[LEDZEP]

Why do you need to detect cameras?

[Bimmer_2]

I don't see how a laser jammer can jam a laser light?

[LEDZEP]

Detect cameras? Jam lasers? I thought Bond drove two seaters?

[Dangerous Al]

A camera detector is required because in the UK there has been an explosion of fixed speed cameras. These are fixed on posts at the side of the road and photograph your car if it goes through the trap above the speed limit. It isn’t about being able to speed with impunity, it is about preventing inadvertently getting caught for 5 or 6 mph above the speed limit and getting points on your licence. Four times in three years and kiss goodbye to your licence for twelve months not to mention the impact on your insurance premiums.

There has also been a huge increase in the number of mobile speed traps operating out of the backs of vans. A GPS system cannot detect these so some other defence is needed. A laser jammer detects the laser light and returns a signal to the camera for five seconds, effectively stopping the camera getting a reading on the car. After five seconds it goes passive and allows the police to get a reading, but having been warned, by this time you have reduced your speed if necessary.

[Schweitzer]

Can anyone tell me if the cigarette lighter sockets are switched with the ignition

Yes. When you turn off the car, the lighter socket turns off as well.

[LEDZEP]

Originally Posted by Dangerous Al

A camera detector is required because in the UK there has been an explosion of fixed speed cameras. These are fixed on posts at the side of the road and photograph your car if it goes through the trap above the speed limit. It isn’t about being able to speed with impunity, it is about preventing inadvertently getting caught for 5 or 6 mph above the speed limit and getting points on your licence. Four times in three years and kiss goodbye to your licence for twelve months not to mention the impact on your insurance premiums.

There has also been a huge increase in the number of mobile speed traps operating out of the backs of vans. A GPS system cannot detect these so some other defence is needed. A laser jammer detects the laser light and returns a signal to the camera for five seconds, effectively stopping the camera getting a reading on the car. After five seconds it goes passive and allows the police to get a reading, but having been warned, by this time you have reduced your speed if necessary.

Wow. How are the cameras detected? Not being a wise ass (not this time anyway), but I'm genuinely curious what type of technology can sense the presence of a camera (other than a despirate Hollywood actress).

[Bimmer_2]

The police must either have a very sharp eye to point the laser gun at your car's laser light detector or may be I don't understand fully how laser jammer works.

[vivekk]

Originally Posted by LEDZEP

Wow. How are the cameras detected? Not being a wise ass (not this time anyway), but I'm genuinely curious what type of technology can sense the presence of a camera (other than a despirate Hollywood actress).

GPS speed camera detectors- use updated online database info. Some info here for you LEDZEP.

[David328M-Sport]

Originally Posted by Dangerous Al

A camera detector is required because in the UK there has been an explosion of fixed speed cameras. These are fixed on posts at the side of the road and photograph your car if it goes through the trap above the speed limit. It isn’t about being able to speed with impunity, it is about preventing inadvertently getting caught for 5 or 6 mph above the speed limit and getting points on your licence. Four times in three years and kiss goodbye to your licence for twelve months not to mention the impact on your insurance premiums.

There has also been a huge increase in the number of mobile speed traps operating out of the backs of vans. A GPS system cannot detect these so some other defence is needed. A laser jammer detects the laser light and returns a signal to the camera for five seconds, effectively stopping the camera getting a reading on the car. After five seconds it goes passive and allows the police to get a reading, but having been warned, by this time you have reduced your speed if necessary.

We are pretty much in the same boat here with revenue raising cameras etc, most of which are faulty. We have to drive so slowly to avoid being caught.

Has it helped with the road toll and injuries - ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!

[Dangerous Al]

There are two types of detectors. The first picks up on the radar used by the fixed cameras but these are prone to false alarms. The second type and the one I favour are GPS based. It uses satellites in the same way as satellite navigation to plot the position of the car. There is a database in the unit that has the locations of all the fixed cameras as well as things like accident black-spots, congestion charging zones, schools (so you can watch out for stray kids), etc. As you approach a camera, a warning is given and if you are above the limit, a voice alert informs of the type of camera and the speed limit for the road. You need to connect the unit to the internet on a regular basis to have it updated with the latest camera positions. See link below for the detector I use but there are many others.

http://www.originb2.com/

[Dangerous Al]

The laser cameras can work up to one mile but need to be tripod mounted. You are caught before you even see them. If you want to read more about the subject, here is a good link. Lots of information on the subject.

http://www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk/index.htm

[Dangerous Al]

Sounds like Australia is the same as the UK. Only interested in raising revenue from motorists and completely ignoring bad, reckless and dangerous driving. Police presence is non existent, running red lights has become an epidemic, drink drivers have no need to fear as this isn’t captured on cameras, standards of driving at an all time low and all the government wants to do is clamp down on speeding which has been proven not to be the biggest contributor to accidents. As long as you don’t speed, you can get away with practically any motoring offence you car to commit.

[ben1364]

Switched power to the cigar lighter is standard in the U S market. I don't know about GB. The easy way to find out is to try to use (heat) the lighter with the switch off.

If the "camera detector" is the same as these revenue enhancement devices in the U S, it is a radar device that will be detected by a radar detector capable of detecting the particular radar band. Hope this is helpful to you.

[Brunotheboxer]

Originally Posted by Dangerous Al

A camera detector is required because in the UK there has been an explosion of fixed speed cameras. These are fixed on posts at the side of the road and photograph your car if it goes through the trap above the speed limit. It isn’t about being able to speed with impunity, it is about preventing inadvertently getting caught for 5 or 6 mph above the speed limit and getting points on your licence. Four times in three years and kiss goodbye to your licence for twelve months not to mention the impact on your insurance premiums.

There has also been a huge increase in the number of mobile speed traps operating out of the backs of vans. A GPS system cannot detect these so some other defence is needed. A laser jammer detects the laser light and returns a signal to the camera for five seconds, effectively stopping the camera getting a reading on the car. After five seconds it goes passive and allows the police to get a reading, but having been warned, by this time you have reduced your speed if necessary.

i hope we dont get this crap in the u.s.

[ghosey115]

Laser guns dont need to be tripod mounted. Handheld ones do the job just as well. Regards radar jamming - stupid idea, the gun must be aimed at your car in order to 'ping' back with the speed info. The very fact that the gun is jammed as it is pointing at your car means the officers will identify your motor vehicle as being the jammer. Bad news for you because you will be stopped and reprimanded.

Alternatively if you use the excuse you are planning on and start playing games with the police you can be assured they will play games with you. There will be a comprehensive inspection of your car - so if your planning on playing that game, make sure your washer bottle is always topped up, and your battery connections are tight etc, cos some offence or other (which they'd normally turn a blind eye to) will end up being detected.

As for being 5 or 6 mph over the limit - most radar guns are hand operated by officers. Although speeding is speeding, the likliehood of you being charged when you're infraction is not excessive is minimal so long as you pass the attitude test.

[sdorn]

Red light cameras are the big money maker here in the US. Each camera brings in millions in revenue every year. There are studies showing the cameras actually cause more accidents from people slamming on their brakes at yellow lights and getting rear ended. The city will actually shorten the length of the yellow light in order to rake in more revenue. It is all a bunch of crap.

[Dangerous Al]

The comment about laser guns needing to be tripod mounted related to use at extended ranges, i.e. one mile. At these distances, they must be mounted to ensure accuracy. I agree that if an officer were to stop you for 5 or 6mph above the limit, then the chance of prosecution is very slim, however, the whole point is that these days, you never see a traffic cop or any other police man, only fixed or mobile camera units. There is no discretion used, caught speeding, issue ticket. It is simply a revenue generation exercise and is not aimed at reducing accidents. The jammer only remains active for 5 seconds allowing the officer to get a reading on your car after you have adjusted your speed. The guns themselves regularly come up with errors therefore, getting an error on your car teh first time should not raise suspicion. As the camera units do not pull you over, rather they ticket you by post, the chance of a roadside inspection is slim, however, if they do pull you over, it is a little known fact that you are legally entitled to refuse a roadside inspection and insist on an appointment at a later date, providing your vehicle is not un-roadworthy or dangerous. This is an opportunity to remove any offending accessories, one that is used to good effect by bikers who may have non road legal exhausts, etc. As I said in a previous post, I do not use these items to speed with impunity, rather I see them as defences against the unscrupulous strategy employed by the police and the government to raise revenue from the motorist.

[rss]

The GPS devices are very good as long as you regularly update them. There's a keen list of updaters keeping the list populated with mobile camera hotspots. Granted, most of the time the cameras won't be there but at least it is a warning.

As for laser jammers, there has been much debate over these and there have been a number of tests to show they are practically useless. I sure as hell would not rely on one of those.

[Broken1]

We have the same thing here in south africa. Millions of camera's - on perfectly straight roads, that catch you 10km/h over the limit. Does is stop accidents? NO! Does it make them money? YES!

It doesn't matter what your attitude is...a camera will ticket you - even if there is a fire or you are rushing your pregnant wife to the hospital.

I would get a radar/laser jammer ...i've been thinking about it. I just haven't gotten to it just yet...

I'm working on getting "unphotographable" numberplates...which should be about 1/10th the price of a jammer.

[davinet78]

camera detectors are just not needed in an e90
you have more than enough with the parking sensors

[ghosey115]

Originally Posted by Dangerous Al

The comment about laser guns needing to be tripod mounted related to use at extended ranges, i.e. one mile. At these distances, they must be mounted to ensure accuracy. I agree that if an officer were to stop you for 5 or 6mph above the limit, then the chance of prosecution is very slim, however, the whole point is that these days, you never see a traffic cop or any other police man, only fixed or mobile camera units. There is no discretion used, caught speeding, issue ticket. It is simply a revenue generation exercise and is not aimed at reducing accidents. The jammer only remains active for 5 seconds allowing the officer to get a reading on your car after you have adjusted your speed. The guns themselves regularly come up with errors therefore, getting an error on your car teh first time should not raise suspicion. As the camera units do not pull you over, rather they ticket you by post, the chance of a roadside inspection is slim, however, if they do pull you over, it is a little known fact that you are legally entitled to refuse a roadside inspection and insist on an appointment at a later date, providing your vehicle is not un-roadworthy or dangerous. This is an opportunity to remove any offending accessories, one that is used to good effect by bikers who may have non road legal exhausts, etc. As I said in a previous post, I do not use these items to speed with impunity, rather I see them as defences against the unscrupulous strategy employed by the police and the government to raise revenue from the motorist.

I agree with you if you are talking about mobile camera units. They annoy me as well, however I do not agree with using illegal measures to detect them.

However, I disagree regards not seeing road policing unit officers or operational officers out with radar guns. In the force area here it is commonplace. That is what I am referring to when I'm talking about being pulled over. Thats maybe just a difference in how pro-active officers from our respective areas are.

FYI if you have been detected or are suspected of having committed/in the process of committing a road traffic offence, driving on a road or are involved in a reportable road accident the chances are a dilligent officer will look over your car and immediately spot any issues with it anyway. Its very rare that playing silly buggers with the police will earn you favours.

Discretion is a very important part of a police officers job. I would hint that there is probably little chance of being charged there and then (with creeping over the limit that is - not driving like an idiot) as the police are motorists too and can sympathise. Plus education is a powerful tool as well. If the drivers have an attitude however, the liklihood is they are getting booked in any case. Especially when they try and pull the age old 'has your gun been calibrated today? and can I see the monthly certificate?' comment. Invariably the answer is yes and yes.