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General GPS FAQ's

Q. What is GPS?
A. Global Positioning System (GPS) is a worldwide radio navigation system that uses 24 satellites that orbit the earth. GPS receivers, like the SMARTnode or the antenna in the GPS mirror system, use these satellite signals to calculate their position to within a couple of metres.

Q. How do GPS detectors work?
A. The phrase "GPS Detectors" is a bit of a misnomer. Unlike radar and laser detectors which alert when they physically pick up a signal of some kind, GPS Detectors don't actually "detect" anything in the traditional sense. They use a technique called GPS location to warn of safety cameras and other hazard areas. A GPS Detector can pick up these GPS satellite signals and use them to work out exactly where your car is on the road at any one time. It constantly compares its current location as you drive along against its own internal database of stored camera locations. When the device works out that you are getting close to one of these locations, it can bleep and flash at you to alert you to the approaching hazard ahead. GPS Detectors can only warn you of speed trap locations that are stored in their database. All they are doing is warning you that you are approaching a location on a map - they are not physically picking up any signals from speed cameras. That is why GPS Detectors must be updated frequently via a PC to ensure their internal database stores the very latest available information on new camera locations. They do not know if a speed camera is there or not, or if the speed camera is working or not. They are just warning you that their database memory is telling them that there should be a speed camera at that location.

Q. Why do I need a GPS Detector?
A. Modern roads become more congested and regulated every day so driver awareness has never been more important. Even the most conscientious motorist can have occasional lapses in concentration which could easily result in an accident or a fine and licence endorsements. Collisions, penalty fines or points can all result in increased car insurance premiums to say nothing of the implications for personal safety. GPS Detectors, like our GPSmirror and ActiveStealth software for Windows Mobile devices, are designed as a road safety enhancement tools to protect you, as well as your livelihood and your licence. Advance awareness of high risk accident zones can greatly enhance road safety. Whether or not you agree with camera enforcement, safety camera systems are here to stay. Their use is growing rapidly around the world. Your local authorities will confirm that they usually place speed or red light camera systems at dangerous intersections or stretches of road where there is a history of road accidents. GPS Detectors use the latest technology to remind you, with audible and visual warnings, when you are approaching these known hazard zones so you can plan ahead and make sure you are paying attention. When you think about it, local drivers know where all the danger spots and cameras are in their own area. Using the GPSmirror or running ActiveStealth on your Windows Mobile device means you can now be just as informed and aware as a local driver, no matter where you're driving. Some camera enforcement systems like Redflex, ATS, RedSpeed, Traffiphot or Truvelo are linked to sensor buried in the road surface. (Inductive Loops or Piezo Strips.) There are no emitted signals for a radar detector to pick up so a radar detector will not give you advance warning of the dangerous areas where these types of cameras are used. GPS Detectors do not rely on detecting the signal emitted from a camera; they store the GPS location of the hazard zone and remind you when you are approaching these stored locations.

Q. Why do I need a laser or Radar Detector Detector pick up mobile speed traps?
A. GPS Detectors don't actually "detect" anything. They are really GPS Locators. They have no detection components inside them so cannot tell when a radar gun or laser gun is being used. They can store locations where radar and laser guns have been used in the past and can warn you when you are aproaching those locations, but this does not mean that a mobile speed trap is being used at that location now. This is often called storing "common mobile sites." Relying on GPS location to fully protect against mobile speed traps is simply not effective. GPS is good for reminding about fixed map locations, not moving targets. Other products are more suitable for mobile speed trap defence.