UNIDEN R8 Extreme Long-Range Radar/Laser Detector, Dual-Antennas Front & Rear Detection w/Directional Arrows, Built-in GPS w/Real-Time Alerts, Voice Alerts, Red Light Camera and Speed Camera Alerts

This review is for the UNIDEN R8 radar laser detector. I have only had it for a few days. I read reviews on it falling off the windshiled. Mine came with 2 mounts. One of the mounts does look flimsy. It looks like my expensive unit will fall off if i use it. It did come with another mount that looks like I would have trouble removing it. I highly doubt this mount will fall off. It has a button so it can clip on and off the mount with ease. I'll problaby buy another of those mounts for my other car. So I used it to go to work. This thing was going off the whole entire time. Some people say you can tweak it. I will look into that later. For now I never read the instructions I just threw it on the wind shield. On day 3 the device memorized the false alarms. It still lets you know there is a frequency being detected but it grayes it out and no sound. So I was cruising to work the thing was quiet. All of a sudden it goes off I slow down. Im mad there is nothing. I want to return it. Then all of a sudden I see a hidden P car trying to catch speeders. On that road the fine is 350. I would have gotten caught for sure. So I already see it as 350 off. Like I said I never read the manual it was plug and play. It learned what was fake and it alerted me to what was real. Another feature I like is it tells you where the radar is. It was beeping showing ahead I never saw anything I just wanted to return it. Then it said it was on my left side. I looked and OMG on my left side behinid the barrels was an SUV just waiting to catch me. I also like that it shows your speed in digital format. My car has a needle speedometer. I dont look at that anymore. I just look at the R8. Its right on and accurate. This thing is pricey. In its defence I just took it out of the box and plugged it in. Like things should be. So yes i'm willing to pay a premium for something that simply works out of the box. Reviews did say that the LCD screen dies out so I bought the insurance just in case. In comes with a thin sleeve to protect it as well as a sturdy case. For now its 5 stars. I bought a unit before from another brand that required conection to my phone access to my contacts and gps and the whole nine yards. My car looked like a cockpit of an F16 i could not see anything out of the windshield. Im not sure if this thing has an app. I dont want an app and you do not need one. Plug and play its that simple. Just be warned the thing is a cry baby for the first few days as it learns what is real and what isnt.

The R8 is the 1st radar detector I've bought in about 10 years. The last being an Escort- that I believe was the first advertised undetectable radar detector. Driver STi, I think was the model name It was a GREAT detector for it's time, but over the years it became nearly unusable with all the false alarms it gave. Flash forward to this last week. It arrived on a Tuesday, it's Saturday morning now. 3 days of commuting to and from work in use. At the end of day 2 it had the GPS lockouts set. Perfectly. It's a 20 mile drive each way. About 4 miles are street traffic driving, the rest is interstate. Some YouTube reviews observed issues with the GPS lockouts feature. Maybe the firmware was updated for mine? IDK. But no issues with that whatsoever. Until I got the R8, I was - and still am- using the WAZE GPS navigation app.. WAZE is a fantastic app to notify drivers of road hazards and police presence in moderate to heavily trafficked streets and highways. But it's not that great in more remote areas or the wee morning hours for police alerts- or what if YOU are the 1at person to come across a freshly set radar trap? It's virtually useless then. That's where the R8 is worth it's weight 8n gold. UBIDEN engineered the R8 to have future Bluetooth connectivity to work with 3rd party app developers AND they are also working on a laser jammer add on device for the R8 as well.. Laser jammers aren't legal in all states. Do your homework on your area before you let that feature become a purchasing factor. In my area, X Band isn't used, so I turned that band off. I have it sweeping the entire K and Ka bands, including POP alerts. I keep it on the HIGHWAY mode. False alerts are very minimal and very shortlived. I suspect that the falses are coming from other cars using those bands for their own driver safety assistance features. There's filters for those band segments, but those alerts are weak and shortlived, I would rather have a hundred of those unobtrusive alerts than miss 1 real alert. I highly recommend watching the YouTube set up videos on the R8 and check out the recommended settings links that explain all the different settings use caaes to optimize your R8 experience. It really is a fantastic detector. I bought it through Amazon with the optional 3 year warranty. I don't expect problems with it, but you know the saying - Is rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Again, check out the YouTube reviews, they're spot on, but now with excellent GPS lockout performance, where that has apparently been an issue before. If you can afford it, get it. It's really all you need. Plug and play with a few minor tweaks, set it up once or twice and forget it. No app necessary.

I have had this for over a year and traveled all across the US I have not found a single radar this thing doesn’t work on. I always have it on highway mode so in the cities it can get annoying but it is amazing. Does great in the heat and the cold. This thing is a unit. Plus it has saved me for more speeding tickets than I care to admit

Highly recommend checking Vortex Radar channel on Youtube for help with setup and configuration for your area and needs. Definitely update this regularly, it is feature packed. No issues after 3 years in the summer heat. Display is perfect and can be configured multiple ways. Audio quality is great, and customizable. Durable and for the most part sticks to the windshield good, although it has fallen in extreme heat once or twice. No damage when that has happened. 10/10 would buy again, zero complaints or regrets. Best detector on the market 2023-2026.

I've been using the Uniden R8 radar and laser detector for a while now, and I can't imagine driving without it. It's like having a sixth sense on the road, keeping me aware of potential speed traps and red-light cameras well before they're in sight. The dual antennas with directional arrows are a revelation, giving me a clear picture of where any threat is coming from, whether it's from the front, back, or sides. It’s comforting knowing exactly which direction to pay attention to, thanks to the clear voice alerts. One of the standout features has to be the GPS technology, which does an impressive job of filtering out those annoying false alarms. It automatically mutes known false alerts, like those pesky retail store doors, so you're not constantly bombarded with unnecessary noise. It’s like the device learns as you drive, making each trip smoother and more pleasant. The built-in database of red light and speed camera locations is always up to date, thanks to free firmware updates, which means you're always covered. Another aspect that makes this detector a joy to use is the large, multi-color OLED display. It's bright, easy to read, and presents a wealth of information without being overwhelming. Whether it's the band type or signal strength, it's all there at a glance. And let's not forget the hands-free voice alerts, they’re customizable to your style, so you can keep your focus on the road without distraction. If you're new to radar detectors, I’d recommend a quick online search to find the best way to configure it for your driving environment. There are plenty of tips and guides that can help you get the most out of this device. Plus, the included app makes it easy to tweak settings and receive real time notifications on your phone. All in all, the Uniden R8 is a reliable co-pilot that enhances your driving experience, ensuring you're always a step ahead on the road.

So the detector itself — keeping Uniden's behavior out of it — deserves 4 or 5 stars. The hardware is impeccable. Now here's why that doesn't help. When this device launched, Uniden promised compatibility with laser jammers. It even worked with older firmware versions — the hardware was always there, they just pulled it back. Then they tried to bail on that promise and released the R8w, and only after significant community backlash did they say they'd bring laser jammer support back — and then proceeded to fully discontinue this model, rug-pulling everyone who bought it, along with the R9. The R9 with install ran around $3,200 on a good day. Imagine spending that and being told "just get the R9w." Now let's talk about why the W models are objectively unnecessary. They preach that WiFi matters for faster updates — updates that happen a few times a year at most, *if* they don't suddenly discontinue the model, that is. Updates that significantly raise the price compared to the non-WiFi counterparts. Not to mention the updates are a few MB at most — even Bluetooth, which the regular R8 and R9 support, would handle it in a second. Even Vortex Radar, who was a massive fan, is worried about Uniden's trajectory lately. If I replace my R8, it won't be with another Uniden.

Package came in good condition, still getting the hand of it, but pretty good so far.

I absolutely LOVE the Uniden R8. It has great long range detection, and has alerted me of radar about a mile away. It is easy to set up, and easy to program, especially with the R/Tech app once you connect it via Bluetooth with your phone. You can also program it with your computer via the app from Uniden's website, as well as save settings and upload them to the unit if you changed them and want to reset from a previous configuration. I downloaded settings from Vortex Radar to program mine, then tweaked them to fit my needs. They have a complete review of several radar detectors, and was the reason I went with the R8 based on their tests. You can change colors of the alert arrows, signal bar, display. I like the red, but unfortunately can't see it very well in sunlight, so I had to go with white for easiest visibility when the sun is hitting the display from behind my vehicle. You can also select different tones for each type of threat (X, K, Ka, laser, RLC, etc) so you can keep your eyes on the road. The R8 also shows multiple threats at the same time, not just one, so you can decide if the threat is credible or some other signal. The auto mute and Quiet Ride is nice too, no sitting stationary and listening to loud beeps when you're not moving or driving very fast. It does detect crash avoidance systems from other vehicles, but those can be blocked out using the programmable mute feature. So like other detectors, it does give false warnings, but you can tell it to ignore those signals. Now the bad parts, and the reason I only gave it 4☆: When connecting to the computer, it took several tries to get it to connect. The display does NOT light up, and I had to reinstall the computer app to get it to connect both times I programmed it, I thought it was broken. The alert arrows aren't 100% accurate. Driving by radar speed signs showed threat ahead, and continued to do so after I passed it, even when the signal was bouncing off the vehicles behind me. It didn't switch to showing the threat coming from behind. The display occasionally seems to have a mind of its own. This morning it began cycling through Bright, Dim, Dimmer, Dark, Auto, and Off repeatedly. I unplugged it and plugged it back in only for it to continue doing it. After doing this several times, the display was off. Holding the mute button down on the plug or detector changes the display setting, so I did that and left it on bright. The power cord is in a closed console, so the mute button wasn't being touched. I think it has something to do with the Auto sensor. Regardless, it's the best radar detector I've owned, easy to use, intuitive, and can be tweaked to your area or liking. It does take a little effort on your part if you choose to set it up to get the most out of it, or you could plug it in and go.

***** DO NOT BUY THIS IF YOU ARE NOT IN THE USA OR CANADA ***** It does not work AT ALL. No detection in the UK or Europe AT ALL totally USELESS