About Uniden
Uniden is a wireless-communications company founded in 1966 by Hidero Fujimoto as Uni Electronics Corp, and it became a household name in the 1970s through citizens band radios. Over the decades its range grew to include radio scanners (sold under the Bearcat name), marine radios and, for a time, cordless telephones. Its North American arm, Uniden America, sells directly through its own store as well as through retailers.
Uniden's current radar detector line is the R-Series, which began in 2017 with the R1 and R3 and has since grown to include the R4, R7, R8 and R9. The Wi-Fi models (R4w, R8w and R9w) arrived in late 2024 and add over-the-air firmware updates and GPS database updates through the R/TACH app. On RevRated, three Uniden detectors are among our top picks for radar detectors: the R3, R4W and R8W.
Brand website: uniden.com
What Uniden makes
Uniden's range runs wider than the products we review. The lines that earned places in our roundups are marked with a star:
Radar and laser detectors
the R-Series, from the R3 to the Wi-Fi equipped R4w and R8w, with GPS lockouts and the R/TACH app -- featured on RevRated (featured on RevRated)
Radio scanners
handheld, mobile and base scanners, including the SDS100, SDS150 and SDS200 digital models
CB radios
mobile and handheld CB units, including the Bearcat and BearTracker families
Marine radios
fixed-mount and handheld VHF radios with DSC distress features
Installed radar and laser systems
permanent, professionally installed detector setups for drivers who prefer a hidden installation
Why we recognized Uniden
The RevRated Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose products consistently stand out in our category roundups. Uniden earned it on the strength of the products below, evaluated the same way every product on this site is: checked against the specs, fitment data and verified buyer reviews, and judged on merit.
Uniden products we rated highly
Uniden R8W Extreme Long Range Laser/Radar Detector
A dual-antenna front-and-rear array with true 360-degree coverage and directional arrows on a color OLED, so a driver can see whether a threat is ahead, behind or to the side. Built-in Wi-Fi handles over-the-air firmware updates, and the R/TACH app plus GPS adds red-light and speed-camera alerts. GPS auto-mute memory learns fixed false-alert sources on regular routes and silences them.
Read our Radar Detectors guide →
Uniden R3 EXTREME LONG RANGE Laser/Radar Detector
Thousands of owner reviews at a 4.6-star average, one of the deepest review bases of any enthusiast radar detector in our testing. A 500-slot GPS mute memory locks out fixed false-alert sources on daily routes, and City, Highway and Quiet Ride settings let drivers tune sensitivity to where they are driving.
Read our Radar Detectors guide →
Uniden R4W Extreme Long-Range Laser/Radar Detector
Combines 360-degree directional arrows, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS in one unit. Over-the-air updates keep the K and Ka false-alert filtering current as new blind-spot-monitor patterns appear, and it shares the Blackfin DSP detection engine family with the R8W.
Read our Radar Detectors guide →What earned Uniden the recognition
- Three Uniden detectors, the R3, R4W and R8W, are among our top picks in RevRated's radar detector coverage, spanning a long-proven highway unit and two 360-degree Wi-Fi models.
- The R3 carries thousands of owner reviews at a 4.6-star average, real-world validation across many vehicles and driving conditions.
- The Wi-Fi models get over-the-air firmware updates and GPS database updates through the R/TACH app, so filtering and camera data stay current without a cable.
- GPS auto-mute memory across the lineup learns fixed false-alert sources on regular routes, which keeps long-range sensitivity usable around town.
- Nearly sixty years in wireless communications, from CB radios in the 1970s to the R-Series detectors that began in 2017.