First-timer needs help

[awj223]

Ok, I am convinced.

Is anyone using the AL/P bluetooth module and iPhone App in place of the internal control? What are the pros and cons? I am interested in having as little as possible in the cabin.

Pros: you get visual alerts. The smartphone screen shows you the gun you're being shot with. If integrating the STiR+, you get the exact frequency readout.
Cons: if your smartphone crashes or runs out of batteries, you are unprotected. The system will not jam if a BT device is not connected.

Honestly, the internal control is not very big. About the size of two keys on your computer keyboard.

Is there anything that you lose by integrating the STiR in terms of functionality? I thought I read someplace that you forego GPS.

You forego GPS. You also forego frequency readouts, if not using the BT module. Personally, the GPS lockouts are not a big deal for me, being in California, because I have everything except Ka subband 5 disabled most of the time. I don't get any falses.

With the STiR being the same as the Escort 9500ci, is there any benefit to getting that radar with Escort's laser shifters? Drawbacks?

Don't use the laser shifters if you get the 9500ci. You can't run two jammers on the same car at the same time. Well, not if you want to actually jam the guns. The 9500ci has a better LNA in its receiver. Other than that, it's pretty much identical to the STiR+'s receiver.

Is it a bad idea to mute the voice alerts and just rely on the LEDs? The siren and voices will scare the crap out of the wifey.

The voice alerts can be loud, and they're loud for a reason. Bad idea to mute the alerts. If you don't hear an alert, you could do what's known as a JTG (jam to gun) on a police officer. That's a really bad thing, not just for you (you could get a jammer ticket), but for the entire community of people who use jammers, as it teaches cops what to look for. Don't do it.

By the way, if anyone else (like your wife) is going to be driving your car and is not instructed how to use the jammers properly (using the jam-to-kill technique of slowing down to the speed limit and killing the jammers ASAP), then you should turn the jammers OFF when the other person is driving. It really depends on the other person though. Some members here have taught their wives/girlfriends how to use jammers properly, while others have SOs who are not interested at all.

[SurrealOne]

I used the BT module for a short time on a Samsung tablet that I keep in my car 24/7 but I did not trust it. So I have a extra iPhone 6 that is running iOS 9 and that worked way better. But my BT module just went out. Not sure what happened but I turn on my car and the red LED would blink and then it would go to green and stay green(needs to turn blue). red is alert green is parking and blue is defense mode. So I unplugged the BT module and plugged the control set back in and life is good again. I'm ok with not using the BT module. If you like I can post some pics of my install inside my car but it's pretty basic.