Reasons to Select Radar Instead of Lidar

One of the most significant innovations in police speed gun technology in recent years has been the development of laser-based guns. Known as lidar, these guns track speed by reflecting a laser beam off of a target and measuring the reflected light. This new technology allows law enforcement officers the ability to point at a specific target (such as a speeding car) and get a reading. Traditional radar guns can’t distinguish between cars traveling in a pack.

For this season, many people automatically assume that lidar is a better choice for police speed guns than radar. The reality is that, depending on your particular needs, lidar might not be the right choice for you. Let Radar Gun Sales show you a few of the reasons why selecting radar instead of lidar might be the correct decision for your needs:

Moving Targets: Despite the many advantages of using a lidar speed gun, one thing that it cannot do is track speed from inside a moving vehicle. The nature of the technology makes it impossible to determine the speed of a target if the gun is not stationary. This means that law enforcement officers with lidar guns for stationary tracking also need radar guns for use within their vehicles while they are moving.

Affordability: Simply put, lidar guns are much more expensive than radar guns. It’s possible to buy cheap radar guns today that are high quality and cost much less than even entry-level lidar guns. With the money you save, you can buy radar speed limit signs to go along with your guns.

Location: Lidar speed guns need to be focused on a target area for a longer period of time than radar guns do in order to get a reading. If you are using a lidar gun in an area — such as around a blind curve — where you can’t get a clear shot for a long period of time, you might miss out on some readings.

There truly is no one “right” answer when it comes to choosing radar or lidar. However, you can see that the choice isn’t as clear-cut as it might seem at first glance. For some departments, having a mixture of radar and lidar radar gun units might be the best option, giving your officers the ability to use the technology that is right for their unique situation. No matter which choice you make, you need to do the research and feel confident that you are making the right decision.

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The police speed gun experts at Radar Gun Sales contributed this article. The site is a one-stop shop for radar gun needs, including cheap radar guns, tracking equipment and radar speed limit signs.

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