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      09-16-2019, 08:52 PM   #1
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X7 sets off Radar Detector's Laser alarm: fix

My radar detector turned out to be useless in the X7 as somehow the Laser alarm was constantly going off. Some quick Googling revealed that I'm not alone. Turns out the culprit is the Gesture Control sensors, which ingeniously use the same red wavelength of light as Police radar to "see" your gestures. These sensors are located in the overhead console. You can see the bright red lights shining in this pic:

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Turning the Gesture Control feature off does not help as it does not turn off the lasers. The solution? Cover the sensor.

1. I used blue painter's tape to avoid a sticky mess when I remove the tape. But note that the laser still shines through the thin blue tape.
2. Outline the sensor on the blue tape to use as a template for thicker tape. I used black hockey tape. This is very sticky, so I applied it to another length of painter's tape, then covered with the template and cut it to size (a bit larger to ensure coverage).
3. Remove the top layer of painter's tape (the template) and use the black tape on painter's tape to cover the sensor.

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Voila. Tape installed, Valentine1 turned on. No laser.

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I should note that we are a house divided with regard to this Gesture Control feature. I think it's crap, as it's a useless novelty and interferes with the all important radar detection. My wife however, loves the Gesture Control. She finds it easier to throw a quick gesture when there is a lot going on (dog in the car, kids yelling, stop at Freddy's drive thru to bark an order). Point 2 fingers and boom, the radio (at least) is silent.

However, we both agree that priority goes to the V1 on a long road trip.
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      09-17-2019, 03:13 AM   #2
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Well, check you out. Well done!
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      09-17-2019, 07:56 PM   #3
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Or you can just re-program your V1 to turn off laser detection since it is essentially useless anyway. If it goes off, it means you were the target and are toast.... Problem solved, happy wife, happy life.....
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      09-20-2019, 02:28 PM   #4
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Completely agree!

Quote:
Originally Posted by jmciver View Post
Or you can just re-program your V1 to turn off laser detection since it is essentially useless anyway. If it goes off, it means you were the target and are toast.... Problem solved, happy wife, happy life.....
I completely agree - also tried to mask gesture control and found that if it would stop triggering laser, it would look ugly. Turnoff laser and everything is beautiful!
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      09-21-2019, 06:29 PM   #5
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Wow - I guess I got lucky they ran out of gesture control during my build. Nice tip though.
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      09-21-2019, 08:46 PM   #6
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Guess you're not an iPhone X or Xs or 11 user as the facial detection feature sets of LIDaR alerts too.
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      09-22-2019, 06:11 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jragan View Post
Guess you're not an iPhone X or Xs or 11 user as the facial detection feature sets of LIDaR alerts too.
From your phone? Care to explain that one? Not if it stays in your pocket (or on the wireless charger). I have never heard of that before, especially if your V1 is mounted in one of the traditional locations either high on the windshield or low on the dash, regardless of the car. Unless you mount your phone right next to your V1, I don't see how the phone could trip the laser sensor on the front of the V1...
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      11-17-2019, 06:43 PM   #8
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Thanks for the tip. We took delivery of the car on Thursday and used your tape method. V1 works perfectly, and it is amazing how fast the M50 gets into triple digits.
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      11-17-2019, 08:00 PM   #9
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Cool. Is there an easy way to tap into power in the mirror with the V1?
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      11-18-2019, 05:49 AM   #10
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I've gesture control in my F90 M5C, haven't noticed anything unusual with my Uniden R7. Nothing with my iPhone 11 ! Not sure if the gesture control is different in X7 ordered. I'll circle back after taking delivery.
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      11-18-2019, 07:06 AM   #11
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My Escort 360c wouldn't stop going off laser either so....I turned it off lol. Works great now! Hardwiring to the rear view mirror blew a fuse so had to go to the fusebox.
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      11-24-2019, 09:34 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by torment View Post
My Escort 360c wouldn't stop going off laser either so....I turned it off lol. Works great now! Hardwiring to the rear view mirror blew a fuse so had to go to the fusebox.
I have a 2019 X7 with gesture control. My Escort 360C is mounted on a Blendmount and I have never had an issue with false alarms or laser going off...
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      11-25-2019, 11:37 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SparkleCity View Post
I have a 2019 X7 with gesture control. My Escort 360C is mounted on a Blendmount and I have never had an issue with false alarms or laser going off...
I had an issue with Escort 360c Laser went haywire 2-3 months ago but the problem went away after firmware update.
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      11-26-2019, 02:49 PM   #14
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Well I turned off laser before I updated to the newest firmware so I'll try it again. Thanks for the tip.
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      12-28-2019, 03:26 PM   #15
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For some reason my Passport Escort won't receive power from the 12-volt "cigarette lighter" plug located in the console of my X7. My voltmeter reads 12 volts inside the receptacle but I suspect the radar detector plug isn't making proper contact. Anyone else experiencing this problem? My detector works great in my other two vehicles.
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      12-28-2019, 04:36 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerrylee View Post
For some reason my Passport Escort won't receive power from the 12-volt "cigarette lighter" plug located in the console of my X7. My voltmeter reads 12 volts inside the receptacle but I suspect the radar detector plug isn't making proper contact. Anyone else experiencing this problem? My detector works great in my other two vehicles.
Pin on the plug is too short, I connect mine directly to power. For phone I tested 4 different chargers until I found right one. Good luck.
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      12-28-2019, 09:26 PM   #17
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I didn't know people were still using V1.
I thought it was the BlackBerry of that industry.
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      12-29-2019, 12:28 PM   #18
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Quote:
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I didn't know people were still using V1.
I thought it was the BlackBerry of that industry.
I have been a long time V1 user. It is actually a very effective and capable detector when it has the latest firmware AND re-programmed properly to improve performance. When combined with a few good cell phone apps it is even better. Although, the interface is definitely very dated...
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      12-29-2019, 12:53 PM   #19
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It's become rather useless around these parts because it only works in rural areas with the equipment the bears use on those roads. Stealth jammers have been the way to go for some time and what I have used in the past. I have not tried the V1 with the latest firmware but if you're getting tagged by Laser/LIDAR you're getting a ticket and the V1 will just alert you to that fact not prevent it.
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      12-29-2019, 02:43 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iconoclast View Post
It's become rather useless around these parts because it only works in rural areas with the equipment the bears use on those roads. Stealth jammers have been the way to go for some time and what I have used in the past. I have not tried the V1 with the latest firmware but if you're getting tagged by Laser/LIDAR you're getting a ticket and the V1 will just alert you to that fact not prevent it.
Radar detectors being a bit "chatty" in more urban areas nowadays affects all of them, not just the V1. However, using a V1 with a good cell phone app (I use V1Driver on my iPhone) does a good job to keep it quiet in more urban ares (which is where I live), yet still keep you protected. Regarding Laser with a V1 (or any radar detector with Laser detection), I agree it is pointless - which is why I have Laser turned off on my V1 as I posted a bit earlier in this thread ......
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      12-29-2019, 04:07 PM   #21
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Exactly why I prefer a jammer than detector. I would rather make sure the bears can't read me than a device notify me that they are reading me.
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      01-07-2020, 08:33 PM   #22
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I had the same issue when i munted the radar detector on the laft or right of the mirror. But when i mounted it just below the mirror, the false laser alarms went away ... i had a 15hr drive from NC to FL and did not give me a false alarm.
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