Customer Ratings & Reviews

So one can long for the days of just buying an electronic item, plugging it in (or putting batteries into it) and start using it. For better or for worse, those days are gone...long gone. It seems that pretty much everything is controlled either wholly or partially buy a smartphone app these days. This is true for this Escort radar detector. Just scrolling through the app and the settings and the extent of configuration, one can easily get overwhelmed. While it's true that many settings can be left to their default values to get you up and running quickly, you'll still want to tinker around in the app at least a little bit. As for the hardware itself, I'm a bit saddened by the fact that you still have to use the old 'telephone' like cable for power. I mean, the radar actually has a USB-C port but apparently that is meant only for connecting to your computer for firmware updates and data transfer / merging. I don't understand that decision making process. The EZ mag suction mount that the Escort comes with, however, is outstanding. This is by far the easiest way to mount a radar I've come across in some time. Other than that, the radar seems to work well and detect what it is meant to detect but I've found the volume level to be a bit low. I believe I've turned it up all the way but if music is playing even just a little loud, it may be difficult to hear the warning alerts.

When you're driving, it's a great idea to know what's around you and what's coming up ahead so you can be prepared for it. This Escort MAX 4 radar and laser detector does just that - it scans the road ahead (and technically to the sides and behind though that's not quite as useful) and does a great job of identifying sources of radar or laser emissions (radar is easier to detect given that lasers are much more highly focused, but it seems to do the job with both). I like that it displays both the band and the "signal strength" as it were so you can make your own judgements - perhaps a very low signal X band is scatter from a random source vs a medium and growing KA band signals traffic being monitored ahead and so forth. The detector also displays your current speed and can alert you when you exceed either the speed limit (if you pair it with the smartphone app which is highly recommended) or a threshold you set. Pairing with the app also allows the detector to functionally look even FURTHER ahead by displaying alerts based on data uploaded by other users who previously drove the route ahead which is really cool, turning this into not just a single sensor but part of a broader network of sensors to expand the horizon. Setup is VERY easy - you really just decide where you want to mount it on your windshield - most people put them either high near the review mirror or low in the middle of the windshield. I went with the low option and it's a good combination of being visible while keeping out of the way of my view of the road (no sense in adding a sensor to help see what's ahead and then blocking your view of...what's ahead). I lilke that there's a second "mute" button on the power plug in case that's easier to reach, though I rarely use the mute since I keep the volume low, and I REALLY like that there's an open USB-A power port on the plug so I don't have to choose between powering the detector and charging my phone. I do wish the power and data cable was just a straight cable instead of a coiled cable - the coiled cable does keep itself a bit tidier, but in my experience it's harder to route the way you want it since it's thicker and keeps wanting to retract. This is a minor grumble and not worth removing a star, but just noting it. Installing and pairing the app is similarly easy and it works on both Android and iPhone just fine. So all in all, if you're looking for a great way to see what might be waiting for you on the road ahead, this detector is a great way to do just that (provided, of course, it's allowed where you lilve and where you intend to drive). And it's the great combination of quality and features you'd expect from a leader in the buiness like Escort/Cobra. So if all that sounds good to you, give it a try today!

I have so many Escort radar detectors that I've purchased in the past, and everytime I purchase a new one, I always give my old one to my little brother. I have three vehicles all equipped with an escort radar detector. I thought it was about time to check out escort newest radar detector, and see how it compares to the ones that I have currently. So the radar detector arrives and I go through the normal unboxing and reading what comes with the radar detector. In the first thing that I noticed about this new one, was the fact that it didn't come with a 360 feature! That was my favorite feature and I used it a lot! So another thing as far as this detector goes, you definitely want to download the app, because it has so many features and much easier to set your detective that way, then trying to set it with the detector itself. So driving around to all the places are typically go, I kind of figured the radar detector was basic. Then after the second day, I realize mostly all the places I get false alerts from, wasn't giving me a false alert at all! So after realizing this, and sure enough, and sure enough, it definitely had zero false alerts after I realize that day, and the entire next day in a whole completely different area with a lot of stores! That's probably the best thing ever! Out of all the radar detectors that I've owned since 2006, I've never had one that completely removed all the false alerts! I also love the range on this one! Yesterday, I was driving down the highway for a long time when the detector started going off. And I kept trying to look and see if I can find the police car and I didn't see one, so I figured this is probably the first false alert. So as I kept driving, finally the police car comes into interview, and I was thinking to myself, wow! This has an extremely far view for picking up radar! I love this radar detector and think that if anyone gets it, they'll love it too!

It's been a long while since I had a Radar/Laser detector... I remember how big these were int he 80's and 90's... And with a lot of travel coming up, it was a good opportunity to try it out. We had 4 long highway trips over the last two weeks, logged over 1,000 miles First and foremost, this gets 1 full star deduction for the supported software, .5 Star deduction because nothing I tried... I could not get the Drive Smarter app, to create an account, and thus let us in to use the Apple Car Play features (which is one of the big key reasons I was excited for this device). Continued to fail for several days. Will update review, if we do get into the app. .5 Star deduction because the Escort software, was just... non-helpful. Yes, you were able to get in and configure the device, colors, the units, and several other settings, for those that really are adapt, can tweak this to exactly what they want. but after that, it really didn't do anything that the unit itself didn't do. The Escort app is not Car Play compatible, so did nothing for my navigation on the screen of the car. Since these are outside the hardware, these can get updated and do better over time, I hope. Now for the unit... The picture, is mis leading... this is bigger then the picture makes it seem. Longer. Which isn't "bad" unless you have a smaller windshield. My SUV, has a big windshield, so while it was in the view, didn't dominate, but on my smaller car, this may be an issue (but wasn't able to use it in that car, more later). The suction cup mount that comes with the kit, worked very well.. once you get the orientation correct. The unit didn't move after hours of usage, and heat beating down on the windshield. Easy power on and off, (with the provided 12v cord), with an easy to reach mute button on the power cord, with lights. nice touch. can be a loud unit, or as soft as you want, so that is adjustable to your preference. Now, as for detecting. I don't know... If the police where not out much on our trips, but the unit did do a VERY good job of picking up from almost 1/2 mile away, construction zone radar sensors... so I would presume it would also do as well on police. During our drives we only encountered 2 or 3 confirmed police radar checks (because we saw them as we drove by). However, only concern I have, is that we drove directly by a Hwy patrol car, in the middle median (twice, once there and once back). but no warning on the detector. But obviously no way to confirm, if this was just a decoy car and had no laser/tracking, or was something else. Now for my other 1 star deduction. My 2023 Outback, has no 12v plug. So went to go and use the USB power supply on this. Nothing I tried would get it to work, would continue to say low-voltage and power down. My outback has a 2.1a USB-C port right on it, and it would not power this unit. I tried several different plugs I have, that can power iPad Pro's with no problem, still no work. I didn't try the plug for my MacBook, because that would be beyond impractical in my car, as I would have to run a long car to my backseat. So that was a disappointment, that a modern piece of tech, was having difficulty with the USB-C power options, in a modern car. So overall... not terrible, just not the experience I was hoping for with this premium product.

Short take: The Escort MAX 4 radar detector offers a lot of high end features at an entry level price. The job of a radar detector has become much more complicated. Radar and laser detectors are more sophisticated and work at greater distances. Radar interference comes from a variety of new sources. Red light cameras, speed warning signs, collision avoidance systems, adaptive cruise control, convenience store doors, the list is growing all the time. I won't repeat a list of all the features of the MAX 4, just the few that were the most valuable to me. First, I got this to primarily to avoid speed traps while travelling. We are retired and have a camper van that we are starting to use for more extended travel. In addition, I drive (and live) in a city which has copiously embraced speed cameras, speed warning signs, and red light cameras. The features that drew me to the MAX 4: 1) AutoLearn™ Intelligence: automatically geotags your route, locks out false alerts, and allows you to mark problem locations. 2) Defender Database: database of verified speed traps, etc. It can be updated (modest extra yearly cost). A 90 day trial is included with product registration. 3) IVT Filter: automatically reduces false alerts from moving In-Vehicle Technology sources such as collision avoidance systems and adaptive cruise control. 4) Android Auto (Apple CarPlay) app integration: Very important for on dash display and control. 5) Drive Smarter® App: Phone app that is essentially Waze for radar traps and traffic events. Driving around the city the first time, the MAX 4 was going off all the time, a tribute to the city's proactive campaign at speed control and traffic monitoring. After several trips, the drive was much (much!) quieter, the static sources had been learned and marked. It was quite impressive. It did go off and alert me to a mobile speed trap just off the freeway (motorcycle cop with a radar gun). It seemed to alert me well ahead of any possible speed reading (there were cars in front of me and I wasn't speeding), but I can't say just how much time I would have had to slow down. Seemed to give enough warning that those towns that finance themselves with speeding tickets right at the 30mph sign (slowing from 65mph) should be out of luck! The signal indicator displays the band of the alert, which is important because most police/speed traps are K and Ka bands, and laser. The display also shows signal strength (how close the alert is) and seemed to ramp smoothly. The Signal Counter displays the number of alerts being detected. The Escort MAX 4 offers an almost ridiculous assortment of configuration options. The basic display shows speed limit, current speed, band and signal strength. There are a wide variety of modes for display, detection, tones, colors, and units. Configuration is through the Drive Smarter app and is quite straightforward. Device update is through a computer (Win/Mac) connection via USBc. All in all, the Escort MAX 4 offers an advanced radar detector at pretty much a entry level price. My only minor criticism is that the smart plug power source is a 12v power port (cigarette lighter) adapter. It has an additional usb port, but it would have been nice if the MAX 4 had just used a USBc power port. In spite of the minor quibble, the Escort MAX 4 is well worth your consideration and highly recommended.

I have been a long time user of Escort radar detectors going all the way back to when I was 16 or 17 years old (so 22 or 23 years now); this goes back to the Escort 8500, the 9500, X50, etc. I temporarily switched to a V branded product back then but immediately went back to the Escort line of products and I have not looked back ever since. A few years ago I got the MAX 3 and I was beyond contented with it. It was getting firmware updates pretty regularly & it was fairly quiet but it's performance was amazing. So when the MAX 4 released and I got a chance to get one I decided to jump all over that chance. Set up was fairly easy. Make sure to add the detector to your Drive Smarter or Escort Live account first before attempting to set it up by connecting it to your PC and updating the database or else it will say your subscription for LIVE updates is expired. Driving around with the MAX 4 it is a lot more chirpy than the MAX 3. I reached out to Escort/Cedar Electronics and they told me that if I drive around for a bit longer with it that it will learn and quiet down. To go from a detector that is super quiet unless there is something to worry about to now one that is really active was a bit of an adjustment. I am going to be reaching out for guidance from other users on the various Radar Detector forums and Facebook groups in an attempt to set up the bands to really what I need. I will say in the past I have just ran all the bands all the time and had good luck on all my previous detectors but on this one, since I am getting older, I am trying to get a much quieter ride but that has great performance. I really wish CE/Escort would work with the developers of Highway Radar and other similar apps to get the detector working in those apps. That is something that their competitors are doing and embracing the hobbyist is the best way to engrain brand loyalty but maybe CE/Escort is okay with the typical consumer and not the hobbyist being their main and target audience, I don't know. I just truly wish they would open up their platforms to Highway Radar or the like. I was looking at a competitors high end $700 detector that has integration with Highway Radar specifically because I want this level of functionality. If this detector doesn't quiet down as they have told me in emails then I will be selling my MAX 3 & my MAX 4 and I'll be getting that competitors $700 detector because that is how much I want that functionality. So, Cedar Electronics/Escort, please open up your platforms to enthusiast & hobbyist levels of integration with outside applications. Your competitors have done it with great success...it's okay to sometimes follow the lead of others when it helps you to build brand loyalty. Would I recommend the MAX 4 to a friend? Sure. If they are on a budget and want what is one of the best set it and forget it detectors on the market. If they want top of the line performance then I'd send them to the Redline or the other $700+ detectors.

This is my first radar detector and so far I’ve been really happy. I wanted to take it on a long road trip with me but it unfortunately didn’t arrive in time, but I’ve been having fun with it around town. The set up was really easy and pretty intuitive. The app they want you to use is pretty good, but the built in navigations has been a tad wonky for me. That’s not an issue for me since I can just have them both running on my phone with it plugged into a charger on a long road trip. It comes with a way to silence false positives which is nice, but have noticed that all the speed limit signs that actually show how fast you are currently going also set it off (not too surprising). I’ve noticed that our local cops like to camp out near that sign and my guess its because that is both a problem area and the sign helps to catch people with detectors. Without being on a long road trip I haven’t been able to really tell how far away it can register from, but we had it going off like crazy at our local mall since it was next to the highway and the cops were over there and it kept triggering then going away, so my guess its pretty far. My only complaint is that the power cord is a bit short so it ends up stretching right across my radio/display. I can push it out of the way to use the touch screen so it doesn’t interfere with functionality, but it can make it harder to read the screen at times. Overall I’m happy with this device.

First, upon opening the box, the following was included. The detector, a windshield mount, power cord, and carrying case. It also included a quick start guide. For full functionality and options, I suggest downloading the online guide and saving it on your phone. This way in the car you will have it at your fingertips. The included quick start guide does not really address all of the different settings and how to access them. The display that you see in the screenshots for the product is very accurate. You have a speed alert if you exceed, your speed and the band it detects X K Ka and Laser with a signal strength. This model does not have the directional aarow to tell you from which direction the alert is coming from which I found disappointing. You can hold down the MRK and SEN buttons together to access the options menu. In this menu, you have the option of the setting such as Highway, Auto, NoX, NoK etc depending on the sensitivity that you desire. Next it has 3 options for alerts-standard, standard + , and mild. Auto Mute settings - Low/Med/High/Off. AutoLearn - Yes or No. If AutoLearn is Yes (which is default) it learns the false alert on your routes. It has a Units, Language, Voice, GPS Filter, Auto Power On/Off which are all self explanatory. Band Detection - X K Ka KNarrow 1, 2, 3, 4, Multiradar and Laser. Marker Enables which can be toggled On/Off include - Other, Red Light, Red and Speloed, Speed Camera, Speed Trap and Air Patrol. As far as range, I found a police running radar on a 35MPH road so I drove by several times testing the range. The longest distance from the radar when it made the initial alert was approximately 1 mile away. It didn't really go crazy until I was about .20 miles away which is ample time to slow down but wouldn't mind a little farther away alert. As far as the Interstate/Highway, I had the same type of distant alert. I was traveling North and got the alert. The police was actually heading south. Once it alerted, i saw the police officer in the distance about .25 mile away. Again, ample time to slow down but have used other detectors with a greater range. It does have bluetooth capabilities and it syncs with the Drive Smarter App which works with Apple Carplay. Overall, the detector is loaded with options that would please any radar enthusiast but is lacking slightly in range in my opinion compared to other units I have used in the past. It gets the job done but you need to be alert with the first beep as the detection could be rather close as in my experience.

While I don't speed like I used to, I still like having a little co-pilot to remind me to check myself. Set up was easy and the suction cup will mount to slightly textured surfaces pretty firmly. The magnet is a nice touch as it makes removing and reinstalling the dector effortless. The power cord is another issue. I keep short cut nailes so it's a pain trying to squeeze and remove the cord. Plus, being a tab like old phones and network cables, I have no doubt after a few removals the tab will fail too. I don't understand why they didn't make the USB-C port the power port also as it'll power up via USB-C but shuts down after "low voltage detected." I'm not sure how they're not forced to write the power input/output on the device or charger. Their charger is the reason for a loss of a star. I need at least 3 ports for my devices. Their power supply only allows the detector and an additional USB-A port. That's it. If you happen to have a 4-port GAN charger for fast charging, you're out of luck unless you have room to fit a splitter; I don't. So I'm down to finding a third party USB cable that hopefully works with this detector. My old detector uses standard USB-C. As far as actual detecting goes, I haven't had a bite yet from anything other than false alarms - band K and X. It's easy enough to filter them out with a triple tap on the charger or the unit. The app wasn't a lot of help and I found it to be not nearly as good as Google Maps or Waze, so I doubt I'll ever use it again. I've already uninstalled it and don't see any reason to grab it again. It should have just been used for settings and updates and leave the nav to apps that do better and also have alerts for cameras and speed monitors. Other than the worthless charger, the Escort seems to be a very good detector so far. I'm hoping the next version gets rid of it and just uses the USB-C port.

Excellent, I am definitely not disappointed in this product.

I have been a huge fan or Radar detectors since I first started driving back in the 1990's! I have continually watched the market and upgraded to newer devices every few years. It really is amazing how far the technology has came over the years. I can't say how many times these devices have saved me from speeding tickets, but I know for a fact that the Escort MAX 4 saved me twice already! I have only been using this for a week so I am really shocked at how effective it is. The false alarms on this one have been very few and far between, and it even gets better with time using the learning system it has built in. The unboxing and install of this radar detector took me about 15 minutes, including the setup of the app on my iPhone. I also love the fact that the screen displays the speed, really cool feature. The buttons are easily accessible, very intuitive location for the mute button which comes in handy when traveling down the road and needing to turn off the sounds. Overall this radar detector is absolutely worth the investment, and one of the best on the market.

The MAX 4 requires a micro USB C type data transfer cable that does not come with the detector. The data transfer cable is difficult to find .Purchase the Insignia micro USB C cable, if you purchase this detector. Other brands do not work!!

Great radar detection with an awsome app to boot. Super neat