- Apple CarPlay Compatible
Easily view your route and all alerts on your Apple CarPlay compatible vehicle display. - Exceptional range
Get exceptional detection range and sensitivity with the same Blackfin 706 DSP and SDR AD 9363 chips in our flagship Redline 360c radar detector. - Outstanding filtering
Improved hardware and software provides you with outstanding filtering and a quieter drive so you can focus on the right alerts at the right time. - 360° directional awareness
Know what’s happening all around you with 360° directional arrows so you can react and adjust to the location of the alert. - QHD video (1440P)
Capture 78% more pixels with 1440P resolution and impressive low-light performance with the Sony Starvis sensor and Ambarella SoC chip. - Advanced safety and security
Emergency Mayday Alert, Incident Reports, and Parking Mode features ensure maximum protection for you, your cargo, and your vehicle. - Cloud video management
Instantly store, edit and share footage from anywhere with built-in Wi-Fi and instant access to your videos. - Radar detectors are not available for purchase in Washington D.C. or Virginia.
-36%
Escort – MAXcam 360c Radar Detector and Dash Camera – Black
$408.00 Save:$229.00(36%)
Available in stock
Description
Additional information
| Weight | 0.75 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 5.13 × 1.38 × 4.25 in |
| Product Width | 1.38 inches |
| Internal Memory | Yes |
| Product Depth | 5.13 inches |
| Product Height | 4.25 inches |
| Manufacturer's Warranty - Parts | 1 year |
| Product Weight | 0.75 pounds |
| Model Number | 0100046-1 |
| Color Category | Black |
| Color | Black |
| Product Name | MAXcam 360c Radar Detector and Dash Camera |
| Manufacturer's Warranty - Labor | 1 year |
| Brand | Escort |
| UPC | 737795004615 |
Reviews (50)
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John –
Works fine, just need to sync to my smart phone!!!
Ricardo –
Upgraded from a Max 3. Def worth the upgrade! Clear video. The directional arrows do make the difference.
JDThird –
I’ve been wanting to upgrade my Cobra Road Scout for a year or more. It has always been flakey, and the apps have never worked well, couldn’t usually get at any settings. The only way to get video was to pull the SD card. Granted, that’s faster anyway so not a huge deal.
I see this uses the exact same power cord and the exact same mount, so I’m assuming there’s a shared parentage between Cobra and Escort.
Same features, but a slimmer, more attractive case with the Escort. I’m not a fan of the display being so much smaller, but I can live with it for actual connectivity if it proves to be better over time.
Setting up the app was simple enough, I had no problems connecting with the unit after the app was set up and I was logged in. I checked for a firmware update, and there was, so it downloaded the update, ran it, completed it, all in about 3 or so minutes. Even reconnected again after the update completed.
There are a lot of options in the app that I will have to dig into more, and I’m disappointed with the app that pages have a little “i” for information on them, but when you click it, at least the pages I was trying, there WAS no additional information to help explain what the setting was for.
They have all the basics though, selectable color of the display, auto power off settings (1/2/4/8 hours are selectable), parking monitor settings, volume options, all the standard things.
One thing I was immediately disappointed with, out of the box, is that it uses an ANCIENT mini-USB connector. Not even a micro USB or, preferably, a USB-C port. They used a port that has been around for 18 years now and that NOBODY ELSE uses anymore. I don’t even HAVE one of these in my cable collection, even the micro USB ones I don’t use since I’ve replaced anything that used it for a preference for USB C. So anything this new technologically should NOT be using such an old port. Even my Cobra, which is a few years older than this model, has a newer USB port.
Came with a case as well, but not a great case – it has one side of the square that opens so you have to slide things in. There is no separate place for the mount, or power cable, they all just lay in there together so it’s possible things could be scratched. I would’ve preferred a zipper that opened three sides so it would lift open, and a spot I could’ve even done my own foam in if I wanted, cut to fit each piece.
I like these mounts though, although my Cobra, which had the exact same mount, broke after about 2 months of use – I had only put it on one time so it should not have had any plastic fatigue, but the whole lever system broke as it was hanging, not while being installed or removed, and it couldn’t maintain suction anymore. Replacement has worked well though. The convenience of the little magnetic mount is great, since I like to pull these from the window depending on where I park and for how long. No reason to leave temptation in the window.
I initially did a quick test run for a few miles to compare how this reacts to the same things my Cobra is used to on my daily drive, and it seemed to be comparable. Same alert going past the brick and mortars with a radar controlled entrance door for the K band. Warnings as a law enforcement car drove down the road with the radar gun running.
It runs EXTERMELY HOT though. Wow. I pulled it off the mount so I could get at the Micro SD card – 16 GB included at least, that’s handy but not much use – already almost half full after a 15 minute drive. I’ll be replacing that soon, as this will support up to 128 GB. But I was shocked at the heat of this thing, especially on the bottom. It was NOT a hot day, sky was very overcast so no sun was shining into the car to heat it up either. This was all simply self generated heat that it puts off on its own. I’m definitely going to want to keep an eye on that in the summer when the sun *IS* hitting it.
The higher resolution camera is pretty clear. Audio is absolutely useless if you have a window open even at non highway speeds, but if the windows are closed, or you’re at a stop, then audio is OK. The Cobra wasn’t nearly this bad with open windows. But the camera picture quality is good. Going just a few miles an hour next to cars in the next lane as I come to a stop, i can’t read any license plates. But when I’m at a total stop, and someone is in front of me, you can read the plate easily. Field of view is about the same as the Cobra, just with higher resolution.
GPS speed seems off a bit, but so did the Cobra so not a shock. I get almost identical readings from the car itself, google maps, and Waze. This, much like the Cobra, is about 1 to 1.5 MPH off. My Cobra did better at knowing the speed limit of the road I was on though so it could warn me of speeding. This one shows 70 even on local 45 MPH highways that the Cobra knew the speed limit for. Maybe that’ll be something that updates at some point. On smaller side roads it doesn’t show ANY speed and that’s what I would’ve preferred rather than showing an impossible speed for the area.
You have options of what to include on the recording, so it’s easy to turn off the watermark. By default, speed is not selected.
You can adjust sensitivity for X and K band, or if it’s at auto it just shortens the detection range for slower driving. Ka however is always at max detection range no matter what your setting here.
I like the two meter strengths for front and rear. My old detector only had the single one. This makes it easy to see if it’s in front or behind you. The dial does have little lights with arrows showing front/back/left/right but they’re dim in daylight even with brighter settings so not easy to catch at a glance. And like the Cobra, this doesn’t throw a lot of false readings for cars with radar based safety features like blind spot assistance or automatic cruise control.
There is a PDF on their support site for this with all the details. The included quick start is pretty useless.
One thing this clearly excelled at over the Cobra is the viewing of videos from the phone. Granted, it’s not the fastest option, but it DOES work after a minute or so of trying to read the data over the Escort’s Wi-Fi connection. It presents you with the videos to select and you can play them right there from the browser. Handy if you’re trying to show something to an officer.
It’s a solid little performer all in all. I much prefer this form factor over the Cobra, but so far in use over the last three days on Wisconsin interstates and highways, I don’t see that I’m getting my warnings any faster or further out than my Cobra did for half the price. So the value leaves me feeling let down. But it WORKS with the app, which is something that the Cobra always struggled with, usually failing. So it seems to be a good example of getting what you pay for if you’re really needing the app integration.
LouRevue –
I currently have a Escort MAX 3 and was in the market for an upgrade. I was able to review this one and have been pleasantly surprised with it and its features.
The one big upgrade is that this model has a built-in dash cam which is pretty nice. I have a separate dash cam in my truck already however, an added dash cam can never hurt. As it’s built into the radar detector, there’s no added cable or mount that’s needed so it frees up, or negates, the need for clutter on my windshield. Picture/video quality is quite good with this dash cam and I really like that it automatically shows both the time/date and GPS coordinates in the picture and video. My dash cam does this however it’s a setting that sometimes gets out of whack and needs to be manually updated. Kind of a pain but, eh, it works.
As for the radar detector itself? So far it’s identified every red light, speeding camera in my area without issue. It’s also alerted me to a couple newer ones that I wasn’t aware had been setup which is great. The main issue I’ve encountered so far is with the K band detection. I’ve gotten oodles of false alerts with K band around me which is kind of annoying. This is a known issue with K band however it’s almost to the point where I want to shut that off just so I won’t have to deal with the false alarms.
That said, it’s a great little radar detector. It is considerable larger than your normal ones so that is something to be aware of. As such, it’s also a little heavier than your typical radar detector too. However the mount included is good and haven’t had any issues so far. I do notice the radar detector bounce quite a bit while driving and this is also evident when looking at the dash cam footage. Not a huge thing but just something to note.
dharr18 –
Escort – MAXcam 360c Radar Detector and Dash Camera – Black
Please read this entire review because it will be all over the place. This review is based off my initial experience with the 360c.
First let me state I am using the Escort Maxcam 360c with and Android phone, OnePlus 9 5G. I have a OnePlus Pad as the tablet I refer to in the review. I can not speak to how well this works with an iPhone nor iPad. My laptop is a Dell XPS with only USB type C and Thunderbolt ports. Desktop is a Dell AIO (All-In-One). Both are running Windows 11.
HARDWARE
The hardware is well built. The images and videos from the camera are very clear (accessed by ejecting the SD card from the unit). The unit itself is well built and the process used for navigating the menu is much easier than my previous detector.
The audio for alerts are loud enough and easily adjusted with a volume knob that is also used for navigating the menu. The voice prompts/alerts are not the clearest though. Not really hardware related but referring to how the speaker works.
The radar detection seems to do a good job detecting possible radar traps. It also does a good job identifying false alerting areas.
Now for the reason why there is a middling grade for the Maxcam 360c.
SOFTWARE
The Android App Drive Smarter is horrible. The PC software is horrible. The firmware update process is painful at best. “Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.”
Android App Drive Smarter:
* Can access the camera settings but not the camera output
* Have to close app, force stop and open again to get a BT connection to find detector
* Can not do a firmware update from phone, even though it is forcing a firmware update it just hangs on the screen indefinitely
* Can not access files on the detector/cam from phone
* App will set some settings on the detector, but not all settings
* Can not use phone as the hot spot connection over Wi-Fi unless you have a second phone or tablet to set it up
* Can not connect to home Wi-Fi
* App says the camera is not compatible (which it is), then the next error tells me to reboot the device, disconnect, restart app , reboot phone and whatever other basic troubleshooting they add to the error
PC Software:
* Windows can not identify the USB device if connecting thru a hub or a USB type C converter (only connections my laptop has)
* Can not find the camera inside the app on my desktop connected through USB A to mini using provided cable
* Will only show up as a hard drive on my desktop with drivers installed for the SD card only
* Only way to update firmware is to extract the files and place them in the root of the SD card, I copied twice one in the folder extracted and once with all the files only in root. Not sure which worked, but the firmware updated the next time I got in the car
* Only way to get video and images from the Camera is to copy from the SD card since the MAXCam 360c does not show up in the software
Firmware Update:
* As mentioned earlier, to update firmware is to extract the files and place them in the root of the SD card, I copied twice one in the folder extracted and once with all the files only in root
From the support website, they acknowledge that some phones have issues connecting to Drive Smarter and the camera. There are quite a few incidents open as well for the 360c for known issues.
I am concerned if the databases are getting updated like they should. If a firmware update fails, how can the database updates work?
I have a ticket open with support, if this proves fruitful I will add a sub comment to this review. Support is only available Monday thru Thursday. This review is based off my initial experience with the 360c.
OVERALL:
Very disappointed with the experience so far. I am hoping future updates fix the issues I am having. The fact this is almost all software issues, I am essentially rating the hardware as a 5 and the software as a 1, averaging to the 3 star rating. I would love to give a half star and call it 2.5 but feel a 2 is too low for the hardware if the software is fixed.
Webzpinner –
First drive with this installed and was taking it for a spin, when it started beeping. I looked everywhere, and didn’t see any cops. Slowed down to the speed limit just in case, and a car behind me shot past at 90+ mph. Ahead of me, in between some shade trees and a billboard, was a motorcycle highway patrol waiting to add to his quota. Had I not slowed, it would have been me gettin a ticket instead of the preppy in the Tesla. Ha! The Android app is decent. It’s not the greatest app but from what I’ve read it’s come a long way. My app randomly disconnects from the radar detector, but the reconnect is fairly quick. I really haven’t seen anything that raises a red flag.
I looked at recordings transferred from the unit to my phone. The QHD video is fairly sharp. It’s a step above the grainy “FHD” video used in the $70 dash cams but still requires you to get close t read li scenes plates. Supposedly the night video is sharper, but I haven’t tested that yet.
My biggest concern is finding another magic mount for my other vehicle. I went to 3 bestbuys looking for a second Mount and no one has them. I don’t want to buy a 2nd radar detector just for a 2nd mount. Really wish companies packed accessory catalogs with their products like they used to.
Boogie2525 –
I purchased in the last two years, probably three escort radar detector’s. I’ve always loved the accuracy of all the ones I purchase, so I stick to the same brand. I’ve always wanted this version because, of the camera but did not realize how big is actually was. I downloaded the app, and I try to sick everything including the camera. I still have not been able to do that for some reason, but I did get a couple of videos from the camera that I couldn’t download or if you on my phone. I’m not gonna take off a star for that, because most likely, it’s something I’m not doing correctly. I really love the app, especially when I can see all the speed traps, red light cameras, and all the speed cameras in your immediate vicinity. This radar detector has less for signals all of my previous radar detectors up until this point. It also seems to have how much longer range than all the previous radar detectors. I’ve been frequently app to get it right where I want it, but I’m not there yet. Overall I really enjoy this upgrade, and believe this will be my last detector for sometime.
David –
The Escort MaxCam 360c is a very capable radar detector and dashcam combo unit. It has been almost 20 years since I’ve owned a radar detector and they have come quite a long way in those 20 years. This particular unit features bluetooth and wifi so you can connect to the Drive Smarter smartphone app. With the app you can view and edit all of the unit’s settings, view and download video footage, and more. In my experience, the app is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it’s really nice and useful to be able to view and edit all of the units settings on your phone. On the other hand, connectivity is spotty at best, and not all features work as they should, most notably, downloading video clips. Regarding connectivity, I would regularly notice that my phone wwould drop the bluetooth connection, although at least it would reconnect automatically in a few seconds. This didn’t affect the main functionality of the unit at all, however, if you use the connected features such as red light camera detection or other community based features, then you really should be able to rely on that app connection. As far as the video clips, I couldn’t once actually download a video clip using the app. In theory, you connect to the unit via wifi and just download the selected clips. However, in practice this never worked for me. I was able to connect via wifi and see all of my clips, and even view them. However, when I went to download, the progress bar would just never move and I’d eventually have to just close the app. Your best bet to download clips is either plug the unit into a computer using the supplied USB cable, or remove the SD card and put it directly in a card reader. Speaking of the SD card, I really appreciate that they include a card, however, it really is the bare minimum. It is only a 16gb card, and at 1440p video at 30fps, you can hold about 60 minutes worth of video on the card, double that if you downgrade to 1080p video. When you max out the capacity on the card, it automatically deletes the oldest files and rewrites the new footage. It’s nice that this is all automatic, but on longer road trips it could be easy to overwrite a desired video clip if you forget to manually mark it using the on unit buttons. I’ll also mention the video quality here while I’m on the cam. It is only decent. It’s not bad, but it’s not where I would prefer in this price range. I have used much cheaper dash cams that have had much better video quality. That being said, those other cams did not also have radar detectors built-in. Which is really the main attraction here. And it does not disappoint. It does exactly what it needs to do. Luckily, I got to test this thing out over the 4th of July weekend when the cops were out in full force trying to catch those speeders and drunk drivers. It was very satisfying to get the alerts and then see the trooper posted up on the side of the road shortly after. Detection in my experience works extremely well, and as best as I could tell I got very little, if any, false alerts. So as a radar detector, I am very happy with the MaxCam’s performance. And as stated, that really is the main reason you would even be considering this product. The built-in dashcam is really just an added bonus and gives you functionality you wouldn’t otherwise be able to get without cluttering up your windshield. So in that regard, I am again, very happy with this product. The main things keeping me from giving this 5 stars is the camera quality and app integration. Now, the app integration is something that could possibly be improved in future updates, and from what I’ve read, has already been improved greatly. However, the camera quality is what it is and cannot be upgraded, unfortunately. Also would have really preferred a larger memory card included. Overall, this is a really great radar detector and dash cam combo. There are just a few minor quirks that keep it from being truly 5 stars.
swemoney –
I haven’t used a radar detector in probably a good 20 years. Never anything nearly this fancy. I’m pretty happy with it’s feature set but I’m not quiet sure I’m impressed enough to spend quite this much on one.
Setup is fairly easy for the most part. You can basically just attach the sticky suction cup to your windshield and put the detector on the magnet and then plug it in and you’re ready to go. That’s a pretty basic setup. There’s a ton of settings to go through if you’re in advanced mode. And you can connect it to your phone as well. So there’s a lot more than just basic radar detection that you can do if you go through some more steps. The magnetic clip takes a minute to get used to since you have to get the detector into the notch first and then rotate it down but it’s not too bad. My biggest gripe is actually the proprietary RJ45 power jack as well as the separate MINI usb connection (not even micro). For this price, I would definitely prefer a single USB-C plug for both power and data. They sell their own hard wire kit for $25-35 which is probably the whole point in keeping the power cable proprietary.
The number of settings is almost overwhelming. If you don’t know what they do, just leave them alone but for the most part they’re pretty easy to grasp. You can find a good description of each setting in the manual. Navigating and changing settings took me a second to figure out but I eventually got it well enough to go through them all on the device.
If you’re feeling frisky and don’t have enough accounts for things, there’s the Drive Smarter app that lets your connect to your Escort and control a lot of things. You need an account which is always a negative for me but it’s pretty much the standard now a days. You can go through settings of the device a little easier in the app than trying to navigate them on the device. The app is basically just another GPS app that communicates with the detector. The nicest thing about it is that it replaces the over-speed speed on the detector screen with the current speed limit (if it’s detected). Then you can see the alerts on the app as well as the device screen so I guess that’s kind of nice? I mainly just don’t use the app since I’d rather use Apple Maps if I need GPS and I’d rather not have it running all the time while I’m driving. One reason to at least connect to the app at some point is to connect your detector to wifi so it can update firmware and database entries, though.
The radar detector works pretty well in my smallish sample size so far. The first trip I took with it, I turned the corner and it went off right away and there was a cop right across the street. It does detect pretty much everything so you’ll see a lot of false positives.. at first. One of the nicest things I like about this detector is it’s learning mode. It’s a setting you can turn off but I don’t intend to do that. It basically remembers where it saw events and if the same event shows up at the same place a few times, it adds it to a lock out database and it doesn’t yell at you next time it’s detected. It will still show up on the screen but it will give you a bit Locked message and then show the radar detection in gray and silent. It will also unlock an event if that radar goes away at some point in the future. Seems smart. So far it’s worked pretty well for me.
It seems like this detector can see pretty much every type of radar in existence. It doesn’t include anything to block radar detector detectors (or a stealth mode) so if you need that, look elsewhere. I had to look up the different types of radar and what they meant so I understood which events I needed to be more aware of but that didn’t take long. When an event is detected, you can see how strong the signal is in front and behind you. By default it will just show the most important event (based on how likely that signal is to be a real event), but you can change a setting that will show up to 4 events at the same time. Basically, radar detection seems to work really well and maybe I’m just out of the loop as far as how much a good radar detector costs these days.
You’re not just getting a radar detector with this one! If you’re looking to consolidate your devices and squeeze an alright dashcam into your radar detector, this thing might be for you! The picture is technically 1440p. There are settings for how long each segment is recorded for (1, 3 or 5 minutes). There’s a g-sensor for shock detection that automatically locks recordings. There’s even a parking mode that can keep the device asleep while you’re parked but start recording when it detects a g-sensor movement or motion. It has a decent amount of features. The picture quality is just alright for me. I think the sensor is pretty good on the camera but the compression is a little over-zealous. Things look pretty good while moving but you can see a ton of artifacts around the overlay text and watermarks. This could maybe be fixed with a firmware update to maybe give us an option for compression settings. It’s not a huge issue and I’m sure they’re able to squeeze more recordings onto the sdcard that comes in the box. You can also connect your detector (via a separate USB cable) to your computer which pops up the device as a USB drive where you can check out your recordings and even update your firmware without wifi. I had issues getting the device to pop up on my main PC but it worked fine on another laptop so I’m going to blame some configuration issues on my PC instead of knock the device for it.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with this radar detector. It didn’t need a dashcam for me but it’s an added bonus to not need both devices on your windshield. I might be out of the loop on how much radar detectors cost these days because this seems really pricey. But if you’re more knowledgeable and this seems like a good price for what I can see as a really good radar detector combined with a pretty good dashcam, then check this one out.
pinkoos –
So our family has been using Escort radar detectors from the time they were produced by an old company in Cincinnati. My late father used to have a huge brick of a model back in the 70’s and early 80’s – basically a thick, rectangular slab of technological marvel. Ever since those times, I’ve only bought Escort radar detectors. Now that both my sons are driving and sharing my previous car, I let them keep my trusty Passport Solo battery-operated radar detector and I’ve moved up in the world with this MAXcam 360c. First thing to note is that this is pretty big – not as big as my dad’s old radar, but quite a bit larger than my Passport Solo. In a way that heft gives it an air of quality and craftsmanship. But, size doesn’t matter, right? What you really want to know is how does this work in terms of giving you a heads up about near vicinity speed traps, etc. Well, in my brief time with it, I think it works wonders. Yes, you do get the occasional false alarm, but nowhere near what I used to get. I’ve had some issues with the app as others have mentioned (this is on an iPhone, I can’t speak to Android) but I’m sure those kinks will get worked out over time, either with firmware updates to the unit or app updates. As far as the dashcam goes…meh. It serves the purpose but the video quality leaves a bit to be desired and the inclusion of a measly 16GB memory card is beyond me for a product at this price point. When a company cuts corners like this it makes me wonder. Anyway, if you’re buying this for the radar, I say go for it. If you’re buying it for the dashcam and the radar is icing on the cake, I would look elsewhere. So, yes I would recommend this to a friend with the stipulation that said friend is buying it for the radar and not the dashcam.
btb2k –
This radar detector 2-in-1 is okay but falls short in several areas and way short of being what I would consider a very premium literally top end “Smart Driving” device.
What’s good:
Video quality is ok
Radar detection works great / lots of customizability in terms of bands and smart filtering
Offers smart features to eliminate false alarms (which does work!)
Easy to use controls
Easy mounting
Includes case
Accident detection/emergency recording
Night vision is good
Built-in GPS
USB port on cord for charging your phone (or maintaining it with all the GPS/data use)
Able to connect to in-vehicle wifi hotspot (if you have it)
What’s not so good:
Super short power cord / buttons on power cord
No fast charge on the USB charge port
App is almost a waste of time and is a HUGE drain your phones battery!
No extra features like direction, temp, etc. which would be nice
No 4K 60FPS video option
16GB micro sd is all that’s included
I really had high hopes for this unit to have a lot more features than it did, and once I started using the app, I became more disappointed. The app is basic and essentially allows you to download/share videos that were recorded and of course lets you see/share other drivers who report incidents. What puzzles me here, is why not integrate with Google Maps or Waze where more people use it and it has other features that actually promote “smart driving”, i.e. smart route planning with real time navigation (like if an accident is detected, it not only lets you know but updates your route to save time and make your trip safer). I use Android Auto in some of my vehicles and this would just have to run in the background making the app pointless. In addition, those apps are almost as effective as a radar detector in terms of identifying speed traps, and in many ways make it safer so I’m not sure why the company who makes these devices doesn’t figure out a way to partner with Waze to compliment those software products that are successful even better complimented together. I downloaded the other Escort app only to be frustrated by the fact that they offer a service called Live that does some of this but not on the scale that Waze and Google does and they charge a subscription for it. There’s also a subscription for database updates of traffic cams and stoplight cams, which is AWESOME if you live in states that use those and it’s legal to have a detector but for states that don’t it’s a waste of money. That said, on the false alarms, it does learn and filter them out if you drive by the same places that emit the same false alarms (most frequently on K bands from my experience).
For just a “Radar” detector, this unit really is as good as it gets but many police use instant on laser radar and by the time your detector sees it you’re usually already tagged unless you happen to be near other cars, with a speed making the point of having one to try to get away with speeding irrelevant. For a long time didn’t believe that they’d help and sure enough with this detector I drove right past a Sheriff here in town on the side of the road clearly patrolling (in fact he waved as I drove by because I waved at him) and this detector didn’t make a single chirp LOL. Now the upside there is a Limited Ticket Guarantee so they say in certain conditions they’ll pay the speeding ticket so in that sense it may be worth it but be sure you understand the fine print for claiming a ticket and note it won’t help your insurance costs or tickets that don’t meet their specific guarantee criteria! For safety, I can see it helping as more emergency vehicles/lights do transmit so your detector can notify you they are approaching or you are approaching them which is great. Escort units are no doubt the best when it comes to radar filtering and detection but there are other models that do this just as well from the Escort line like my older one and even to this day it works nearly as good as this one but lacks the ability to update databases for new lights and traffic cams.
The dash cam, it works really good and video quality is good and it is easy to download/share recorded video and does what it says which is a positive for sure and the only reason it got three stars. However, for the video, it’s not very premium. Many cams these days have 4k 60fps which is way more helpful for fast moving events (like a moving car) and this cam only has quad HD res and what seems like a standard framerate. In all honesty I’ve been tempted to ditch my dash cams altogether and just use a gopro, it’s better video, stabilized and you can see plate numbers! This dash cam also doesn’t work like other dash cams I’ve used that have features where video can be recorded when the vehicle is parked or an alarm is set off so while it is useful on the road it’s worthless when the car is parked if your accessory port turns off with the car or at least I couldn’t get it to record or allow me to access videos when the vehicle was off. There doesn’t seem to be a way to add a rear/side view video camera either. On top of that, it only came with a 16GB card for video, which is small and disappointing for premium product.
The last part is the power cord.. talk about SHORT… if you don’t have a 12V accessory plug literally in the dash and easy to get to you will almost certainly have to buy some sort of extension. In addition, I love that there are buttons on it so you can turn off the detector display at night and still see buttons to mute or mark things but this really is only safe/useful in trucks or vehicles that have a plug right on the dash but for vehicle that don’t the buttons are useless. More and more newer vehicles have them but usually hidden in the dash in a compartment or in the console in which case this feature just became useless.
Overall, I would have a hard time recommending this product to someone just in general so would say no. I’d only recommend it if you want a SOLID radar detector and want the built in camera with limited features. There are other models that offer just as good of protection and you can use the difference to get a real dash cam with way more features but if you prefer the all in one, this is the only one out there that’s of a high quality.
I have owned many radar detectors (including an older escort model that cost a third of this one) in the past and thought it’d bring back memories and it did, but largely it’s the same device with a cam and apps that do make it function better than my old one but it has not been modernized to the extent I’d hope this unit might be. There may be tech under the hood that you can’t see but just being an end-user cannot see the “premium” benefit when using Waze or a similar popular navigation app actually does help show you speed traps and accidents and saves you time on the road while making it safer for everyone and this just doesn’t quite do the same thing so don’t get it expecting that. Sure you can detect some speed traps and have some confidence that as a new owner your ticket might be covered with the guarantee but in general I feel like in terms of advanced smart driving tech, it has a long long way to go to hit that bar.
Exander –
THIS…. The Escort – MaxCam 360c Radar Detector and Dash Camera is the new shiny toy out of Escort that covers your radar and dash cam needs. The MaxCam uses a Sony Starvis sensor, quickly becoming an industry standard for clear, crisp video recording paired with a Blackfin 706 DPS chip in the radar. MaxCam boasts that it is “everything you need in a complete driver alert system.” The MaxCam 360c packs a lot of promise and capability, but does it stand true? I took this detector on an 11-hour round trip from Indianapolis to northern Michigan and back to find out what it is all about… So lets take a look!
Design
============
I was immediately let down by the design of the product, ethernet or MINI USB for power?!? In an age where micro usb cables are hard to come by and looked down on, I was instantly let down to see it wasn’t at least a micro USB, let alone USB-C for an $850 price tag. The exterior design of the product seems like it was made in 2010 and they have ONLY upgraded the interior parts because the screen, buttons, and ports leave a lot to be desired. My $80 dash cam even comes with a type-c power port so it is quite unreasonable to see something this…old on a product this highly priced. The buttons on the exterior were alright and the user interface on the dashcam was a balance between anger and complete disbelief that this is all I had to work with if It wasn’t for the app.
All that being said, I really enjoyed the mounting mechanism that allows you to take it down and put it back up quickly should you park your car in an area where it could be at risk. The arrows indicating where the incoming radar was coming in from were also quite nice to see for a visual representation of the source.
Setup
=================
When you open the box, you are presented with an Escort branded soft case that contains the MaxCam, cables, and a quick start guide. The quick start guide is the ONLY literature for the MaxCam and on how to use it. Setup took me less than five minutes and uses a movable and removable suction cup mount that is quite sturdy. The MaxCam connected to the app very easily the first time and ever since then it has just been ‘sometimes’ unless I open the app, open Bluetooth and do everything manually…every time I start my car.
I am quite unfamiliar with all the radar bands and all that each encompasses so I was thrown off when I was getting ringed with the K band every other stoplight…. To the point where I had to turn it off. The MaxCam comes with standard settings applied which includes the K band which is easily triggered by storefronts and random electronics on the front of peoples houses, which lead me to dive deep into what each band was and how it was related. What was the most annoying part of this whole process, was that the best information that I received was from Escort themselves. In hidden articles and information bits, I was able to narrow my radar into something that was actually usable and not just a sound machine my wife complains about. I find that the effort that I had to go through for a product that honestly should have just been configured the way I made it in the first place was a complete joke. The radar has smart sensing and a better way to sift through erroneous signals… turned off by default?? The total setup time including my reading, trial and error, and testing was easily several hours worth of work that could have been saved by a tutorial, intuitive app, and real directions actually telling me what the buttons do and not just that they exist.
App
=================
The Escort app is certainly old, hard to use, and even more unreliable. Plagued with missing features and a nonexistent tutorial, there is enough potential in the app that just isn’t there to make this a great product. I was unable to get my radar and phone to auto sync so I had to manually go into the app and connect it every time, just to be unable to find a section showing the live camera or the storage of my camera files. I really found that the app contributed nothing to the radar and was almost a waste of time setting it up anyways, it was cool to see the posted speed mark on the radar similar to how Apple/Google maps do… but it is also incorrect when Google is incorrect as it uses Google maps as its base (radar has to be connected for this feature to work).
Subscription
=================
That is right, another product with another subscription. Thankfully, you get a year’s free subscription to the Escort network which essentially works as Waze or Google/Apple maps where it allows the community to mark a cop or point of interest… just this time for a fee? The subscription isn’t really ever mentioned either on the paperwork, the app or on the box so the full extent of what it entails is somewhat hidden and blurred, which seems to be Escorts’ biggest issue regarding their products. It also allows you to have access to Escorts database of speed cameras and red light cameras, but I was never able to see this in use.
Camera
=================
The MaxCam uses the Sony Starvis sensor, its a great 2k 30fps camera that was also used in my dashcam that this radar replaced. It is truly a great camera and a high point of this radar along with the SD slot for expansive storage. It comes with 16gb of storage which I immediately increased to 256gb. It also has a great on board mic that picks up cabin sounds great should you care for that.
Radar
=================
The MaxCam Radar is actually really good once figured out and adjusted correctly, the only issue is that the settings and configuration out of the box is so bad that the radar picks up on so many false signals that it really makes the radar a waste as I am just muting the radar out of habit and not even slowing down for a cop anymore. Once I changed the settings, the onboard sensor was able to memorize the few remaining false flags using GPS to stop my sensor from picking up the same false flag at DQ for instance, which was a nice feature to see. I now am actually able to use the radar for its intended purpose and only have a false radar signal here and there and has become a feature to my car instead of a negative.
Where it all went wrong
======================
The biggest issue with this radar is it is half baked, if the people that make this product actually had to set it up and use it on their own for the first time they would be confused as well. Of course, coming from a legacy product or someone familiar, that person probably already knows what to do. To the average consumer, however, this product is terribly informed and has a terrible layout to learn. If I could change the product, I wouldn’t even add more paper to the product but make the app an actual process and allow the app to teach people how to use and better use the product because as it stands I would have 100% returned this product back to BestBuy and never thought about it again. I think that the app needs to be reconstructed from the ground up… I mean even the store in the app is broken yet Escort is commenting on reviews saying they updated the app… so how bad was the app before if this was the updated version?
Conclusion
=================
This product isn’t inherently bad, but between the poor and unsupported app, bad UI on the radar and terrible settings configuration I can not in good faith recommend this product. If they update the app and completely redo the settings out of the box then I would be convinced, however, I am yet to see Escort update anything on this $850 product. I think Escort has truly dropped the ball on a product that has everything to be great but just simply… isn’t there yet. As always, BestBuy has excellent customer service and a return policy, so you never have to worry about buying a product that you don’t like… so if you feel like you might be able to tackle this product for what it is, BestBuy will have your back!
Bappy –
So occasionally as a driver I need to be reminded about speed limits and be more aware of my surroundings. I am a long-time user of radar detectors back to the days of the original brick like Escort model, as times have changed and the tech has improved I have gone through many different models of radar detectors. Some of the less expensive models have so many false alarms that you start to ignore the alerts, this is where more sophisticated technology comes into play. Newer generation radar detectors come with a number of different features to reduce false alarms, some as simple as an X-Band on/off switch (this was the first radar detecting frequency but is no longer widely used as that frequency is now used by automatic door openers and simple range sensing devices). As radar-based speed enforcement has evolved to using K and Ka band radar, so have the detectors. Again, other sensors have encroached on these bands, such as blind spot detection, collision avoidance, backup and adaptive cruise control sensors. So having a sophisticated radar detector with the latest technology such as the Escort MAXcam 360c comes in handy, this model also has a dashcam integrated into the unit.
First impressions: this is not a compact unit, and it actually reminded me of the first generation Escort radar detectors (OK, maybe not that big). Given its size, it is more at home on your windshield than on your dashboard (mounting on the dashboard is not really feasible since this is also a dashcam and will hinder the view).
Radar detection functionality: the radar detection portion of this device provides front and rear radar detection antennas as well as Laser detection lenses in the front and on top of the device. Essentially this provides 360-degree detection which displays the information about the alert on a clear OLED display and for the 360 aspect lighted arrows on a knob/push button indicating direction of where the radar signal(s) are coming from. Helpful and intuitive to provide awareness of your surroundings. As I mentioned the knob is multi-functional and is key for on device configuration (you can also use Escort’s iOS or Android applications to configure the device), muting alerts and controlling alert volume. The core functionality of the radar detection is best in class and provides ultimate detection performance as well as configurable band detection. In road testing this model, out of the box it is generally quiet and does a good job rejecting false signals and detecting positive ones. The device also is GPS enabled which allows the detector to learn false detection alerts seen in the same area every drive and with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity provides the ability to send this telemetry to their cloud as well as providing the ability to use with Escort Live or Drive Safer mobile apps. The unit also comes with Escort’s smart power cord which has a button to mute alerts on it as well as a USB A plug to power any other accessories you may have, this is a welcome addition from previous generations such as the one which came with my current Escort X70 passport detector did not have this. The front display is highly configurable, with the ability to change display colors, how alerts are displayed and also provide you with your current speed. There are five other buttons on the top for various functions as well speakers on the top and bottom of the unit. A USB port for connection to a computer, a phone like plug for power and a headphone jack (so you can use when driving with others that may be asleep and awakened by audible alerts). The suction cup mount provides a sturdy connection to your windshield and a unique magnetic notch on the top of the unit provides about the simplest way I have seen to unmount/mount the radar detector. The build quality in general is very good, also a protective case is provided for portability. Overall, the radar detection functionality and configurability is top in class as you would expect from Escort and at this price point.
Dash-cam functionality: I am a user of dash cams and all my vehicles (as well family members) have one installed. Video evidence is handy if you get into an incident and actually used it when having a collision about a year ago to demonstrate to law enforcement when they arrived at the scene that another driver made a turn right in front of me while I had the right of way. Was also helpful in ensuring that the person’s insurance company quickly addressed my claim and assigned fault to their client. The Escort Maxcam 360 camera does 2K (2560 x 1440) resolution, which sits between standard HD and 4K video. In general, the video it produces is good, but not the best I have seen. My current dash-cam does 4K and has better contrast, even in HD mode video from that camera looks a bit better than the 2K video from the Escort Maxcam 360c. For instance, if you are looking to read a vehicle tag number from one passing you or even just in front of you from one of the videos it records you may be a bit disappointed in the lack of sharpness, even when zoomed. Also, I noticed a bit of “jitter” in the video which I haven’t yet diagnosed, perhaps it has something to do with my car in idle, but given the portability of the device I can easily move it to one of my other cars to test this theory. And that is a key benefit with a radar detector/dash-cam as an integrated unit, having both these capabilities in a single device is really a benefit if you travel and have a rental car, unlike my more or less permanently installed standalone dash-cams.
Connectivity features: This unit provides a few ways to connect to other devices (mobile phones, computers, their crowd sourced radar telemetry cloud service) than the typical radar detector. It has Bluetooth connectivity to integrate with the Drive Smarter app or the Escort Live app. Wi-Fi capability to connect to your vehicle’s or phone’s hotspot for telemetry and cloud based/sourced data and firmware updates. Firmware updates are key with this unit as they provide updated algorithms and improvements to detection and false alerts. The Drive Smarter app also displays GPS derived information on location as well as a speed display, crowd sourced alert areas and the ability to report new enforcement areas. The app also provides you with the ability to further configure your connected radar detector, such as turning on/off radar bands which may or may not apply to your specific driving environment. Also, the Drive Smarter mobile app provides the ability to view your dash-cams video files and download them to your device. This functionality appeared to be a bit flaky and connecting this device to your computer via the USB interface or removing the supplied 16GB microSD card and copying recorded video files is a better experience. This is not unique to this device though, most dash-cams wireless connectivity is a bit unreliable for downloading video files or even playing them back. As for the Drive Smarter app, on my iPhone it seemed to drain my device battery by running a background process, changing the setting on my phone to not allow the app to run in the background seemed to improve that issue, but also means you lose some functionality if the app is not in the foreground. Others have mentioned that the Escort Live app also works with the Escort Maxcam 360c device and drains the battery less (if you do not need the added dash-cam specific video functions).
Pros:
– Top notch detection and false signal radar detection capabilities.
– Laser detection.
– Connectivity features (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and USB).
– Configurability.
– Display and indicators.
– Loud, adjustable speakers – records audio as well as video.
– Ease of mounting and dismounting.
– Mobile app integration.
– Integrated dash-cam, with the ability to overlay data elements as a watermark onto recordings.
– Provided case and micro-SD card, along with USB cable and Smart power cable w/USB port.
– Over-speed alerts (configurable/disable-able) as well as current speed display.
Cons:
– A bit bulky.
– Average as a dash-cam, but certainly better than basic ones.
– Appears to not have stealth features (counter measures against radar detector detectors).
– Drive Smarter app is flaky, a bit of a battery hog.
Dalton –
First, I will start by saying that the radar detector part of the Escort MaxCam works great. It always detects valid radar from a good distance away when it should and does a very good job of filtering out false alarms which I rarely hear. The alarm tone sounds much more pleasant than other detectors I have heard and the voice prompts sound decent for what they are and help keep your eyes on the road while letting you know what is happening. The screen looks great and shows all the information you need, mostly but more on that later. The mute button is in a great location on the front panel that is very easy to access and you also have the option to mute it from a button on the power connector. Red light and speed camera prompts are a big plus too and are usually accurate. It gives you the direction that the radar is coming from which I always find handy to figure out how to deal with it. There are a ton of settings that allow you to fine tune how you want it to work. I did leave most of the settings at there default, but they are there if you want to mess around.
Unfortunately, the companion app is really bad. First off, initially connecting the detector to the app did not go smoothly. I read that you must update the firmware to fix connection problems, but you have to be able to successfully connect the app to the detector to update the firmware. After a lot of messing around, I was eventually able to update the detector firmware and the connections were a lot better but still not perfect. That said, updating the firmware to the latest is a must do.
There are some other issues that need to be fixed. The radar detector screen is supposed to be able to show the speed limit for the road I am on with the app running but it rarely works. Most of the time it is either blank or shows in incorrect speed and freezes on that and won’t change. The speed shown that you are currently driving at does work flawlessly.
I have a Garmin watch that shows notifications from my phone and when I start the app, it shows a new notification every 5 seconds from the Drive Smarter app which means I have to turn off my watch when I start the app. This is very unfortunate because I like to quickly look at my phone notifications on my watch while I am behind the wheel but now I can’t.
The camera does a good job at recording the video and the video quality is excellent, but getting the video from the detector’s camera to the app on your phone is very unreliable. It’s just easier to remove the SD card and put it into your computer.
The radar detector works great, and I can definitely recommend that part of it, but the Driver Smarter app is bad. It has a lot of potential to be good but needs work to get there. Overall, a mixed bag until some issues are worked out.
HarvickFan –
Overall, I’m super impressed with the MaxCam360C in terms of the unit itself, and that’s what I’m going to focus on. The DriveSmarter app that they want you to use, that does everything from firmware updates, configuration changes, settings, view dashcam videos, etc. – is TERRIBLE. So the TL;DR if you’re just looking for a combo detector/dashcam that has solid performance and you have no immediate need for the companion app bells and whistles, this unit fits the bill nicely.
I have been running a dash cam and radar detector in my personal car for years. Having both of those features in a single unit was something I was super interested in. I know that with combo units like this you also risk single point of failure as well, but I’ve had great luck with Escort detectors and their reliability in the past, so that is something I’m not too worried about.
Being a combo unit, it is noticeably bigger in size, but nothing that is egregious or overstated. It has great feel and build quality. I like the design and the overall form factor. The rotary dial on the left is super handy for scrolling through settings, updating volume easily, etc. This detector uses the Escort RJ style power connector, and the included coiled SmartCord I found to be extremely short for my car. My 12V plug is at the bottom of my center console, and the SmartCord just barely reached it, causing tension on the cord and the unit while plugged in. I had to purchase the 12’ straight SmarCord from Escort to have enough length to use it comfortably. If you’re car doesn’t have the 12V plug close to the dash, I would keep this in mind. It runs super hot, like more hot than I was expecting. Running my other detectors, they get slightly warm at most, and my dashcam barely even gets warm. The MaxCam runs super hot, like holy crap hot in the hand hot. I have not yet had any issues with it overheating, but it’s something I’m keeping my eye on. The one thing about the design I absolutely hate is the mini USB connector. It’s 2023 and to include a connector like that on a unit in this price range is just not acceptable. I didn’t plan on using the connector that much, but I ended up having to use it right away to update the firmware because of how terrible the new companion app is, so more on that later. The EZ magnetic mount by Escort is one of the best I’ve used. Super strong and reliable on the windshield and has a great magnetic hold on the unit, never worried about slippage or vibration or just falling off.
The detector works great, it’s basically a souped up Max360C with the internal processing chips from the Redline. Not the antennas though, so keep that in mind. So while you get faster processing, filtering and false alert detection, you do not get the range of the Redline. If you’re looking for maximum range, detectors like the Redline or the Radenso DS1 might be what you you’re looking for. I have the Radenso DS1 and I can say the MaxCam comes pretty close to similar range detection, but there is a noticeable difference side by side. With that said however, the MaxCam still alerts you in plenty of time and plenty of range. In my use I was never “surprised” by any of the alerts. The rotary dial includes visual indicator arrows to point out the direction of the alert. It has also has multiple detection capability so if you’re being alerted to more than one source at a time, the visual arrow indicators will flash for primary and remain solid for secondary alerts, and you can have the display configured to show you the strength and frequency of the source. It also has a K Notch filter to avoid false K band alerts, and has onboard filtering for newer car models that have collision avoidance systems that can typically false a detector alert. The MaxCam processes and filters all of this extremely fast, and makes for a super quiet ride. In the settings menu you can configure the detector with everything imaginable based on your location and local alert sources to ensure you get the most relevant alerts only.
The dashcam is very nice as well. It’s 1440p at 30fps using a Sony Starvis sensor. Colors were nice and not overexposed or washed out, or too vivid and over contrast. It has a nice 143° viewing angle so you see plenty of the road and environment in front of you. Its just a nice, standard dashcam. Nothing super special, just very nice. It’s about what you can expect from 75% of the dashcams out there. Picture detail was nice when stopped, but when moving, at only 30fps its hard if not impossible to read license plates or other smaller details. It would have been nice if they allowed a stop down to 1080p at 60fps, but if you do stop down to 1080p the fps is still 30.
Where Escort falls short here is with the companion app DriveSmarter. It’s terrible. No other way to put it. I’m not in the minority on this, look at just about any other review of this unit and you’ll see the same. I just don’t know how Escort could release such a great unit and have the “NEW” companion app they want you to use be so bad. I’ve been using the MaxCam for a week and I still cannot get my unit connected 100% to the app. Using BT I was able to connect and that allows you to configure settings, but using the WiFi has been a nightmare. What makes it worse, is that the MaxCam is not currently supported by the Escort desktop firmware updating tools, they want you to update everything over the air. But if you cannot connect, what’s the point? I ended up having to use the mini USB connector, download the newest firmware to an SD card, then install the firmware directly to the detector. I was lucky because I have a USB A connector on the PC I was using, but I’ve seen others say that using a USB A to C connector with the detector will not work. Your own mileage might vary here. But I spent literally the first whole day of using the MaxCam just trying to get the app to work. Random and sporadic at best. I cannot view dash cam footage or use any of the other features they tout. Using BT I’m able to configure settings, but here again, Escort falls short. Not all the settings are configurable in the app? Why? Most of them are, but others are surprisingly missing. Like K notch filtering is not configurable from the app, only on device. There were settings that I looked for up and down in the app, only to find you can only set them on device. Why not make all the configurations available in the app? I have stopped trying to use the app for now. If I want to see my dash cam videos I just pop out the SD card and view on my PC. So from a usability standpoint, the MaxCam by itself is just fine, more than capable, but when they try and bundle it together with features in a companion app and that app is half baked at best, it makes it frustrating.
So if you’re just looking for a combo detector/dashcam that is more than capable of your daily driving, this MaxCam 360C is wonderful. If you’re looking for the usability convenance and additional bells and whistles that the companion app would otherwise offer you, you might be disappointed.
AgentOJ –
The Maxcam360c Is a great all in one travel companion! It is a dashcam and a radar detector which saves space on your windshield. Setup was quick and easy, and the app is easy to use. I had to download a few firmware updates which took about 25 minutes, after that it was a breeze. The suction cup mount has a strong magnetic rectangular attachment which is where the Maxcam 360c mounts (there is a rectangular cut out at the top of the unit) and dismounts with ease.
The audio and video of the dashcam is perfect for viewing license plates and will definitely capture any events that occur in front of your car. Now, the radar detector portion requires trail and error type set up. This thing went crazy in city streets! I was hearing crazy beeps everywhere, so whenever I kept getting radar hits consistently I would store the signal to “lock out” the signal, meaning I wont get the annoying beeps coming from the unit.
When driving on the freeway it was a lot more useful since you don’t encounter radar very much. I programmed the unit to let me know when I go over 75MPH and it will remind me that I am going over speed, which is nice but can be annoying for others. Overall, this unit is compact, user friendly, and I will probably buy another one to put in my other vehicle.
Ace254687 –
The Escort Maxcam 360c dashcam/ radar detector seems like a great device on paper, but the end results are very questionable.
As I went to open the box, I was excited to see what was included…Only to be confused with what I was looking at. Package includes, a nice carrying case, the main unit, a very short 12v car power cable, a 16gb micro-SD, and a USB-A cable (which the manual refers to as a USB-mini). This is 2023, and we are now using USB-C as the standard, the last time I even saw a usb-a cable was when I had to charge my Playstation 3 controller… Unfortunately, that’s not even the bad one. The power cable, which is way too short, had a phone jack as the connection. Which makes it a problem if you wanted to purchase a longer one.
Setting up the Maxcam requires a smartphone with the Drive Smarter app. The Maxcam does have a small screen, but it’s only for viewing radar bands and the speed limit. The small magnetic suction cup works well and makes it convenient to detach the device when you park. On the other hand, the power cord is way too short, so you have this coiled phone cord hanging down the center of your windshield. Through the app, you can see a live view of your dashcam, view your recorded videos, or you can transfer them to your computer through the included Micro-SD card.
The first time I used the Maxcam, it required an update, which took about 10 mins to complete, once that was done it was ready to use. There is a speedometer in the left side of the screen to show you how fast you’re going, but its off by about 2 MPH. There is also a posted speed limit for the area that you’re in, but unless you’re constantly connected to the app, it doesn’t update. As far as the radar detector aspect, I keep getting many false alerts while I am driving, which only seemed to get worse the more I use it.
Overall, I’m very confused with the design details of the device and why they chose to use the cords they did. The power cord is not only too short, but the plastic phone jack connector will eventually break over time causing you to have to purchase another one from the company. The video quality of the dash camera is decent, it does capture in 2K which is better than full HD. The required app, which feeds live data to the Maxcam, is decent, but it does require a subscription if you want speed camera updates and other stuff. The radar detector is kind of dodgy, the speedometer is always incorrect, and I constantly receive false alerts. So, if you’re looking for an all-in-one dash cam/radar detector, sadly I would pass on this one.
Terry –
I had very high hopes for this radar detector in that it would solve one of the biggest issues I have had with detectors in the past: false alerts. Escort has always been one of the biggest brands in the business, so I was excited to put this unit to the test.
Installation and setup was pretty straightforward. After downloading the Escort Smart Drive app and pairing the unit, I mounted the suction cup on my windshield and snapped the detector against the magnetic mount (a feature I really like as it makes taking the detector off and on very quick and easy). During my first drive, I began getting some alerts on the ka-band at 35.598 MHz. I pushed the mute button on the smart plug and the alert was silenced. A few miles down the road, I got the alert again on the same band. I assumed that maybe there was a cop travelling in front of me, so I silenced the alert again and carried on. I continued to see the alert from time to time during this drive and didn’t think much of it. The next day, while travelling a different route, I noticed the exact same frequency popped up again and saw it again a few times. It was at this point in time that I came to the realization that it was likely the either the radar-controlled smart cruise or emergency braking on my car that was setting it off. With K bands, it’s possible to lock out certain frequencies, but this is not possible on the KA band, as it is broken up into 9 segments. The only way to stop this alert would be to disable KA band segment 8, which is one of the more popular segments used in my area. Disabling the autonomy of car is also not an option. This is quite disappointing, as it seems that in order to prevent having to continuously push mute when I receive this alert, I have to run without segment 8, very much limiting the capabilities of this unit.
Outside of that, I have found little fault in this detector. After a few trips past a store that has automatic doors, the auto lockout added a rule and I no longer receive any alerts when driving through the parking lot. The camera takes quality video and the ability to favorite a clip is nice in the event I need to pull up a given recording.
Overall, I’m relatively happy with this unit. It would be nice if, in a future firmware/software update, Escort adds the ability to lockout a given frequency on the KA band, but I won’t hold my breath.
PhillipB –
Long road trips. Check
Reduce the possibility of getting a ticket. Check
Dash cam to protect from finger pointing. Check
Great system with some quirks.
First setup.
Setup was pretty easy. Follow the prompts. I downloaded from Play Store with Android and walked it through step by step and I was in. Firmware took some time to download and flash. That took about 30 mins to do via cell phone LTE and Bluetooth.
App was fairly easy to use to handle settings. With one exception which I will go into below with download and getting to the gallery via phone app.
Physical setup was super easy. Suction cup to windshield and plug into 12V outlet and you are done… I like the quick magnet release from the suction cup. That makes taking down during long peaking events super easy. Only bad thing with the power cord is they went with RJ jack like a hand held landline telephone headset. The little plastic tab might get snagged and caught and break and if that happens your are out of luck.
Word to the wise. There are after market mounts that allow for the mount to attach to the rear view mirror. I have had issues with similar mounts with vibration issues. Would recommend sticking with the OEM mount to mitigate this potential issue. The vibration causes image to be all shaky.
Comes with nice tote bag and all that you need to get up and running.
Radar X and Y band all work. These are common bands for PD and also for motion sensors around shopping areas.
I did not get the pleasure of getting tagged by laser. So I can’t vouch for laser.
Image quality is pretty good. Video and stills have a focal point of approximately 20 ft away for clear view of license plate. Any further is not legible.
Speed between my car and the detector was off by 2 mph. My car show 2 mph faster.
Button and volume and physical use was easy to navigate and manipulate.
I was able to download via app and also pulled images right off the SD card no issues. BUT the very first time to connect the app to the detector took a bunch of trial and error. Ultimately it needs for you to turn off automatically connection to your home wifi or any wifi near by that you connect to. If you don’t it will not properly connect. It took me and customer service a day or two to trouble shoot this on Android platforms and with Goggle Pixel 7 Pro and Motorola 5G Stylus. Make sure yo do this or else it will mess you up.
Other than the 2 or 3 quirks great device. I would recommend it for its intended use.
Manny –
Ive used radar detectors before for years until the “new laser guns” came out if that tells you anything lol. I haven’t looked back because all the weird laws and such that came out I assumed radar detectors were just dead and I forgot about them. Then the time came where I was looking around at dash cams because a buddy of mine regretted not having one after an accident and you can never be too careful. Then the opportunity came into my life to be able to get both in one and here that is.
So yea the old ones are dead but that’s OK because this thing is outrageously equipped. The set up is easy and I specifically use this with the iPhone app that is found on the official App Store. Everything to set it up ended up being a breeze. With a 1440 P camera and the whole enhanced night vision it actually produces a good picture even in low light which I would’ve assumed was a problem. One thing to note after you have everything set up and seemingly functional when you go to connect the app to the actual radar detector you need to be away from your home Wi-Fi just like you do with any other iPhone app when it tries to use Wi-Fi to connect to an item like this you have to force it to connect to the escort unit and not your home Wi-Fi or at work or something like that so for me I just went to a parking lot and it worked great right away. I only knew to do this because I read about it beforehand and I also have prior experience with setting up devices in my car that produce its own Wi-Fi and I know it can tend to cause an issue with iPhones but it is what it is.
Anyway, this has an auto learning feature to eject false alerts however I see that it does go off a lot of times when it shouldn’t be which can get quite annoying to have to silence to the point it makes you want to turn it off sometimes. However this is obviously a good thing if it is not a false alert it’s just hard to tell sometimes unless you have a routine on your drive and you know where it’s going to be happening. Although it does have features like auto learn that seem to adapt and work properly overtime it’s just a slow learning curve which is probably for the best honestly.
Regardless I hope I never have to use this though it does have cloud video management as long as you make an account making keeping track of your footage if you might need it much easier you barely have to think about it.
Yeah, the price seems kind of high at first when you just start looking at it but it really takes using it to see the value in this thing and that’s where this comes in clutch. There’s a lot more to this thing than meets the eye and like I just said you basically have to just use it to realize what you were actually missing in the first place and why you’re getting value for your money instead of trying to compare it to other units around. I’ve had no issues so far in my use, connectivity, the app, or have any real complaints besides the false alerts which will seemingly disappear over time and I definitely can say that I can’t wait to take my next trip with my family and have that peace of mind that comes with having a dash cam and a radar detector it’s like the one to punch lol just set Alerts up and your golden.
CKent –
This is my first new radar detector in well over 20 years and they’ve sure come a long way. Last one I had was all the way back in the 90s, and it just so happened to also be an Escort. Given that they’re a well known brand that’s been around for so long I had high expectations for this and so far this MaxCam 360 has been (mostly) meeting them.
Let me start by saying, it’s been so long since I’ve last had one because I was never a big advocate for them. The last one I had all those years ago was constantly going off with false alerts, and being younger, and, well, dumber, it gave me a sense of invulnerability that ended up getting me into more trouble than when I was without. Now I’m older, and hopefully wiser, and keep the racing and high speeds for the track. That said, there’s still valid reasons why I could still use a radar detector. With how far vehicles have come with power and ride quality, it’s easier than ever to get to cruising faster than you should without even realizing it. That’s why more and more vehicles and devices are coming with speed warning capabilities, and if your vehicle doesn’t, well this Escort does! And that’s just one of many features it has.
The feature I love the most though, is that on top of being a really good radar detector, it’s also a dash cam! This is huge for me since I’m an automotive content creator. That means I already have a cluttered up view between my windshield mounted phone and standalone dash cam. Adding more is just too much, but with the MAXcam, I get to add more functionality without adding more gear as I can now get rid of my standalone dash cam.
The big question is, how good is the dash cam? Often times when something combines multiple devices in one, there’s a sacrifice in quality or features. That’s not the case here, with one exception. In regards to the video quality, I took footage from this Escort MAXcam and compared it side by side to footage from my standalone dash cam, and the video quality in this Escort is just as good, if not just a little bit better, as the standalone dash cam. Best way to compare is to look at the readability of license plates within view, and based on my opinion, they’re just a touch clearer with this Escort. The one exception I brought up is that there’s no option or expansion for additional camera views, like a rear cam or in-cab cam. Not a big deal for me as I don’t use those other views currently but if those are important to you, then you would probably be better off with a separate radar detector and dash cam.
Before we get off the topic of the dash cam there’s one more thing I want to bring up in regards to it, and that’s storage, because the files have to go somewhere. While most dash cams I’ve come across force you to buy a MicroSD separately, the MAXcam actually comes with one included in the box! Now granted, it’s only 16 GB, but for the majority of users that’s enough, as it overwrites the oldest footage as space is used up. Plus it has features to lock certain clips. Personally, I sometimes use my dash cam footage in my automotive content so I still had to upgrade the card to get more storage capacity.
Let’s get back to the radar detector. In the short time I’ve been using this one, it’s been working great and does a pretty decent job at ignoring false alerts. That’s not to say it doesn’t still have them though. The biggest culprit seems to be the laser detection. This has gone off quite often for me and each time I haven’t visually spotted anything to be causing it. My guess is it might be coming from cars that have all the auto-pilot capabilities, although according to what I’ve read in the manual for this, it should ignore most alerts coming from those sources. On the regular radar side though, it seems to do much better, although I do still get some false alerts. Some of which I’m starting to notice a pattern for where they happen, so this Escort does give you the capability to tell it when you know an alert is false, thus teaching it for the future. Additionally, it has settings so that you can fine-tune the sensitivity and which bands to ignore. Most importantly though, it hasn’t failed me yet in picking up actual real alerts, at least the ones I’ve been able to visually verify, so it’s definitely doing the job it’s supposed to.
We can’t continue this review without talking about the companion app which Escort calls Drive Smarter. I’m sorry to say that if having an app to work with the device is important to you, you’ll be sadly disappointed. While the idea behind the app and its features is great, the execution of it is a bit lacking. One of the main features behind it is supposedly a large community to report real-time hazards. Unfortunately this app doesn’t have anywhere near the number of users as one of the other well known road apps, and I rarely ever saw any type of hazard reported as I was driving around. Although the navigation portion worked ok. Then there’s the connectivity to the dash cam, I ran into several issues connecting, but honestly, I don’t really use dash cam apps anyway and always just pull the SD card. The worst thing about this app though that makes me hate it in its current state, is that the app only has a portrait mode! My mount is setup to hold my phone horizontally for landscape, and has for years. As a software developer myself I honestly don’t understand how the app developers haven’t bothered to make a modern app work in landscape mode. Needless to say I’ve given up on the app and now only use it to check on firmware updates for the radar detector/dash cam.
There are a couple other minor nit-picks I have that I’m not a fan of. One is the button arrangement and placement. With where the ideal mounting position is in my car, the buttons become hidden away on top where I can’t see them and they’re not very easily distinguishable from each other by feel. I’m sure I can learn the placement but it’s going to take a bit of effort to do so. My last nit-pick, and one that I don’t understand, is why a modern device such as this is still using Micro USB and old phone jack connectors?
While that’s pretty much all I have as far as negatives, there are some other small positives that I like too. One is how it mounts, including both the mount to the windshield and the way the radar detector attaches to that mount. I love that they use a suction cup style mount for the windshield, as this makes it so much easier to move between vehicles. Then there’s the magnetic style way that the radar detector attaches to the mount. No hard to use tabs and slots like most other devices. The magnetic attachment just makes it so incredibly easy to grab this radar detector every night when you get home, or with you when you park somewhere. This device isn’t on the cheap end and no one wants to give thieves another reason to break your window to get in your car. On top of that, Escort even includes a carry case to protect it further!
That last thing I want to talk about, and what is another small thing but with big impact, is the Smart cord. This is the cable that plugs into your 12V outlet to power the device. They pack quite a few features into this often overlooked accessory. Most importantly for most people, it does have a usb port so that you can still plug another cable into it if you need to charge one of your other devices. Then on top of that, it has an additional red alert light that flashes when radar is detected, so if the plug is in your field of vision, it’s just another way to alert you. But wait, there’s more! It has a mute button also, so that when you get one of those loud alerts and you just want to silence it you can just press the button on the plug which in many cases might be easier to reach!
Overall this is a great radar detector and dash cam combo. If you only need one or the other, this one might not make sense, but if you’re looking for both with less clutter, you really can’t go wrong. Escort is well-known in radar detection and it does a great job at doing that, as it does with the dash cam as well. The biggest detractor is really the companion app but in actuality it’s only truly necessary for firmware updates, which it handles just fine. Hopefully they continue developing the app though and fix that over time.
WyldeBlue –
In theory, the Escort MAXcam 360c seems like a slam-dunk: take a very potent 360-degree radar detector, mix in a high-resolution dash cam, sprinkle in some app-based connectivity offering some crowdsourced updates for speed traps, traffic light cameras, police activity and other road hazards, and how could you go wrong? Sadly, in the case of the MAXcam 360c, you get what feels like a pretty pricey misfire for at least half of what this unit should be doing for you.
I’ll get the positives out of the way first. The radar detector functionality seems top tier. Personally, I did not have any of the false-positive K-band issues I see others complaining about. I drove around a local Air Force base and never got any annoying detection squawk while circling the flight line; or later while cruising the streets and storefronts in towns and cities running from northern AL down to central FL. When the detector did go off, the signal strength meter on the main display, and a directional indicator inside the volume/navigation ring, offer outstanding situational awareness to give you ample warning not just of potential radar or laser activity but where you might go looking for it and how long you have to react. NICE!
During a recent 7-hour road trip down to and back from the FL coast, the detector provided LONG-range early warning of K-band radar speed signs, Ka-band police radar units, and a few laser speed trap guns. My stepson even exclaimed on the third police cruiser we passed in a row, “Wow, that thing really has great range!” And in every case of a detection on that trip, we were able to spot the police cruiser, radar speed sign, or traffic camera that had tripped the alarms—otherwise, the detector remained silent for the whole ride.
When the traffic light cameras that are part of the unit’s database are coming up, a helpful traffic light icon appears on the detector’s screen with distance markers to let you know how far you are from the intersection. Detector warning sounds are loud enough to get your attention while spoken prompts alert you to the type of detection (i.e., Ka-band, Traffic camera, Multi-band, etc.). I especially appreciated the GPS-enabled speed display along with known speed limits and adjustable over-limit alerts to provide a quick way to judge and adjust cruising speed without having to look down at the dashboard.
The unit itself is a bit on the chunky side compared to some of the more svelte detectors I’ve used in the past, but that’s probably to be expected given that there’s a dash-cam on board as well. The detector comes with a nice zippered carrying case that has enough room for the unit itself, USB cable, and the smart 12V-adapter that handily includes its own mute button, an alert LED, and even a pass-through USB-A charging port. The windshield clamp is a suction-cup design that seems to work reasonably well and is tipped with a very strong magnetic attachment boot that securely holds the detector in place while allowing incredibly easy removal for stowage or theft deterrence.
But that’s about where the positives end, or at least, that’s where I stopped finding much that was praiseworthy. The voice prompt volume is much lower than the alert tones and it is often difficult to hear exactly what the alert was without having to take your eyes off the road and look at the display itself. The 12V adapter features an RJ-11 (telephone-style) connector rather than something more robust like a barrel connector or USB-C port. Over time, the little plastic snap levers on those RJ-11 connectors tend to come loose or snap off entirely…not a bid deal if you leave your detector mounted all the time, but if you take it down/disconnect it a lot, that’s more punishment than those little plastic friction levers are generally designed to handle and once it snaps off, I don’t know how securely that proprietary power cable will stay in place.
The user interface is confusing and poorly laid out due to the placement of several identically shaped buttons flush on the top of the unit. The on-board controls include power, sensitivity, display brightness, programming changes, and marking an event/incident. But, as I said, the buttons are almost completely flat against the topmost surface of the detector with printing that, when the unit is mounted on the windshield, faces directly upwards rather than even slightly tilting towards the user’s eyeline. The Sensitivity and Brightness buttons are the same size and shape, as are the Mark, Power, and Programming buttons. Because you can’t see the printing on the buttons from the driver’s position, and the buttons themselves all feel pretty much alike, you basically have to memorize where the buttons are and then fumble for them by feel and how many buttons are next to the one you’re currently reaching for to get the one you want. A slightly inclined control panel that makes it easy to see the controls from off-angle, or at least some raised dots or differently shaped buttons, would help reduce confusion during use, especially when you need/want to press one of the buttons in a hurry.
The companion Drive Smarter app is an absolute mess with frustrating connectivity and responsiveness issues impeding even basic functions and features. Bluetooth connections seem to take forever to establish, and although I could successfully connect the MAXcam 360c to my cell phone’s hot spot, the unit refused to connect further to the Driver Smarter servers or take an over-the-air firmware update. I suspect it may have something to do with trying to control the unit via BT while simultaneously maintaining its WiFi connection to the phone’s own hot spot (I have an iPhone 14 Max so I can’t comment on what the Android experience might be like). Sadly, I did not have a second cell phone to test my hot spot theory, but judging from the review feedback I’ve read, I’m not the only one who experienced this problem. To take the most recent firmware update, I had to bring the unit into my house and hook it up to a computer and copy the files directly to the SD card itself, then carry the unit back out to the car, start the car up, and let the unit run through a firmware update on the 12V power connection. Strangely, the microSD card would not read on its own in several readers across three different computers if I ejected the card and used it by itself, but I could easily access the card’s contents if I hooked the entire detector up using the supplied USB cable. That’s not a very convenient means of accessing the contents of a *removable* memory card!
Working in the other direction, I could successfully connect to the MAXcam 360c’s built-in WiFi after waiting MUCH longer than it took for the already laborious BT connection routine (to the tune of 30-45 seconds), but I could not bring up the onboard gallery to review prior dash cam footage or see the pictures I had taken using the app, or see a live view of the dash cam footage itself despite nearly 2 weeks of trying. The map features in the Drive Smarter app are serviceable enough and the crowd-sourced locations of local traffic light cameras was helpful, but I didn’t want to use yet another mapping program on my phone…and it appears as if some of the Drive Smarter services are actually subscription-based, but the app and quick start guide provide no real indication as to what to expect once whatever trial period that comes with the detector is over…Escort needs to work on clarifying their fee and subscription structure given that the detector already carries a pretty hefty price tag.
The dash cam itself has a high-quality, high-resolution image sensor that takes shockingly blurry and pixelated photos and videos, even at 1440p resolution. Don’t get me wrong, the images and videos are colorful and clear enough to see what’s happening around your vehicle, and I love that you can set the camera to “sentry mode” to record movement once the vehicle has been parked (assuming you have it plugged into an always-on 12V port), just don’t expect to be able to clearly read license plates or road-side signs or the writing on the tattoos of the person casing your vehicle as most of those details are pretty smeary and poorly rendered. I have attached a screen-grab of a video recording as well as a photo snapped from within the app to this review…in both cases, even at the highest detail settings, things are pretty hazy, smeared, and pixelated beyond the first few inches of our interior dash.
Finally, the app gives you an amazing array of settings and customizations to choose from, but for whatever reason, Escort made the unit so that it would only power up using the 12V connector. When hooked up to a USB port, the detector powers on and goes into USB mode–you can access the contents of the microSD card, but you can’t do any troubleshooting, system setup tasks, menu item adjustment, or configuration changes of the unit itself. If I could have gotten more of the functions to work, this wouldn’t have been an issue, but as it was, I grew tired of spending time in a running vehicle cycling through endless connect, disconnect, re-connect loops for what seemed like the simplest of tasks that ultimately failed anyway.
So, as a radar detector, the MAXcam 360c make a serviceable, but not noteworthy, high-definition dash-cam, but the overall usage experience is marred by infuriating usability challenges and interface issues that make it VERY hard for me to recommend this unit for anything but stand-alone radar detection.
Grouticus –
I have had multiple power cords hanging from my windshield and down my dash for far too long connecting several devices including my previous radar detector and dash cam. So when the Escort MAXcam 360 was announced and had not only the latest and greatest technology, it also combined both devices into one finally cutting down to just one cord. I couldn’t wait to yank all my old tech and power cords out of the car, which really weren’t more than a year or two old, and hook up this bad boy. The radar detector is slightly wider than my previous one but I had to also keep in mind that I would no longer have a separate dash cam in my way. It was very easy and self-explanatory to install even to those that have not connected one in the past; simply find a good place on the windshield of your vehicle for the suction cup, connect the power cable to the MAXcam 360 and install it onto the suction cup magnetic mount. Technically it’s not necessary however I recommend downloading the smart device application to sync the device and access all the other useful features on the app including maps, notifications, reporting, settings, etc.
After using the MAXcam 360 for about a week, I’m amazed at how far it will pick up radar from emergency vehicles, much farther than when you can visibly spot them. This is thanks to the Blackfin 706 DSP chip only found in Escort’s flagship radar detectors. The arrows on the device will tell you what direction the radar is coming from so you know the location of the alert. While driving and connected via the app, you are able to view and report live alerts informing other drivers of emergency services presence. It does a great job of filtering out false alerts from other radar sources such as automatic doors in commercial buildings and whatever else is out there.
The QHD 1440 video resolution on the dash cam feature is crystal clear even in low light due to the Sony Starvis sensor and Ambarella SoC chip. The set conveniently comes with a 16GB micro SD card for video storage which you can upgrade aftermarket. You can view video live via the app using the built in dual-band wi-fi and receive automatic software updates and alerts.
Even will all that technology built into the MAXcam 360, my favorite part of this radar detector is the lack of super annoying beeping sounds that you’ll find in many other manufacturers, many of which I have used in the past. There is also a convenient volume knob on the front of the device so you don’t have to figure out what button to push that are typically facing upwards away from your line of sight while driving, which is annoying as well.
All that being said, the Escort MAXcam 360 is definitely the best radar detector I have ever used and combining it with a dash cam made it even better. I would recommend it to anyone in the market for a radar detector which is way cheaper than a ticket and raise in insurance.
Clshipp91 –
I’ve been looking for a great combo Radar detector and dash cam device for some time. What I’ve found is that usually you end up sacrificing in one or the other in any combo unit you buy. Either a really good camera and a mediocre detector or vice versa. I think the MAXcam 360c really is the closest thing to a top of the line device in both categories.
Right off the bat the radar detection is outstanding. The antennas have done a great job picking up signals at what feels like a pretty significant distance. On top of that I’m a huge fan of the arrow indicators that tell you the direction the radar is coming from. Its really interesting to watch the arrows change as you drive by the police car. As n extra bonus the noises this thing makes are way less annoying than some of the other devies.
On top of that it features all the other radar settings you’d expect, lockout, band filtering, modes for in town freeway or auto. All seem to work really well.
The camera also works really well. The picture and audio are super clear and easy to see and hear in the accompanied app. Which brings me to my biggest surprise with this device, the app. In the past I’ve been very underwhelmed with the bluetooth and app support of radar detectors. So much so that it was so difficult I never used it. That isn’t the case at all for this device. The companion app works great and bluetooth connects without fail almost every time. I did have one time where the whole device froze, but a quick reboot fixed it. (very well could have been that I left it on the dash in 108 degree heat). The ease of use here makes it way more likely that I will use the app with the device. Being able to check video, see the current speed limit and be notified of submitted speed traps and traffic cams is very useful.
Overall I really like this device and think if you are looking for a top level combo device you can’t go wrong here.
HoMi3 –
The combo radar and dash is a weird mix. The initial start of the unboxing is very simple to get it connected and running. The downside to the whole usage of the device crumbles with the app. I experienced many connectivity issues which plagues the app experience and it’s functionally.
The radar detection aspect of the device is really good and it is very clear as to what wave it found and which direction it is finding it. The sound can be annoying, but can be adjusted as needed through the device itself or the app.
I find I don’t use the dash camera features as much mainly because it tends to not work on a day to day basis. Sometimes it connects rather well and the drive is captured in certain segments when it detects something. Other times it refuses to connect and a bunch of restarts are required to get it to function properly.
I hope the device’s app is fixed down the line with more updates so that the dash camera experience is better, but for now it’s still a good radar detector
JustCuz –
This review is for the Escort MAXcam 360c radar detector.
I also have the escort max 360MKII so naturally, I will be comparing the two a lot. First off if you are upgrading you will be happy to find the the power cord and windshield mount are both universal for these models.
So the biggest difference in the two is the MAXcam has a built in dash cam. Which records video at 1440p. This gives you a great quality recording if you ever do have an accident and need to use it. I love this feature. It frees up a 12v port for me as I was running a dash cam and radar detector separately. And the dash/windshield just looks cleaner. The power cord also has a USB-A port so you can charge your phone or tablet as needed at the same time. Along with the handy, mute button that you can use to mute the detector easily when needed.
On to the radar detection part of this unit.
The front display screen is definitely upgraded and just looks sharper and brighter. This unit has arrows that are supposed to point in the general direction of the alert. I was surprised to see my two units generally pointing in opposite directions. With the newer MAXcam being wrong. Like when a cop was coming up from behind me and passed me with his radars on. The MAXcam couldn’t decide if he was in front of me or back. This isn’t that big of a deal, when I get a Ka alert I slow down no matter what direction it’s from anyway. And I know they are advertising better, signal detection, and less false alarms but I feel that I’m seeing about the same amount of false alarms. But this is city driving and on auto. Haven’t had a road trip with this newer unit yet. Oh one more thing I noticed is this unit is a lot more accurate with the GPS speed. My older unit is a lot slower and can be off as much as 5mph. The MAXcam almost stays with my vehicles speedometer.
I have always been a fan of escort radar detectors in this one has not let me down.
It’s missing a star mainly due to the app that is just more trouble than it is useful. I wish they would spend more time/focus updating it. They have the radar detection down pretty good.
Sanman –
What can I say about this dash cam other than it is fantastic. Let me start out by saying I have never had a detector work as efficiently as this one. This is a continuous record and the g-sensor on it is one amazing feature. I love this camera because have a heavy foot sometimes I tend to speed and when the alert goes off, it is a great reminder to slow down. This camera is crazy accurate. The detector starts to go off whenever I am close to cop cars. When it goes off I think it is failing but I take a closer look and it didn’t fail me, cops were sitting very close. It has been a great many years since I have owned a radar detector so when I seen this one I knew I had to give it a try. There are so many settings on this radar but one of the cool things is you can set it up in your phone. The drive smart app makes things a little easier when setting it up. One thing is you have to go through the settings because there is so many but overall, this remote does not disappoint. This is really a great investment.
Posted1 –
The Escort MAXcam 360c Radar Detector and Dash Camera is a great camera; and an even better radar detector.
I am not going to touch on specs and instead focus on user experience. There are plenty of other great reviews on here that touch on specs, and you can always get tech specs from BB and Escort websites. Suffice it to say, the techs specs are great.
I have been using the Escort Max 360c MK II for the last several months and I am a huge fan. It has great range, great GPS and great smarts. The MAXcam 360c is essentially the same radar detector, but is coupled with a very good built in camera. The MAXCam is understandably larger and offers some nice features the MAX 360 does not offer. My favorite feature is the rotating bezel on the front of the MAXcam. You can use that to adjust settings, adjust volume and for quick set up. And while both units have radar direction indicators, I prefer the way the MAXcam has a smaller array of arrows in a more compact location. They both work relatively well, but I prefer the tighter array of arrows on the MAXcam.
The MAXcam is a little larger (see pics) but still small enough to be easily portable and not block any more view.
One of my favorite features of the Escort Max family is the the excellent magnetic mount and suction cup. It holds quite firmly to the windshield, has a very small footprint and securely holds the detector in place. It also makes it simple to mount/dismount in less than a second. Great feature.
OK, so after making it this far, you may be asking why I rated it a and not a 5? Simple answer. The app. The app is a decent tool, but not quite ready for prime-time, at least not with the MAXcam. It works well with the MAX360, but after several attmepts and doing the steps Escort tech support suggested, the app would not operate as expected. Long story, I could pair the MAXcam to the app as a “MAXcam”, but the app would ALWAYS revert to the “MAX360”. Odd. I deleted, re-installed several times on 3 phones and it always remained consistant. It simply would not “remember” it was a MAXcam and NOT a MAX360. As such, I could never use the camera feature in the app.
A deal breaker? No way! I judged it on what it was designed to do; record drives and detect radar.
In spite of the very minor app issue, this an excellent choice and I would whole-heartedly reccoment to a friend.
DITGUY17 –
The Escort MAXcam 360c is a feature-rich radar detector and dash camera combination designed to offer comprehensive protection for drivers on the road. As someone who values safety and staying within speed limits, I decided to invest in this product to gain a sense of confidence while driving. Here is my in-depth review, highlighting both its impressive features and the significant downside I encountered.
Pros:
1. 360-Degree Radar Detection:** The standout feature of the MAXcam 360c is its 360-degree radar detection capability. It covers all angles, effectively warning me of speed traps, red-light cameras, and potential police radar from all directions. This has undoubtedly saved me from numerous speeding tickets and allowed me to maintain a safer driving speed.
2. Superior Range and Accuracy:** The radar detection range of the MAXcam 360c is impressive. It consistently picks up signals from far away, giving me ample time to adjust my speed and avoid any potential speed traps ahead. Additionally, the false alarm filtering is quite accurate, minimizing unnecessary alerts and preventing any frustration during my journeys.
3. Integrated Dash Camera:** The built-in dash camera is a valuable addition, capturing high-quality footage of my drives. This feature provides peace of mind in case of accidents or any unexpected events on the road. The video clarity is excellent, even in low-light conditions, ensuring that all details are adequately recorded.
4. Intuitive Display and Controls:** The device’s user interface is easy to navigate, allowing quick adjustments to sensitivity settings and audio alerts. The large, bright display is easy to read at a glance, ensuring I can stay focused on the road while receiving necessary information.
5. Speed Limit Data and GPS Connectivity:** The MAXcam 360c comes with an extensive database of speed limits, which is incredibly helpful when driving in unfamiliar areas. Combined with GPS connectivity, the detector can provide accurate alerts based on my current location and the speed limits in that area.
Cons:
Mobile App Connectivity Issues:** One glaring drawback of the Escort MAXcam 360c is its mobile app’s unreliability. Despite its potential to enhance the user experience, the app frequently loses connectivity with the device. This issue has been a persistent source of frustration for me, as I often rely on the app to customize settings, access saved footage, and update the device’s firmware. Escort should address this connectivity problem urgently to provide a seamless user experience.
Conclusion:
The Escort MAXcam 360c is undoubtedly a powerful and advanced radar detector and dash camera combo, providing drivers with crucial protection on the road. Its 360-degree radar detection, excellent range, and integrated dash camera make it a compelling choice for safety-conscious drivers. However, the recurring issue with the mobile app’s connectivity hinders the overall experience. Despite this setback, the MAXcam 360c remains a reliable companion on the road, helping me stay safe and aware of my surroundings while driving. If Escort can resolve the app connectivity problems, this device would easily earn a higher recommendation.
Alan –
After two weeks of using the Escort MAXcam 360c, I have gathered enough experience to share my thoughts on this unique combination of a radar detector and a dash camera. The Escort MAXcam 360c is a robustly built device that feels sturdy and well-made. This unit features a sleek black finish with a compact design that doesn’t obstruct the driver’s view. The buttons are well-placed and easy to operate even while driving. The MAXcam 360c offers 360-degree radar detection, with arrows that indicate the direction of the radar source – this feature is particularly helpful in identifying where the speed traps are located. It supports your main radar bands such as X, K, and Ka, and detects LASER as well.
The radar detection? Superb with plenty of heads-up time. I’ve been driving around the city and on the highway, and it’s been spot on. And not just beeping at random times like some other detectors I’ve used. The arrows showing the direction of the radar source are a game-changer – no more guessing where the potential speed trap could be. One thing I didn’t expect was how much I’d appreciate the Escort Live app. It’s like having a community of drivers giving you a heads-up on what’s ahead. Speed limit changes, road hazards, you name it. For instance, I once received a notification about a sudden traffic jam ahead which allowed me to take an alternative route and save time. It’s been quite helpful during my drives.
Let’s talk about the dash cam. The video quality? Stellar… for what it’s worth. I’ve been able to see license plates in the footage, which gives me peace of mind. I’ve driven during the day and night, and the camera adjusts well to both. It’s been sunny (and HOT!) here in Texas recently, and the wide dynamic range feature came in handy. During a particularly bright afternoon, the footage was neither washed out nor overly bright – it was just right. The MAXcam 360c performs admirably as both a radar detector and a dash camera. The radar detection is accurate and reliable with minimal false alarms. The dash camera provides clear and sharp footage, and the WDR feature ensures excellent video quality in various lighting conditions.
It’s quite an investment at its higher price tag compared to other Escort models and from other brands, but if you’re on the road a lot like me, it’s worth every penny. It’s not just a gadget, it’s a tool for safer and more aware driving.
So that’s my take on the Escort MAXcam 360c. My experience with it over the past couple of weeks has been excellent, and I’m looking forward to many more months and years with it. It has undoubtedly enhanced my driving experience.
WesleyA –
This was my second escort, i purchased for Best Buy. In my opinion escort radar detectors are the industry leader in radar detection. Best Buy had the escort 360 maxcam on sale .
ElectronicJunkie –
The Escort Maxcam 360C Radar Detector and Dash Cam combo is a great concept, it just lacks some updates and a better app package for the Android atmosphere of phones. Yes, the unit does great at detecting radar and the camera is fantastic, but the amount of time to get the app connected and working properly made me want to throw it out the window.
The newer tech of the MAXcam 360c is great, compared to my old Escort, there are many more options added when it comes to modes, but I always go back to the auto settings and let it rip.The app is honestly the biggest shortfall for myself, and being a techy, it should not be this hard to update a radar detector. I had almost 4 hours getting the app to see my WiFi and the unit to update it, it constantly would say no internet connection. After I figured out a way to connect back and forth on WiFi settings in my S23 quicker, it finally updated.
The radar detector works great, picks up from long distances without issue and has honestly saved me plenty going back and forth to the hospital over the last month to see my wife then rush home to feed my kids and then back to the hospital. The camera works great as well except in sunny conditions where glare takes over and you cannot see a thing, my old dash cam did not have this issue. The video quality is great at 1440 at 30 fps, I can watch it perfectly on my phone but fails often when downloading it to my phone, this is a huge annoyance as well.
And last, Escort, it is time to go to a USB-C power connector, these phone cord connectors are just not it imo, much better options with solid mounting and power hard wiring with USB-C and integrating into aftermarket high end stereos for alerts and using the camera to record to another device for blogging.
With some upgrades including lighter weight components, this would be a 5 star product but at the price point now, they are simply too expensive for the old style and the app.
Beorn –
There was only basic instructions included. I went on lone to look at the more detailed instructions but they were not much better. I’m learning how to use it by experimentation
David –
Good dash cam radar is even better. Honestly a solid deal to me.
Kazukito –
The Maxcam 360c works as advertised. The radar is able to detect at long ranges and the the direction indicator is accurate. I’ve only used this radar for a month, but it’s been great on highways. Unfortunately the Drive Smarter app is disappointing and has problems connecting. Would recommend using the Escort Live app, although it has less features
IvanD –
Is good in the road , while in the streets you can drive safety
Unknown –
This is worth the price. Two items in one. Plus the firmware is improving it on the daily!
JoseT –
I bought this here for almost $1k. Radar detector is OK, but it doesn’t detect all HP right next to you aiming at you with their laser speed gun. My worst nightmare here is the dash cam. Downloading just one video is very challenging. I started downloading 4 hours ago, and I still cannot get it to download it’s because it keep disconnecting from WiFi. I kept trying to download, it’ll start then stopped. In my opinion this is not worth that much money. Also the suction cut keeps falling every other day even with clean grease free windshield.
Tony –
Wouldn’t get on the road without this sucker. I love the Red Light and Speed Camera features in this Money Grabbing City I live in. This device will pay itself off 10 times over.
Mike –
An amazing combination of Radar detector and video cam system. It even tells me when I am at an intersection with cameras. Easy to work with. Works nicely with my phone and their App. Expensive yes. Worth it? Every penny….yes…
RBunney –
Absolutely love it Best radar detector I ever bought
RobertR –
I like the detector as it is more modern than most… but for the cam to work .. you have to have a separate app and tell it to record .. it is not just automatic.
Jack –
It’s very accurate and having the dash camera It makes this the 1, I recommend this product a little bulky but not overbearing Great combo unit
user522467 –
Provides long distance early warnings. Have not yet evaluated other features.
Awesome –
Dash cam is a joke because it has issues with CarPlay and you like and use CarPlay it’s not the one for you plus the dash cam unless hardwired it won’t record in parking mode anyway. So I went to the redline escort it’s awesome
Czarek –
Works good w. 16GB memory. With 256 GB Samsung High Endurance stop recording after memory is full – weird…
ItsDoty13 –
Works great/ very helpful but the scanner will only work if the cops are scanning. The app is eazy to use and the recordings are crisp
BDB72 –
Great item! Works Great! This thing is big! Works great, but large!
JeepM –
Other than the price being up there this is a radar that goes beep beep. And records video while it goes beep beep.
Amaroska –
No good camera quality and too hard to access the videos