FAQ | NZ Radars

My radar has no arrows - does it pick up from behind?

One very common confusion is that if you don’t have the directional arrows, your radar doesn’t pick up from behind.

But that doesn’t make sense at all.

Arrows vs 360-degree detection in radar detectors. Read how it works here.

Drove past a police car and my radar never went off. Is it faulty?

Not all police cars have radars installed, or it could be your radar detector is too old to pick up newer police radar technology.

There are a number of possibilities. Read more here.

Are radar detectors legal?

No. Radar detectors are NOT illegal to use in New Zealand.

Are radar detectors illegal in NZ? READ MORE HERE

How Do I Update My Escort or Uniden Radar?

The Escort range might need a GPS update, depending on how long you’ve had it (and where you bought it).

The Uniden R3nz will be up to date when you buy it from NZ Radars, however updates for slightly older units are available.

Read how to update the Uniden R3 here.

How do I update my Uniden R3 nz?

When you buy a Uniden R3nz from NZ Radars, it will have the most recent firmware and GPS database already installed.

The New Zealand Uniden distributor has made the updates available.

Read how to update your Uniden R3 here.

I have a Service Required message on my radar display

The “service required” message most likely relates to Escort or Beltronics radars.

I passed a police speed trap, I could clearly see the cop pointing a laser gun in my direction but my radar didn't go off. Why?

The laser gun has to actually pass over the sensor on the radar detector before you’ll get any kind of warning. They need to lock onto your car before you get a constant warning.

Why didn’t my radar warn me of the police laser? READ MORE HERE

Do radar detectors pick up pole mounted speed cameras?

Pole mounted cameras don’t use radar, instead relying on a magnetic loop embedded into the road surface. No radar detector can pick up this technology, but you can stay on top of the locations using the right radar detector.

How do you beat speed cameras? Read more here.

Can I block police radars the same way that laser jammers can interfere with laser guns?

There is no such thing as a “radar jammer”, except maybe for a classified US Airforce project and if we can’t tell you about that as it’s classified.

I have a radar detector and it's constantly going off. Is it faulty?

It may have a fault, although it’s more likely that “K Band” and/or “X Band” is enabled and you’re getting a ton of false alerts.

My friends tell me the Valentine V1 is the best radar to get because it has front and rear detection. What else can match this?

Radar detectors generally have 360 degree detection, not just front and rear. While the The V1 will tell you if the threat is coming from in front or behind, in reality this is only useful if you plan to outrun the police. While the V1 works, it is missing a lot of newer features that many other radars consider standard.

The original Valentine V1 ceased production early in 2019. The new version comes with many of the same restrictions the ancient predecessor had.

Even with K Band enabled, my radar gives me little or no warning of a parked speed camera van. Why?

Unfortunately the camera and radar are usually focussed pointing across to the opposite side of the road, not along the road in the direction of traffic flow. This means the radar detector has to be nearly beside the camera trap before it picks up the signal.