Thread: Speed Camera Detectors

So a few months back i got myself a GPS based satnav/camera detector, and i'm a little bit annoyed with it, so i'm wondering if people can give me some ideas on wether my issues are general with these types of device, or if its just rubbish.

The unit i have is a Snooper Syrius S2000. It looks pretty much like your average widescreen satnav, but also has snoopers camera database added on. I figured buying into a proper speed camera detection companies device, rather than buying a tomtom or other unit where speedcameras are most definitely an after thaught and the location databases are probably well out of date and unmaintained, would result in a unit thats actually competent, but it seems not.

The biggest issue i have with it, is mobile van warnings. Now i know the database cant possibly know every possible position, and accept that 90% of the warnings will be a false alarm, but the issue i have is that it treats a mobile van exactly the same way as a gatso, in that it starts warning you a set distance before the location, and while 800m is plenty notice for a gatso in a 60limit, mobile vans are often positioned on motorway bridges, and usually by the time the warning trips in, you can already see the bridge, and as a result the camera can presumably see you and have already tagged your speed.

As such its completely useless at actually detecting these, and there doesnt appear to be any way to adjust the warning distance.

So any opinions of comparable units? What have you got, how well does it work etc?

I detect a thread that is soon to be full of slow down/obey the speed limit/etc posts.

Well if that happens then i'll delete them.

I want some views on camera detectors, how well they work, how easy they are to use and whatnot.

I have RNS-e for nav, but I also have a rather ancient Snooper Neo 6R which was fitted in my Leon Cupra R years ago. I haven't fitted it to the new car yet, but it has one of those radar detectors that you mount in the grill (shhhhh!).

Was it over sensitive; yes. Did it go off in front of supermarket sliding doors; yes!

You could set the warning signal ahead of the camera, but it affected ALL camera types.

Other downside is you have to plug it into a telephone socket to do the upgrade to Snooper HQ (which I haven't done for some time to be fair).

I'm almost in 2 minds whether to fit it in this car as I'm less lead footed these days, but since they've been painted yellow it's only the ones round blind bends or crests you can't see. It's the mobile vans that cause the issue, and very often it's these ones that can still catch you out.

Mines GPS only, no laser/radar stuff, and updates via USB on the computer which is fine.

Its the mobile vans that annoy me the most.

The snooper database does seem to cover them pretty well, they've simply programmed each potiential location a van could be, so you get a warning even when its not there, but the warnings simply arent good enough. It seems to appear on the screen at 1km away, but it seems to take a few seconds for the Audio warning to kick in, and at motorway speeds you've covered at least a hundred meters by the time it actually beeps. Unfortunately by the time your 800m away you can typically see the van, and its far to late to do anything about it. What i'd like to do is double or treble the warning distance, so it gives me time to react in a safe way, but that doesnt seem possible with this device.

i know you already mentioned this but...

tomtom user here... all alerts are separately managed so can set any sound to any camera and set distances, also the database is now a tomtom subscription paid thing to it is very much up to date. not too sure on the mobile van cameras... havent seen one of those cameras in a couple years.

Have you not even tried contacting Snooper to see if they have a way to edit the alert distances or they may add a firmware update feature?

Kind of irrelevant anyway as a mobile laser trap can get you up to 2 miles away on a motorway bridge

Exactly.

Cameralert app for the iPhone, costs about 60p. You can set distance and also gives your average speed though spec camera zones.

Andy, ofcourse, which is why i want an earlier warning.

I'll drop snooper an email and see what they say.