Most of us are familiar with the concept of police radars. In fact, some of us are more familiar than others — they are often used to by police determine whether or not a driver is speeding.
Fortunately, you have the opportunity to use a laser jammer in order to protect yourself. Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about one.
So, What Is a Laser Jammer?
As the name suggests, a laser jammer is a device that prevents other laser-based devices from functioning correctly. In practice, this often involves using a laser jammer in order to prevent law enforcement from tracking the position of your vehicle with a laser gun.
A police laser gun functions by transmitting an invisible beam of light that lies within the near-infrared spectrum. The laser that it transmits is often aimed at a vehicle in a similar way that someone would aim a firearm.
They are then able to use this technology in order to generate an accurate reading of your speed. However, a properly functioning laser jammer is often able to protect you from this scenario.
How Does a Laser Jammer Work?
Although it might seem complicated in nature, the laser jammer isn’t as complex as you may anticipate. In its early stages of development, a laser jammer would simply attempt to overpower the infrared beam of a police laser gun.
It would accomplish this by emitting a beam of light that was much brighter than the laser of the officer’s equipment. As you might guess, this made early laser jammers notoriously easy for law enforcement to spot.
However, laser jammers eventually reached the point where they were able to tone down the brightness of the beam while still keeping it effective.
In response, laser gun manufacturers began developing alternative tactics. The primary course of action was to develop a large handful of alternative methods for tracking vehicle speed in order to make it more difficult for laser jammers to function appropriately.
This has created a scenario where contemporary laser jammer manufacturers are tasked with developing a product that is able to protect the user against all types of contemporary law enforcement laser guns.
Modern laser jammers now are able to decode the signal used by laser guns and to transmit a reply back to the device. In ideal circumstances, the reply that is sent to the laser gun will be at the same pulse repetition rate and frequency. This will then result in no speed being displayed despite the fact that the gun was pointed at a moving vehicle.
How Do I Attach One to My Vehicle?
Interestingly, many people believe that law enforcement officers track the speed of moving vehicles by targeting the side or rear of the car. Instead, targeting is performed while the vehicle is approaching.
This means that a laser jammer must be mounted to the front of your vehicle (typically the grill area) in order for it to function correctly.
The part of the laser jammer mounted in this area is known as a transceiver. The transceiver will communicate with a controller that you mount under the dashboard of your vehicle.
Then, the controller will then communicate with an external display that will alert the driver if they are being targeted by a laser gun.
However, it’s also important to note that you may need multiple laser jammers in order to get the desired results. This is especially true if you have a larger vehicle, such as an SUV. In a case like this, you may require at least three laser jammers to fully protect yourself.
In rare circumstances, law enforcement officers may attempt to track the speed of your vehicle by targeting the rear. This is particularly true if the officer is positioned on an overpass or at the entrance to a highway ramp.
In this situation, you’re left with two possible options:
- Take the risk by remaining unprotected, as only a small percentage of officers use this method
- Mount additional heads on the rear of the vehicle, something that comes at an additional cost
In most cases, you will be fine using the bare minimum number of jammers on your vehicle.
Are They Legal to Use?
There’s a good chance that you are still on the fence about whether or not this type of device is right for you. The primary question that most people have is whether or not laser jammers are legal to use.
Currently, there are no federal laws that declare the average citizen is not allowed to possess or use a laser jammer. However, a handful of states have implemented their own laws that say otherwise. These include:
- California
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
The severity of punishment will vary depending on the jurisdiction. Interestingly enough, some laser jammer manufacturers have created products that can easily be converted into sensors that can assist you with parking.
This allows them to be legally sold and used within the above states.
A Laser Jammer Has Plenty of Utility
Keep the above information in mind when deciding whether or not one is right for you. From here, you’ll find that you’ll easily be able to make the best decision regarding laser jammer use.
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