Police Laser Jammer In Action (Video)

[Computerpro3]

Disclaimer: This is 100% legal in my state (Ohio). I was not speeding in this video (speed limit is 35 as you can see on the sign). In no way am I condoning speeding or reckless driving. I love playing with gadgets and cars, so I bought this mainly for the "James Bond Factor". In my opinion, it's just an amazing demonstration of technology.

This is my Laser Interceptor police laser jammer in action. I just finished making this video this afternoon. Over the last year or so, I've gotten several pm's asking how it worked, as well as several pm's from those who flat out called me a liar and said it was impossible.

I tried to give a good overview of the whole process, both from in the car and from the gun itself.

Please excuse the crappy video editing, I had to run out the door and wanted to get this up before I left. Also excuse the poor camera microphone which makes my voice sound like Alvin the chipmunk. The first few seconds got chopped off by the camera unfortunately. The laser gun is a Laser Atlanta SpeedLaser 2 which I rented for the weekend. It is a current generation police LIDAR gun and is a very cool piece of technology.

Enjoy:

YouTube - Laser Interceptor Jammer

 

[Wmcmanus]

Interesting. As you say, it's legal within your state. It's not legal within many other states, so if we're to allow this discussion here (at a headphones forum of all places where it's obviously non-core content for our purposes) everyone will simply have to agree not to get into the ins and outs in terms of the legality of these devices in other states. That's what Google is for.

But the Laser Interceptor that you use is much more effective than any similar device in the market right now, based on the tests that were done here: Guys of LIDAR - Laser Jammer Test - March 2007 Note in the summary charts that green is a good thing, yellow not so good, and red is a bad thing. The Laser Interceptor was the clear winner with respect to pretty much any or all laser guns that are in present use by law enforcement.

Only problem as far as I'm concerned is the cost of the Laser Interceptor, which is $700: Laser Interceptor USA - Distributor to The USA, and Canada

The Blinder laser jammer can be had for less than half of that, and from the tests, appears to give much more than half of the performance: Blinder Xtreme M20 M25 M40 M45 - Extreme Laser Defense

The other thing to keep in mind is that once you get a signal from any of these devices, you'll have a chance to apply the brakes. So if the signal you're getting comes soon enough, say at 1000 feet, then it's still Ok if the laser gun breaks through the jammer and gets a speed reading, say at 500 feet. The tests that they did in no way account for this "reaction time" phenomenon. So, in a sense, I don't really care if they gat a reading once I've reduced my speed. That's what the kill switch is for anyway! You want them to get a reading, but only after you've reduced your speed.

Thus, to me an equally (if not more interesting) test would be to measure at what distance the various laser jammers actually pick up the signal from the various laser guns. That, and having a basic understanding of the amount of reaction time needed to reduce one's speed (as measured in 10 mph decrements in speed). Of course, reducing speed for the first 10 mph decrement takes longer than each successive decrement because of that all important initial reaction time to get your foot off of the accelerator and onto the brakes!

Thus, for my money, if the Blinder (or one of the others that are available at a lower cost) consistently put out signals just as quickly as did the Laser Interceptor (but did not ultimately "block" as well), I'd still take a lot of comfort in that. Why? Because the device's early signaling ability is just as important as it's blocking ability (subject to human reaction time, quality of brakes, etc). As a result, I find these kinds of tests only partially helpful in terms of making a purchase decision. What they do communicate is quite clear, but there are other factors that should have been considered in their tests.

Another interesting thing would be in knowing what laser guns are actually used by law enforcement, and where! Then it would simply be a matter of picking a laser jammer that gives JTG performance for whatever laser guns you're likely to encounter in the places you drive most frequently!

The thing is, the Valentine V1 picks up 99% of those rascals who are out there to get you to begin with. I really don't know how widespread LIDAR is in terms of its practical use by law enforcement. Over time, I'm sure it will become more popular in certain states, but at this point, I think you're right, in that having a laser jammer is more for the James Bond effect than true protection. At least for now. For my Ariel Atom, I just use a V1 and leave it at that.

If you really think about it, it's kind of silly to be spending $300-$700 (or much more if you want to add 2 rear jammers as well) to give you 1% more protection than what a good radar detector will provide. Of course, I'm picking that 1% figure out of thin air because nobody really knows just how prevalent LIDAR devices are in terms of their actual use by law enforcement these days. My 1% is premised on the assumption that although the technology has been out there for a while, it's still pretty fringe in terms of use because it's much more costly than the more traditional radar based devices that have been used forever. But I really don't know how true that is anymore either.

What I do know is that it would take several lifetimes (for a normal driver) to "save" enough in the form of speeding tickets avoided to actually pay for a laser jammer. Think I'm nuts? When was the last time that you were driving down the road and actually got a signal from your Laser Interceptor that: 1) was not also picked up by your V1, and 2) turned out to actually be an accurate signal, in the sense that there was a law enforcement officer waiting for you with a laser gun pointed at your car somewhere down the road? My guess is that you could use your Laser Interceptor for years on end and never run into a situation like I've just described.

But again, I could be wrong, and would be interested in knowing about your experience with it, or any anecdotal evidence from other owners who have managed to dodge a speed trap because of the Laser Interceptor (and nothing else).

 

[Computerpro3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus /img/forum/go_quote.gif But the Laser Interceptor that you use is much more effective than any similar device in the market right now, based on the tests that were done here: Guys of LIDAR - Laser Jammer Test - March 2007 Note in the summary charts that green is a good thing, yellow not so good, and red is a bad thing. The Laser Interceptor was the clear winner with respect to pretty much any or all laser guns that are in present use by law enforcement.

As of now, the Laser Interceptor is even more effective than that chart would indicate. There have been regular software updates and now it jams literally every single gun out there all the way to the gun.

Quote:

Only problem as far as I'm concerned is the cost of the Laser Interceptor, which is $700: Laser Interceptor USA - Distributor to The USA, and Canada The Blinder laser jammer can be had for less than half of that, and from the tests, appears to give much more than half of the performance: Blinder Xtreme M20 M25 M40 M45 - Extreme Laser Defense The other thing to keep in mind is that once you get a signal from any of these devices, you'll have a chance to apply the brakes. So if the signal you're getting comes soon enough, say at 1000 feet, then it's still Ok if the laser gun breaks through the jammer and gets a speed reading, say at 500 feet. The tests that they did in no way account for this "reaction time" phenomenon. So, in a sense, I don't really care if they gat a reading once I've reduced my speed. That's what the kill switch is for anyway! You want them to get a reading, but only after you've reduced your speed.

This is true, to a point. The problem is that since that chart, there have been updates to the police lidar guns, and even new models (such as the LTI TruSpeed) have come out. These latest generation guns make swiss cheese out of the LED based jammers like the Blinders. The LI is actually a class 1m laser, and has really good software in addition to a far superior receiver and a far more powerful transmitter. For comparison's sake, in order to get jam the latest guns even out to 600-700 feet, you have to run a 4 head blinder and put all four heads in the grill, and apply VEIL to your headlights and license plate. Even with those countermeasures in place, you still have to have a small car with no chrome on the front. Otherwise, you'll get punchthroughs up to 1000+ft. A 2 head laser interceptor can jam even a Hummer with no veil applied. When you start adding up the cost you're looking at either a 4 head blinder with veil for around $600 (and twice the cutting/fabrication) or a LI for $700 that still offers superior protection (and an upgrade path -once you buy it, it's only $50 to upgrade to the latest version for life).

Another factor to consider is that in places where LIDAR is in widespread use (like my driving route to school CT-NY-PA-OH), virtually no laser encounter occurs outside of 500ft. They hide around corners at about 300-400ft and nail you with laser at point blank range. That's why while a jammer such as the blinder might look okay on paper, it just isn't powerful enough to safely jam in a real world situation.

Quote:

Thus, to me an equally (if not more interesting) test would be to measure at what distance the various laser jammers actually pick up the signal from the various laser guns. That, and having a basic understanding of the amount of reaction time needed to reduce one's speed (as measured in 10 mph decrements in speed). Of course, reducing speed for the first 10 mph decrement takes longer than each successive decrement because of that all important initial reaction time to get your foot off of the accelerator and onto the brakes!

I'm not sure if that would really be a useful test as all of the jammers can pick up laser far in excess of the maximum range of the lidar guns (2500ft). In addition, in most states no LIDAR tickets can be issued outside of 1500ft.

Quote:

Thus, for my money, if the Blinder (or one of the others that are available at a lower cost) consistently put out signals just as quickly as did the Laser Interceptor (but did not ultimately "block" as well), I'd still take a lot of comfort in that because the device's early signaling ability is just as important as it's blocking ability (subject to human reaction time, quality of brakes, etc). As a result, I find these kinds of tests only partially helpful in terms of making a purchase decision. What they do communicate is quite clear, but there are other factors that should have been considered in their tests.

You make several good points, and while there is definitely a price premium for the LI, in the real world I feel that the additional performance is needed. Head on over to radardetector.net and check out the forums. You'll find plenty of Blinder owners that got laser tickets due to close encounters (sometimes you don't even have reaction time to slow down and kill the jammer). To this date, I believe there was only one LI owner that got a ticket and his heads were not aligned correctly.

Quote:

Another interesting thing would be in knowing what laser guns are actually used by law enforcement, and where! Then it would simply be a matter of picking a laser jammer that gives JTG performance for whatever laser guns you're likely to encounter in the places you drive most frequently!

Your wish is my command. But keep in mind they upgrade frequently. The TruSpeeds are being shipped in the thousands as we speak, and they will fry every jammer besides the LI.

Radar Bands by Town - updated 10/10/08 - Radar Detector Jammer Forum

It's shocking how common LIDAR is now compared to just a few years ago, isn't it?

Quote:

The thing is, the Valentine V1 picks up 99% of those rascals who are out there to get you to begin with. I really don't know how widespread LIDAR is in terms of its practical use by law enforcement. Over time, I'm sure it will become more popular in certain states, but at this point, I think you're right, in that having a laser jammer is more for the James Bond effect than true protection. At least for now. For my Ariel Atom, I just use a V1 and leave it at that.

In my experience, I get lasered about the same frequency as I get hit by radar. I'd say it's a 60/40 split learning towards radar. But I live and drive in quite literally the worst enforcement states in the entire US. Ohio, Ny, and Ct outfit all of their state troopers with laser guns. Also, all three states have TruSpeeds now and I have encountered them in person

LIDAR is seriously widespread now, and as you know, the V1 can detect it, but not until they already have your speed reading.

But in theory, I agree with what you're saying. I'd get a V1 before a laser jammer.

 

[Computerpro3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you really think about it, it's kind of silly to be spending $300-$700 (or much more if you want to add 2 rear jammers as well) to give you 1% more protection than what a good radar detector will provide. Of course, I'm picking that 1% figure out of thin air because nobody really knows just how prevalent LIDAR devices are in terms of their actual use by law enforcement these days. My 1% is premised on the assumption that although the technology has been out there for a while, it's still pretty fringe in terms of use because it's much more costly than the more traditional radar based devices that have been used forever. But I really don't know how true that is anymore either.

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you there. LIDAR is actually now cheaper than radar (truspeed guns are under $2000 a peice and last over 24 hours on battery). Pretty much every single time I drive on 71 or 75 in Ohio I get painted with laser. IT's saved me from at least 7 tickets so far when I was going with the speed of traffic at about 15mph over the limit. When my only speeding ticket was a $280 fine + a huge insurance hike (I'm 20 years old) for only 11mph over, the LI has paid for itself many times over.

Also, I have to warn you - you may be getting hit with laser all the time and simply not realize it, depending on where you mount your V1. Sometimes the laser beam can be as small as 1ft or less depending on the distance he shoots you at. The v1 is good at picking up scatter, but if windshield mounted, it misses license plate shots with pretty good frequency. On my Ford Escape, with the detector mounted high, it picks up about 80% of headlight shots and about 60% of license plate laser shots. With the Atom, it should pick up more due to the low profile of the car, but its still something to think about.

Quote:

What I do know is that it would take several lifetimes (for a normal driver) to "save" enough in the form of speeding tickets avoided to actually pay for a laser jammer. Think I'm nuts? When was the last time that you were driving down the road and actually got a signal from your Laser Interceptor that: 1) was not also picked up by your V1, and 2) turned out to actually be an accurate signal, in the sense that there was a law enforcement officer waiting for you with a laser gun pointed at your car somewhere down the road? My guess is that you could use your Laser Interceptor for years on end and never run into a situation like I've just described.

Again, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. The V1 can't save you from laser. Once it gets detected, they have your speed. It works totally different than radar, which the V1 CAN save you from. The width of a laser beam at 2000ft is only 4ft. In other words, the only time you can detect laser is when he is targeting you. The Laser Atlanta can acquire speed in .3 seconds, so you simply can't slow down in time. And the laser interceptor has personally saved me from tons of tickets. I've also never had a false laser alert from the interceptor (plenty of falses from the V1 though). That actually brings me to another point regarding the LI vs blinder - the LI is a functional parking sensor, and can be made to control your garage door opener, lighting, etc. It's a fully programmable IR emitter and comes with software for custom voice alerts, etc. It also has incredible false alert suppression- it analyzes the different wavelengths and filters out false positives. For example, the BMW laser cruise control will set off the Blinder - doesn't set off the LI.

If you want to read up on more, http://www.radardetector.net/forums/laser-jammers/ is a great place to start. There are plenty of owners there, and every single day a new "LI Just Saved My Ass!" thread is made.

EDIT: BTW, with the Atom you'll buy yourself an extra second or two of reaction time because the car is very hard to get a laser lock on due to lack of reflective body panels and flat surfaces. If you don't mount a front license plate, you may buy yourself as much as 3 full seconds. This is pretty much the ONLY situation where a V1 may save you. Your headlights will be pretty easy to lock onto though, provided the LEO has good aim.

 

[warubozu]

Thanks for the post and vid, very interesting as they're also legal here where I live.

 

[Computerpro3]

Also, I forgot to say that the Blinder throws jam codes on the police guns (the cop instantly knows he's being jammed). With the latest software revision, the LI doesn't throw a jam code on any existing laser gun.

Notice how in the outdated guys of lidar chart it threw a jam code on the laser atlanta 2, while in my video it does not.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Hey, great posts, Computerpro3. I'm obviously out of date, or more accurately, was probably never up to date to begin with. So basically, the Laser Interceptor is the way to go at this point. I mean, without getting into a huge amount of reading and looking for the 1% of people who might disagree with that kind of statement. If so, and based on how widespread LIDAR is being used now, I have no doubt that there will be a Laser Interceptor in my future.

On the highway with my Ariel Atom (although I don't take it on interstates very often because I prefer twisty mountain roads), I'll sometimes blip the throttle and pick up a lot of speed very quickly, but then be right back on the brakes 10 seconds later, or ever sooner than that. So I've always figured that I'd be Ok unless I happened to be doing this as precisely the wrong moment. At least with radar, I'd be warned well in advance because of the width of the array.

Not so with LIDAR and its 4 foot wide beam, and there could just as easily be someone behind me in an unmarked car who has been following at a distance waiting for me to act up! I never thought of that as being much of a risk because I didn't think its use was very widespread. I guess all of that has changed now.

Problem is, in situations like this, they're seeing it with their own two eyes (especially if they've been following behind you and suddenly, in a burst of speed, you pull out and pass 8-10 vehicles like they're standing still, then get right back down to their speed). So even if your jammer serves it's purpose as designed once they try to hit you with their gun, you'll still end up with a ticket (more likely than not) because they know you won't come back from out of state to fight it!

Ehh, but protection is protection, and since there is an ever growing use of LIDAR and I drive all over the country and thus could be out in my Atom nearly anywhere (and driving it like a rocket at times), it makes sense to pick one up. It's now just a matter of 2 or 4 jammers, and I probably should get 4, which of course gets into that much more money! Urgh!!!

On an extremely small car (or even a motorcycle), do you know of anyone who uses just one jammer up front and one in the back? Is there really any reason that you would have to use 2 in front?

 

[Computerpro3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus /img/forum/go_quote.gif On the highway with my Ariel Atom (although I don't take it on interstates very often because I prefer twisty mountain roads), I'll sometimes blip the throttle and pick up a lot of speed very quickly, but then be right back on the brakes 10 seconds later, or ever sooner than that. So I've always figured that I'd be Ok unless I happened to be doing this as precisely the wrong moment. At least with radar, I'd be warned well in advance because of the width of the array. Not so with LIDAR and its 4 foot wide beam, and there could just as easily be someone behind me in an unmarked car who has been following at a distance waiting for me to act up! I never thought of that as being much of a risk because I didn't think its use was very widespread. I guess all of that has changed now. Problem is, in situations like this, they're seeing it with their own two eyes (especially if they've been following behind you and suddenly, in a burst of speed, you pull out and pass 8-10 vehicles like they're standing still, then get right back down to their speed). So even if your jammer serves it's purpose as designed once they try to hit you with their gun, you'll still end up with a ticket (more likely than not) because they know you won't come back from out of state to fight it!

The only good thing about LIDAR is it can't be used moving. It's stationary only. It would be impossible to aim accurately while moving.

But they are tricky - sometimes you'll have a trooper sitting on an overpass nailing people from 1/4 mile away using radio to let a pack of chase cars down beneath know who to nab. Also, they sit on entrance ramps and shoot cars from the rear going by - there is NO POSSIBLE WAY to see the police car except in your rear view mirror. Motorcycles are also dangerous - they sit in the shoulder with the cop shooting backwards. Can barely see them when it's a long way away.


Quote:

On an extremely small car (or even a motorcycle), do you know of anyone who uses just one jammer up front and one in the back? Is there really any reason that you would have to use 2 in front?

On an atom, there is no need for 4 Laser Interceptor heads. One front and One rear will jam. That's the configuration used on motorcycles and even has been done on cars like the BMW Mini which have far more chrome than your atom.

 

[majurglery]

that thing sounds annoying...

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Computerpro3 /img/forum/go_quote.gif On an atom, there is no need for 4 Laser Interceptor heads. One front and One rear will jam. That's the configuration used on motorcycles and even has been done on cars like the BMW Mini which have far more chrome than your atom.

That's really good news! I'll order one and have it waiting for me when I get back to Illinois in early April. Get it installed right away and then be done with it and ready for the driving season!

 

[Computerpro3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's really good news! I'll order one and have it waiting for me when I get back to Illinois in early April. Get it installed right away and then be done with it and ready for the driving season!

With your atom make sure to get an external speaker and mount the switch where the LED will be visible. You're going to have a hard time hearing the built in speaker over the wind noise. The Escort external speaker actually is really loud and plugs right in to the control head on the laser interceptor:

https://www.escortradar.com/store/au...y-speaker.html

The LED on the switch blinks when jamming is activated, so that is at least some visual warning. You might want to have a high-brightness bright blue LED be wired up as well and place it in your gauge cluster or something.

Also, be sure to order from Laser Interceptor USA. The owner Cliff provides incredible customer service. I had one of the original units from late 2007 and it had a water sealant issue (part of a bad batch). Cliff overnighted me a brand new unit and didn't make me return the old one.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Computerpro3 /img/forum/go_quote.gif With your atom make sure to get an external speaker and mount the switch where the LED will be visible. You're going to have a hard time hearing the built in speaker over the wind noise. The Escort external speaker actually is really loud and plugs right in to the control head on the laser interceptor: Escort / Beltronics Radar Detector External Auxiliary Speaker I've never ordered from that store, so buyer beware. I just linked that as it was the first picture of the speaker I'm talking about. The LED on the switch blinks when jamming is activated, so that is at least some visual warning. You might want to have a high-brightness bright blue LED be wired up as well and place it in your gauge cluster or something. Also, be sure to order from Laser Interceptor USA. The owner Cliff provides incredible customer service. I had one of the original units from late 2007 and it had a water sealant issue (part of a bad batch). Cliff overnighted me a brand new unit and didn't make me return the old one.

I probably won't need that since everything is run through my helmet (actually directly through my UE10 which I wear under the helmet) through my AutoCom system: Autocom I've got the Super Pro Automatic system. Basically, it serves as the control center for all of my external electronics. My V1, GPS, iPod and Traqmate (Traqmate.com GPS Data Acquisition) are all run through the AutoCom.

Of course, when I'm driving on roads, I don't use the Traqmate, and for track days, I don't use the V1 or my regular GPS system. But I do use my iPod pretty much all the time! Any audio signals coming from the GPS system override the iPod signal, and any signals coming from the V1 override everything. The Laser Interceptor would have to be set up in the same way as the V1 in terms of the priority it gets. In any case, I can hear my V1 signals loud and clear! I'm sure I'll be able to wire this thing up through the AutoCom system as well.

Thanks for the recommendation concerning Cliff. The one thing I didn't see on their website was this (what I call) future proof option for $50 to ensure that I'll get all of the updates as they become available for downloading. I'm assuming you do that via an internet connection with your laptop and the receiver is then updated automatically.

 

[Computerpro3]

Sounds like a nice setup. As for priority, the Laser Interceptor actually has the capability of muting all electronics (including the car stereo/ipod). All you have to do is wire up the mute wire from the control harness. If the autocom can do it though, you may not even have to wire it up.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Computerpro3 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sounds like a nice setup. As for priority, the Laser Interceptor actually has the capability of muting all electronics (including the car stereo/ipod). All you have to do is wire up the mute wire from the control harness. If the autocom can do it though, you may not even have to wire it up.

The Atom doesn't have windows or doors or body panels, let alone a car stereo or air conditioning! No power steering, no ABS, nothing but what is absolutely needed for the rawest of all possible driving experiences! All of these gadgets I use are very anti-Atom in a sense. They're certainly not consistent with the minimalist design, but they're fun and that's all that matters!

The only problem I may have is that I think there are just 3 levels of priority in terms of how the AutoCom processes audio signals. So its now set up with the iPod being the lowest, GPS being in the middle, and V1 being the top priority. I'm not sure how I'll be able to tell it which signal (V1 or LI) should have the highest priority. One of them may have to be set up at the same level as the GPS, which is fine unless the lady from the GPS is telling me to "Turn right in 500 feet..." about the same time the V1 is trying to tell me to "SLOW DOWN NOW!" But I'll work that out one way or another. I do have an expansion slot or two that is not being used. It's just a matter of getting the audio signal priorities correct.

 

[10068]

This technology is indeed quite awesome but I'd rather have a cloaking device if they made those

I've been pulled over many times but it's usual due to being *seen* -- I was only ticketed once based on a radar gun reading. Other times were the cop saw me: not stop fully at a red, reckless driving, driving in HOV lane, etc. Anyways I agree with the "James Bond" factor for that very reason. I guess if a vast percentage of your driving is freeway/interstate driving this would be essential if you like to speed, but for me since I speed everywhere it really wouldn't help. Which sucks because most speed limits are much lower than they should be due to the stupification and fear factor of the current U.S. society, but I digress.

Cool thread