Cobra RAD 480i Laser Radar Detector – Long Range Detection, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Compatible, LaserEye Front and Rear Detection, Digital Signal Processing, Black

Other than adjusting sensitivity and preference in alerts this radar has exceeded my expectations, to say the least. It has saved me from multiple possible speeding tickets and has zero interference with police radars which I tested personally. I highly recommend anyone looking for a radar under $200 consider this product if they are looking for a highly reliable and customizable radar scanner. I will leave my details of operating the device below for anyone who might find it helpful. I recommend reading all details below if you are brand new or unfamiliar with using a radar scanner. Radar alerts (only ones that I recommend having enabled): Ka band, K band, low K band, LASER (all others can be disabled unless you know your local police use other radars such as SPECTRE or VG-2 (radar scanner detectors), X band(outdated), Sensitivity: I highly recommend using the Cobra App on your phone. I ALWAYS use "auto" sensitivity. What "auto" does is change the sensitivity from low, medium, or high depending on your speed. Low: 20MPH or lower. Medium: 20-60MPH. High: 60MPH+. If you are out in the middle of nowhere and just like knowing if there is any cop near, I recommend leaving it on high. Keep in mind, radar scanners ONLY detect active-seeking police radars. The scanner will not alert you simply of a police presence near by. Good all-round volume level: 5-7 (volume scroll) If you have music on and/or big subs, definitely use max volume Community Alerts/road construction/red-light cameras: Leave all enabled (very rarely pop up unless you live around a lot of red-light cameras, then it will most certainly annoy you) Other preferences that I find useful: Smart power: off Voltage display: on Low-voltage warning: on (12V or lower) Auto-mute: on (does not actually mute unless it's K band, just lowers the volume to a tolerable level for Ka) Screensaver: on (more gentle in low-light conditions) Phone notifications: Off (radar alerts can be forwarded to your phone, or stay on the radar for audible alerts, it cannot be both) Mounting position: Just below the center rear-view mirror but not so that the rear LASER detector is blocked. Image: https://i.imgur.com/XsUByVh.jpeg (copy & paste link into browser). I personally had to sync my radar before making any adjustments to the device. After the phone is set up to connect whenever you turn the radar & app on, it will auto-sync (except for sensitivity preferences, you will have to switch to auto manually after turning it on). I have app GPS usage to "Only when app is open". I hope other customers find this review helpful! Edit: Nothing is perfect. There are times when if there is nothing for the radar waves to bounce off of you might be in for a surprise full-alert warning. This radar can detect police radars sometimes miles ahead, and other times it won't go off until you're at the same stoplight as them. The way radar scanners work is very dependable on your surroundings and it is key that you not only know what is going on around you (for any reason you might need a police radar detector) to maximize the detector's efficiency and your chance at being "caught".

... these 5 stars are for the detector alone at under $150! DO NOT download and sign up for the app! 1. It doesn't work well. I had to turn off my smart watch as it got stuck in a loop with notifications. 2. They'll bombard your email with junk emails! The detector works great! I got it for a spare car and am comparing it to my 4 times more expensive Escort. Pros: Few falses and very modest alerts (voice) on K and X band. More assertive with alarm and voice on Ka and there was cops so it WORKS! Display is clear and bright enough in daylight. Functions are clear enough but you may wanna download a full manual. Cons: Mounting is okay. Feels secure but not Escort nice. Cord is just that, a cord. Long enough for any cigarette lighter plug-in but has no buttons. If you wanna mute an alert you need to reach the mute button on the detector. Closest to you but still far away, especially in a truck or SUV etc. But overall a 5 STAR $150 detector! Does all the Escort do for me (I just hang it and expect it to point out police radars in the vicinity. ) I actually like Cobra alerts better as they're not in your face like Escort. I recommend this product but don't download the app and expect to actually use the buttons on the detector (if you need to, I set mine up and now don't touch it other than the occasional mute when a cop is close for a long time.)

Recently purchased for a trip from NY to South Carolina. The detector worked perfectly.

Been using this almost daily on a bike and in a car. Tried all the modes. No much difference in sensitivity between Auto, Medium, and High. High is more noisy. My biggest concern has always been the always-on. The warning time is consistently between two and three seconds in town. On the highway, gives me around ten seconds, which I consider adequate time for reaction. I don't know what is a short range detection, but if 2-3 seconds in town and 10 seconds on the highway is considered long range, I guess it is just massively overpriced.

I just wanted something affordable to get me by for a radar detector, so I got myself one of these. The moment I plugged it in, it was already going off at the neighbor’s car. I adjusted some of the filters and lowered sensitivity, and it still kept giving false alerts. I figured this could be fixed with Cobra’s app, so I went ahead and downloaded it. Nope! Won’t connect to the device at all. Read through their website and did all the usual restart&reconnect nonsense. It just won’t connect. So I don’t get to have GPS lockouts via the app, and there’s no way to use the Auto sensitivity mode that relies on said app… Just driving through the city was really bothersome. It DID occasionally pick up a cruiser’s radar, but it also liked to scream at me for every sliding door I went past. This was with everything but KA & K Band turned off, and sensitivity set to low. It’s a shame. I rather like how small the unit is and how the display has a dark mode that won’t give the game away to every nosy driver that passes by. The detection range is just out of eyeshot, so not amazing but serviceable for the shrewd driver. However none of that matters if you can’t keep your sanity. I’m going crazy here with all the false alerts! Here’s to hoping something gets fixed…

This is always a good purchase. Keeps me abreast of law enforcement

Love this radar detector! It's saved me from many hidden police! I don't use the app, as I haven't had a need to.

I would give this somewhere between 3-4 stars if I could. If you are wanting a radar detector that will be "good enough" this is the one. For me, the 480i has never missed a radar or laser when I'm both on the freeway/highways/in city. The associated driver smarter app, has had some pretty solid improvements that increase the functionality of the device with some good features that you can't get with the device alone. Now the only problems I have are 1) the OEM suction cup that I received is terrible for security as it is too weak to hold the scanner level or stable throughout drives. You will want to buy a 3rd party single large mount or one of the 3 suction cup mounts if you are on a tighter budget. 2) when I say I never missed a scanner/laser it implies that the unit has it running obviously. The issue is that this will pick up everything in between you and the speed trap, from other cars collision detectors, automatic stoor doors (only in in town really), live speed signs, etc. So this means you have to really worry about which one is the real one in this "boy cried wolf" situation. So you don't get a quiet ride and you can't really dismiss everything due to inconsistency. My advice is: if you can afford to bump up to the rad700i, do so because it is significantly (cannot emphasize this enough -SIGNIFICANTLY-) more reliable and provides you with probably the best budget scanner you can ever get without going to someone like Uniden or the Valentine1. If you are on a serious budget with no wiggle room, this will do the job.