You've just purchased your first radar detector and you are about to mount it in your car. The installation instructions sound easy: stick the mount on the windshield and attach the radar detector. Plug in the power and you're on your way.

But wait a minute. Is that all there is to it? Not really. In fact, proper installation of a radar detector is crucial to its overall effectiveness in the ability to detect law enforcement radar and laser signals. Simply slapping your radar detector in your vehicle isn't enough; you need to know where to put it for optimal performance.

Of course, your choices are limited and on the surface, rather obvious. It needs to be mounted and aimed towards the front of the vehicle in order to detect radar and laser signals on the road ahead. Logically it should be an unobstructed, line-of-sight view through the windshield to scan effectively. But should it be mounted high, low or somewhere in between? Should it be on the driver side, passenger side, or somewhere in the middle? Precise placement of the radar detector (http://www.buyradardetectors.com/) is important and can make all the difference between good detection and no detection at all.

The often recommended approach is to mount the radar detector high on the windshield, or attach it to a rear-view mirror or a visor; the higher the better. Radar signals cover a broad surface area across a roadway, so they are rather easy to detect. Any obstructions in the pathway between the radar detector's line of sight and the radar signal, such as the hood of your vehicle, can potentially block the radar or slow down limit detection. Even the best radar detector (http://www.buyradardetectors.com/cat/radar-detectors/guide/radar-detector/best-radar-detector.aspx) can have this problem. Positioning the radar detector high will prevent such obstacles from getting in the way. The higher you mount the radar detector, the sooner it may detect oncoming radar, especially if you are going up a hill or traveling through hilly terrain.

While placing the radar detector high is optimal for detecting radar signals, it's not so great for laser detection. Unlike radar, a laser beam is much narrower. In fact, at 1000 feet, light projected from a traffic enforcement laser gun covers only a 2 foot wide, rectangular area and the beam has to hit the detector directly in order for it to be detected at all. Laser guns are typically aimed at an area on the lower front end of a vehicle such a front license plate, so if your detector is mounted too high, chances are it won't pick up the laser beam at all. So for laser detection, the best practice is to mount the detector low, the lower the better.

Of course, mounting the detector too low for optimal detection of laser signals can reduce its ability to detect radar. Since most radar detectors on the market today detect both radar and laser signals, the best solution is to determine the sweet spot for both. If laser isn't used a lot in your area, use a passive laser deterrent such as Laser Veil stealth coating or a laser jammer and position your radar detector higher for radar. If laser is used by traffic enforcement in your area, the best solution is to mount the radar detector lower on the windshield or attach it to the dash with a dash mount. You may sacrifice a bit of detection in the radar signal, but you will increase the detection of laser. In either scenario, a laser deterrent or jammer is still highly recommended.

Mounting a radar detector isn't complicated, but correct placement is important to optimize its effectiveness and help prevent you from getting a ticket.