How Do Laser Shifter Systems Work?

Sold as a means of preventing police officers from measuring the speed of your vehicle, laser shifter systems are amazing feats of engineering. Laser-based speed measurement guns measure distances very accurately and very quickly. Police use these hand-held guns to pick out a single vehicle in heavy traffic and find out in a split second how fast it’s going. With no time to slow down, a laser shifter system is your only hope of not getting a ticket – assuming you are traveling above the speed limit.

How Do Police Laser Systems Work?

Police laser guns emit a series of narrowly focused light pulses at a target. The system measures the time it takes for those pulses to reflect back to the gun. Knowing the speed of light, the gun can calculate how far away the object is. If the series of pulses arrives back to the gun at an increasingly faster rate, the object is getting closer to the gun. If the time between pulse reflections is slower, the object is moving away. Using calculus (that math you learned in high school but never thought was necessary), the gun can calculate the vehicle speed, often in less than 0.3 of a second.

Police laser guns transmit a series of light pulses to determine your distance.

How Do Laser Defusers Work?

The laser defuser system uses a pair (or more) of transceivers on the front (and optionally the rear) of your vehicle to detect the light pulses from the laser gun. The transceivers have IR receivers that are similar to those used to detect signals from your TV remote control. As soon as the system detects a signal, it sets to work analyzing the pattern of pulses to determine what type of laser gun is being used. It compares the pattern to a look-up table and immediately starts broadcasting light pulses that are similar, but not identical, to those it received. This process happens in less time than it takes the gun to measure the vehicle speed. The pattern of confusing light signals and reflections from the vehicle prevents the laser gun from accurately determining your distance or speed.

The laser shifter system emits light pulses to confuse the information that the laser gun receives and prevent it from displaying your vehicle speed.

How Do We Use Laser Defuser Systems?

The key to being able to continue driving without interruption lies in how your laser shifter system is used, more than what it does. As soon as the system detects a signal, you will receive an alert so that you can start to slow down. Once at a safe speed, you can cancel the shifted signal transmission and allow the officer to take a reading.

The speed at which you complete the “slow and cancel” process is crucial to your success. If you lollygag and drive past the officer with the laser signal shifted, he or she will know what you are up to and may choose to follow you.

A smooth but efficient application of the brakes to prevent the nose of the car or truck from dipping, then a subsequent tap on the Mute (or similar) button should take no more than a few seconds. The officer will likely be in the process of taking a second measurement of your vehicle and, if you’ve done your job, will get a reading that won’t raise an eyebrow.

A beautifully integrated display from an Escort MAX Ci 360 in the overhead console of a Range Rover. Image courtesy of Ralph’s Radio in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Expert Installation Is Required

One final point we want to highlight is the importance of proper installation. Laser defusers, shifters, sensors, transceivers or whatever you choose to call them require very accurate installation. If they aren’t aligned perfectly and positioned according to manufacturer guidelines, the system may not function properly. Done wrong, your investment in protection will be rendered useless.

As with most premium automotive enhancements, choosing a retailer who has the tools, training and materials to complete the installation properly should take significant precedence over any other aspect of the project. Ask to see examples of their work and, if possible, have a look behind the scenes at how they mount components, run wiring and make connections. If it doesn’t look right to you, it probably isn’t.

Our team asks that you always obey all traffic laws and drive carefully at all times.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.