Escort Passport 9500ix Review
The Escort Passport 9500IX is one of the company’s latest models, and it has many useful features to offer. It is designed to provide users with long-range warnings for all radar bands that are used in North America, including X, K, Superwide Ka, and POP modes.
Escort Passport 9500IX Installation
You will find that the Escort Passport 9500ix radar detector is pretty easy to install right out of the box. It comes with a windshield mount that sticks right on and is fairly solid. The mount features a metal slot that the device fits into quite snugly and securely. It can come loose if you are on a particularly bumpy stretch of road, but it is very stable for the most part. Setup only takes a few minutes, and the mount can hold the device in many different positions to accommodate just about every vehicle. It comes with a cord that you can plug into your cigarette lighter.
The model is available in blue and red displays, just like Escort Passport 8500×50. You can learn how the two compare in our Escort Passport 8500×50 VS 9500ix article.
Table of Contents
Features
Setup
One of the things that we like most about the Escort Passport 9500ix is the fact that it offers so many configuration options, allowing you to customize this device’s performance. You will be able to enable or disable audio alerts as well as GPS and certain radar bands.
The same applies for another model, the X70. See how the two compare in our Escort Passport X70 VS 9500IX.
The default setting is to provide you with both audio and visual alerts when a threat is detected. The spoken audio alerts can be helpful when you don’t want to take your eyes off the road.
The built-in GPS that this radar detector offers can show you the current speed of your vehicle at all times. It can be slightly more convenient to use the radar detector to monitor your speed than the actual speedometer on the dash. It also comes in handy if you receive an alert and want to check just how fast you are going. Passport S75 is an older version which provides this feature as well: https://www.ratedradardetector.org/escort-radar-detectors/passport-s75-review/
There is a very distinct audio alert that is emitted for each type of threat. You can choose to have a digital voice tell you which band the threat is, as well as a bar graph that shows the signal strength.
More advanced users can also choose to have multiple threats displayed with detailed information on the most important (strongest signal). If you know your stuff, you can enable the Expert meter to more advanced details like the frequency of the threat/signal.
The display is very easy to read no matter what time of day it is. The brightness of the display dims in response to how light or dark it is outside. It dims a little bit even at night so that it is less conscious.
This radar detector’s SmartCord blinks red when there is an alert, making it easier to know about threats without having to draw any unnecessary attention. This cord has a mute button that can be useful for particularly long threat alerts.
GPS Technology
The Escort Passport 9500ix uses its built-in GPS to learn repetitious false alerts and ignore them so you aren’t bothered by them regularly. This happens after you pass the same signal three times, and you will hear a beep when it is stored. If there is a real threat in the same area, you will be notified. You have the option of recording certain spots with false alerts that you want to ignore with the press of a button.
It takes very little effort to block out all false alerts along your regular route, as the radar detector will do it for you. The auto-sensitivity feature of this device will adjust its sensitivity to threats based on the speed of the vehicle.
This feature is lacking even in well-reviewed radar detectors of the past. You can check our comparison of Valentine One VS Escort Passport 9500IX as proof.
You will receive special Traffic Sensor Rejection software with this device that ignores the flow sensors that are used in certain parts of the country. This can be especially useful to those who live in Ohio and other states where these sensors are commonly used.
This GPS technology this device uses is also beneficial because of its extensive database of red light and speed camera locations. Whenever you get close to one of these areas, the device will alert you very clearly. You will see an arrow point to the direction of the nearest camera on the display. This is an especially useful feature to have when you are driving in urban areas.
You can update this radar detector’s database by simply connecting it to your computer via USB. It doesn’t take long for it to update itself, and you will be glad you did. If a new red light or speed camera is installed somewhere, you will want to know about it.
The sensitivity of this radar detector will be adjusted based on the speed of your car. The variable speed sensitivity ensures that you only get alerts for legitimate threats while driving. You can choose to turn this feature off and enable Highway mode instead. It is important to keep in mind that doing this will increase the number of false alerts that you receive.
Its city mode is lauded though, and can even compete against newer models as one can conclude in our comparison of Escort Max 360 VS Escort Passport 9500ix.
Laser Sensors
The numerous laser sensors that this radar detector uses is part of why it is so effective at providing users with ample warning for laser devices. While not everyone in the U.S. has to worry about these particular threats, they have become more common in the past few years. If you ever receive a laser threat alert from this device, slow down immediately. There is a good chance that a police officer is parked very close to where you are.
Escort LIVE App
The Escort LIVE app that this radar detector works with is available for both Android and iOS users. It has a community-driven database of red light cameras, speed cameras and other types of threats. This app is completely free to download and can provide you with a whole extra layer of protection. It will warn you about cops and speed traps that have been sighted in your area by other users. This has become a fairly big community, which just makes the app that much more effective.
Another good reason to use this mobile app is that it will provide you with a secondary screen that will display the speed of your vehicle as well as strength details for detected threats. It has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to navigate through and use.
There is a community of millions of people that contribute to this app’s database. This means that you can be sure that you’ll receive updated threat alerts for whatever area you are driving in. An increasing number of people are joining this community every day, which makes the app even more useful and beneficial.
Mute Settings
You most likely don’t want to keep listening to this radar detector’s constant noise after you have been made aware of a threat, which is where the mute button comes in. You can press this button whenever you want to stop the audio notification. Once the signal is no longer considered a threat, the audio alert will enable itself again. You can activate AutoMute by simply going into the feature menu. When an audio alert is given, the volume will instantly be decreased to the level you have specified.
- Mobile app with an extensive database of threats.
- Laser protection.
- Easy-to-use design.
- Clear voice alerts that tell you the nature of each threat.
- High-resolution display that is easy to read at any time of day.
- Recognizes and ignored recurring false alerts.
- It might be a bit too pricey for those who are on a tight budget.
Escort Passport 9500IX Customer Reviews
The customer reviews for the Escort Passport 9500IX radar detector are generally very positive. Most people have no problems whatsoever in setting up or using it. Many of these reviews talk about how this device has saved them from numerous tickets in a fairly short period. There is also high praise for the Escort Live mobile app because of its huge threat database.
It lacks an immunity against police RDDs though, unlike the Redline Ex. See how the 9500IX fares in our Escort Redline Ex VS 9500IX article.
Escort Passport 9500ix Review Conclusion
The good thing we analyzed in this Escort Passport 9500ix review is that it has a defender database that provides speed and red lights camera locations. One of the cons is that it lacks over speed alert. Bluetooth capabilities are also lacking, which is what we have concluded with our Escort Passport Max 2 VS 9500IX comparison. The 9500IX offers comprehensive protection against all different types of radar and lasers.
Overall, the Escort Passport 9500ix is a great investment for anyone who wants to protect themselves against speed traps, red-light cameras, speed cameras, and other threats. While it is not the cheapest model on the market, it is among the most advanced. Its built-in GPS allows you to use to take advantage of the huge database of threats that could save you from getting some very expensive tickets.
William Johnson is the owner and founder of RatedRadarDetector.org. He writes about car accessories, with his passion stemming from a deep enthusiasm for all things automotive. His website, RRD, focuses on in-depth reviews of car accessories to help people find the best and latest products in the market.
