New V1 Laser False :(

S

Setec Astronomy

Well-known member
The occassional V1 laser false from some of the LED taillights/CHMSL's these days has been tolerable, but today an Infiniti FX was driving behind me, and my laser alarm kept going off at regular intervals, maybe every five seconds or so. Smelling a rat, I went to the Infiniti website when I got home and found this available option:



Technology Package



- Infiniti Navigation System

- Intelligent Cruise Control uses laser sensors to detect vehicles ahead while automatically maintaining the preset following distance

- Brake Assist with Preview

- Lane Departure Warning system

- Satellite radio with body color antenna and choice of XM® or SIRIUS™ service providers



This is gonna get old real fast...
 
Yup, and a lot of other cars have the same technology. Nothing you can do about it except turn the V1 off.
 
Supposedly they are working really hard to find a fix for that. Good luck and IMO, I wouldn't mind it going off every now and then for a random car for the v1 protection. :chuckle:
 
abrcrombe said:
IMO, I wouldn't mind it going off every now and then for a random car for the v1 protection. :chuckle:
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Yeah, except a laser alarm is like an instant-on radar hit, you want to get on the brakes RIGHT NOW (of course, even then, with laser, it's just so the cop doesn't have to drive so far to catch up to you).
 
The solution is simple. When one of these cars is following you, jam on the brakes. He hits his brakes, cruise control off, no more signal, no problem. :chuckle:



Just kidding of course. I've seen it too and it's real nuisance.
 
GearHead_1 said:
The solution is simple. When one of these cars is following you, jam on the brakes. He hits his brakes, cruise control off, no more signal, no problem. :chuckle:
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If only it was that simple...we weren't on the highway, so I highly doubt the cruise control was on, the system either was malfunctioning and shooting the laser anyway, is designed to shoot the laser all the time, or has some sort of anti-rear end collision alarm mode for people who like to take their eyes off the road.



Timmah: I'm not sure if there is a hack to turn off the V1 laser to the rear, and how easy it is to toggle--thanks for the idea!
 
GearHead_1 said:
The solution is simple. When one of these cars is following you, jam on the brakes. He hits his brakes, cruise control off, no more signal, no problem. :chuckle:



Just kidding of course. I've seen it too and it's real nuisance.
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lol, won't work. The criuse control will brake as hard as it needs to avoid an accident. Standard on almost all the new laser equipped card. Infiniti also has a lane departure warning system, which might have cause it. I don't know if it uses lasers though.
 
Setec, several of the hi-end Japanese vehicles use laser-based cruise control. I pick them up every day. I would not describe it as a false - -it's not. It's the V1 hard at work.



Flip side: my X50, mounted in a different car, has never picked up this laser source, not even once. That concerns me.
 
I have to disagree Tom, that's like saying a door opener isn't a false, it's just the detector hard at work (well, ok, it's picking up a real signal in the band). Driving in front of that Infiniti was almost as fun as that time on 95 in CT when I was late for an appt. and I kept getting X-band alerts at frequent intervals. After I don't know how many times of jamming on the brakes, I finally noticed the traffic sensors mounted on bridges, etc.



We actually do have laser here in NJ, which is what prompted me to buy a V1 originally, years ago. However, I have only seen it in use once, a few months ago. I actually got pinged with it (not speeding, at least not enough to get stopped). I figured it was a false, and then I saw the NJ State Trooper up on a bridge near the barracks hanging out the window with the thing (this was on the TP down south, for you Jersey members).
 
Setec, a few thoughts from Mikey, perhaps you've seen them:



Why am I getting laser alarms when I follow some cars?

- J.J., Michigan





Red neon is occasionally used for the CHMSL (Center High Mounted Stop Lamp) on new cars. We know of these models: GM Trailblazer and Envoy, the Lincoln Mk VIII and the latest BMW 3-series convertible.



These lights use a neon-plasma light source. The red lens allows red visible light to pass, and also invisible energy near infrared. The source is powered by a pulsating voltage on a frequency that happens to be similar to the repetition rate of legitimate laser-gun pulse trains. In other words, the CHMSLs have an invisible energy leakage that’s nearly identical to the beam used by traffic laser. If we suppress the interference, we’re likely to damage laser sensitivity.



Another source of alarms: a few new cars have cruise controls that use laser to measure distance to the car ahead. This feature is available on the Lexus LS430, Infiniti FX35 and FX45. This, of course, is real laser, not a false alarm.



If you’re really bothered by these alarms, you can reprogram V1 to disable its laser reception. It’s a DIY project. Here’s a link to the instructions on our website:



http://www.valentine1.com/lab/mikeslabrpt3.asp
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I've also noticed that when I pass thru certain EZPass lanes the detector emits a Laser false alarm for a few short seconds. i get this with both the V1 and the X50.
 
Hey just follow someone else who is speeding. So far, it has proven safe for me every time.

OOPS! Now I've tempted fate!
 
It would be nice if they narrow the band of nm (nanometers) so that we don't get false alarms, like a laser jammer. However even having the laser on a dectector is all but useless. If it were real and you were speeding, it would be all over.

If you want you can disable the laser from your V1. Call V1 and they will walk you through it.



Hopefully they will have a fix out shortly, exspecially with more and more cars going to laser cruise control.
 
That's a very common and well-known issue with laser-guided cruise controls. Mike Valentine even has a section dedicated to that on the V1 site.



EDIT: Just noticed the post above. :doh
 
ManiZ said:
That's a very common and well-known issue with laser-guided cruise controls. Mike Valentine even has a section dedicated to that on the V1 site.



EDIT: Just noticed the post above. :doh
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The bigger problem is that if you are using your V1 or any radar dectoctor for Laser, you are playing with fire! You get so many false alarms, that you may not even pay attention to it once its real! Unfortually they have to include them to be competitive in the market.
 
Heh heh, in my experience most of the time laser detectors are just ticket announcers anyhow :o Sometimes they zap somebody ahead of you, but when they really want to clock me with laser it's all a matter of my spotting them (visually) before they trigger it as opposed to relying on the V1. It's such a a narrow beam and brief exposure, and most of the LEOs in my area are pretty skilled with the things.
 
Deemo said:
Yeah....why is that?

Not laser :nixweiss
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Some of those LED taillights which are becoming increasingly common seem to have a IR component (or increased intensity) which is close enough to the Lidar frequency to set it off.
 
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