Smartphone speed trap locator - EVERYONE USE THIS ONE!

[mr2mike]

I was thinking, everyone on here is complaining about the new speed on green cameras. So instead of complaining, we should all (somewhat) agree on a smartphone program that alerts us all of the speed traps ahead.

I know most use GPS units with way points programmed in, etc. But this is a way for those with a smartphone to work the technology in our favour.

The best software that I have seen for this is called trapster. It is available on the iphone and blackberries with GPS.

On itunes, search trapster and you can get it. With a blackberry, not too sure how you get it, I'm sure the website will tell you.

www.trapster.com

The best features of this system are:

1) It's FREE!! Totally free even when you get your account.
2) Real time data that is votes on by accuracy over time, the bad data uploaders are eliminated.
3) Trapster® continuously communicates with your mobile phone. Data is never stale.

Why am I saying that we all should utilize this program? This system relies totally on the # of users in the given area to send in the most accurate, up to date information on manned speed traps as well as multi-nova.

I'm sure the red light cameras are all uploaded in the system but this goes one step further and will help guard against picking up a "real" speeding ticket.

With the number of people on beyond who are driving around, the Calgary and area database should get to be pretty damn good.

There's absolutely no downside except that your battery life might be lessened on your phone.


I've looked at lots of other versions of red light camera notifiers, etc and this one by far has the most features. Save yourself the time and just go with this one.

[sk65guy]

hey ya i use this on my bold its actually really helpful it even points out major "hot spots" where cops like to set up and bone you:nut:

[pf0sh0]

I use it sometimes too, but it drains my battery quickly

[S13_Ryan]

seen this on app world. was thinking of getting it but questioned its accuracy. maybe ill try it out.

[pf0sh0]

Originally posted by S13_Ryan
seen this on app world. was thinking of getting it but questioned its accuracy. maybe ill try it out.

It is pretty accurate, alot of people in Calgary are using it and marking known spots and light.

[berbatov]

Thanks for the tip.

[signature7]

i used to use it when it first came out, however I find it really hard to hear the warnings. Is it any better now?

[pf0sh0]

Originally posted by signature7
i used to use it when it first came out, however I find it really hard to hear the warnings. Is it any better now?

pretty loud for my phone. Usually if she starts talking, I just get the hint something is coming up

[94boosted]

I Love this thing whenever I'm going to be traveling on a route I'm not familiar with I check it on my iPhone to check for common spots were they hide

[xkon]

ive been using it since app world came out - great program, i have audio off and just watch the map. the redlights are all there, sometime question some of the trap locations tho - my daily routes had them everywhere, and I think I would have seen one by now!

[mr2mike]

Originally posted by signature7
i used to use it when it first came out, however I find it really hard to hear the warnings. Is it any better now?

There's vibration mode for iphone. Haven't tried it but I suppose if it's in your pocket, it would be less accurate but would warn you.

As for the locations all along your commute, why not try to cancel them out by giving the location a bad rating?

I see people seem to put the "police often hide here" badge on their reports. If the system gets used enough and properly, we can properly label that there's a speed trap up and it would be current and more accurate.

I know, I'm not going to slow down all the time to every reported area where cops hide. But if it's labelled speed trap and is reported, I know that it will be there as such since the speed trap marker disappears 1 hour after last reporting.

[mr2mike]

Taken from http://www.trapster.com/help.php

Understanding types of traps, and confidence ratings

Trapster® data is entered by users, for the benefit of other users. For this reason it is important that you be as accurate as possible when entering new traps, and rating traps other users have entered. Confidence level is denoted by the trap color. Green is the lowest confidence, red the highest (meaning more users agree there is a trap of that type at that location). Gray means other users 'buried' or voted the trap out. Traps that are buried (gray) never alert you on your mobile phone. The type of trap is denoted by the picture in the icon.

Live Police Trap
Actual (current) sighting of a police speed or other trap. Please do not enter a trap every time you see a police car driving around, or parked along the road while the officer eats a doughnut. Examples of good trap reports are police with radar or laser trap set up, motorcycle police hiding in bushes along a freeway on-ramp, a cruiser hiding near stop sign to catch "California Stops". (Traps of type "Live Police" automatically expire after 1 hour from the last corroboration).

Usual Hiding Place or Enforcement Point
Live Police Trap entries only live in the system temporarily. This type of entry is permanent. Do you know of a place where police often set up radar, laser, visual observation, or other types of enforcement? Please share it! (Traps of type "Usual Police Hiding Place" live in the system permanently, unless voted out by other users).

Red Light Camera
Most stop lights have small traffic surveillance cameras that do not actually issue tickets. They are simply for monitoring traffic. Photoenforcement cameras are usually large boxes with flasher units. Here are examples of cameras you may see on stoplights. The first is not a valid photoenforcement trap, the second is:

Please try to determine if the camera you are reporting is actually a trap. (Traps of type "Red Light Camera" live in the system permanently, unless voted out by other users).

Fixed Speed Camera
Fixed photoenforcement speed cameras are mounted on poles, look similar in size and shape to red light cameras, are usually found on freeways, and are very common in Europe. Only a few US states (notably Arizona) have fixed speed cameras. Please don't confuse the stationary or portable radar trailer units (the ones that display your current speed) with units that actually issue citations. There are also mobile photoenforcement speed cameras that get moved around frequently, or mounted to the back of a police vehicle while the officer waits alongside. Please use the trap of type "Mobile Speed Camera" for mobile units. (Traps of type "Fixed Speed Camera" live in the system permanently, unless voted out by other users).

Mobile Speed Camera
This type of speed camera is typically mounted on a van or other type of vehicle. (Traps of type "Mobile Speed Camera" automatically expire after 2 hours from the last corroboration).

Combo Camera
Combined red light and speed photoenforcement cameras are becoming more common. (Traps of type "Combo Camera" live in the system permanently, unless voted out by other users).

Checkpoint
Live police checkpoint or roadblock. Such checkpoints are typically posted in local newspapers 24 hours in advance. (Traps of type "Checkpoint" automatically expire after 6 hours from the last corroboration).

[Xtrema]

Looks of bogus data in the NW and missing quite a few points

But I guess it will get better over time with more people subscribe to the service.

I find these warnings annoying while I drive tho. Definitely check it out if I travel outside of city.

[bituerbo]

Originally posted by pf0sh0
I use it sometimes too, but it drains my battery quickly
Get a cigarette lighter -> USB adapter. Will allow you to charge ANYTHING (iPod, iPhone, Blackberry, Digicam) with the one adapter, and they are typically cheaper than a branded/single purpose adapter. MemX carries them fosho.

I use Trapster, and on the iphone it's really easy to confirm or report bogus traps.
I haven't seen a radar trap since I started using this app, but I'm eager to report a 'live' trap.
I think everyone on beyond with an iPhone or BB should start using this.

[w_man]

When using the GPS on BB ... as this application is using, are there are no data charges?

Don't want to end up with a big bill at the end of the month.

[TorqueDog]

I played with it today on my drive into work. Not a bad toy. My only complaint is that the proximity circle is a bit large.

I don't need to know about the potential speed trap on Blackfoot Trail when I'm driving south on Deerfoot.

[scat19]

^ You can change it.

I use it, but not on my normal commutes to work where I drive the road so frequently it's useless.

If you're using an iPhone, you need a car charger - the active aGPS and 3G kills your phone!

[mr2mike]

Look around the settings, you can set it up to your liking. I'm sure it will have more and more settings as the versions improve.

As for checking how much data is used, I will see if I can get the map of calgary to save with my Wifi at home. Then drive around with no data activated. Then I will see if it trys to download the maps or it caches the maps.

If it caches the maps, I doubt the data rate would be too high. I mean it's just getting new points of interest for traps, which shouldn't be too bad. Maybe more of a computer guy could verify my logic is correct?

As well, if you have no data plan, you can't report a trap until you get back into Wifi and then you can report it by setting where the location of the trap was.

I would hope in future versions that they don't allow a marking of "cops commonly hide here". It would do it automatically once, say 10 seperate days of cops being in a location are recorded.

[stevieo]

i just downloaded this, lets see how it works!

[Proyecto2000]

Originally posted by w_man
When using the GPS on BB ... as this application is using, are there are no data charges?

Don't want to end up with a big bill at the end of the month.

Thats what I was wondering as well, I dont need to get fired for cell phone "abuse" lol

[ClearBluewater]

I thought this was an app for the iphone only. Works great, but i ae no idea how they actualy are able to display where some police cars are in the city.

[mr2mike]

I just went through the city trying to remove the bad data. I mean there are not that many areas where copy really hide.
We need to mark them appropriately with multinova or live police trap. I can see this data getting really good if there's that many people on board. I see TorqueDog (or I think it was him) has already started marking places.

[RX_EVOLV]

no window mobile version, damnit

[ClearBluewater]

Originally posted by RX_EVOLV
no window mobile version, damnit

Windows mobile = Fail.

[kenny]

Does this app only warn for live speed traps? It would be annoying to get alert for all the spots marked as "Cops often hide here".

[w_man]

It does warn you about the 'cops often hide here' situation but I understand you can configure it to avoid mentioning those. It does get annoying.

I am still wondering about the data use for BBs ... I have a work BB too and I'm sure this would be considered 'abuse' ... anyone who has been using it, been hit with a big bill or notice a jump on their data?

[mr2mike]

Originally posted by kenny
Does this app only warn for live speed traps? It would be annoying to get alert for all the spots marked as "Cops often hide here".

On Iphone atleast, you can set it to not warn you of the "Cops often hide here".

I'm almost thinking that we setup a Beyond group within this system. Then it's soely Beyond users reporting the traps. I would hope that Beyonders are more capable of reporting the traps according to what they are.

Like I said I went through and tried to get rid of some of the "cops often hide here" areas. Like I think there were 20 some locations on the way to Banff. I think someone saw a copy and then reported it. It wasn't an actual laser trap. This bad or inaccurate data makes people not use this setup. But it would be awesome to know of actual speed traps when you're rippin out to Banff.

For the data plan guys:
There's a text message setup. I haven't looked into it yet but if you can set it to text you of on "Live Laser traps" or Multinova traps, that might be a cheaper route as txt recieving is generally free up to maybe the 2,500 incoming.

[ShermanEF9]

Originally posted by w_man
It does warn you about the 'cops often hide here' situation but I understand you can configure it to avoid mentioning those. It does get annoying.

I am still wondering about the data use for BBs ... I have a work BB too and I'm sure this would be considered 'abuse' ... anyone who has been using it, been hit with a big bill or notice a jump on their data?

I know that the GPS with Telus is an Extra charge... but i don't think apps are.. i know BlackBerry Messenger is free.. i would assume any app from blackberry would be as well.

[mr2mike]

I got to report two multinova sightings. It's pretty easy to do on the iphone at a red light or when you reach your destination.

Wonder if bb is the same?

[kenny]

I marked two live traps today haha, wonder if anyone got a warning courtesy of my sighting :)

1. Bow Trail Bridge Rehab Construction Site (70 down to 50 zone)... of course no construction going on so they looked busy.

2. Old Banff Coach Road near the Shell, a busy spot that always has a speedtrap when the weather is nice.

[el_cap]

Anyone here using it on a BB? If so, how much data does it really use?

[em2ab]

My GPS on my Curve is only accurate within 2.7 kilometres, how the hell would it know where I am? I don't know why the GPS on this thing is so terrible.

[canuckcarguy]

Originally posted by el_cap
Anyone here using it on a BB? If so, how much data does it really use?

I started using it on the weekend. I have 6 gigs of data per month with Rogers, I'll watch my usage to see if it goes crazy.

[bituerbo]

Originally posted by em2ab
My GPS on my Curve is only accurate within 2.7 kilometres, how the hell would it know where I am? I don't know why the GPS on this thing is so terrible.

You probably have a Curve 8300 which doesn't have GPS capability. It just estimates your distance to towers and triangulates. I can get accuracy to within 200m when not using GPS, so you may have something wrong with yours, try updating the software to the latest BB handheld code.

I've been using this on my iphone for a while. Even when commuting on the bus to/from work if I spot a live trap I report it. Twice now I've spotted officers working the Bow trail bridge reconstruction trap and reported it. The bigger the userbase the more accurate it will be. We should all start removing 'police often hide here' markers and replace them with live trap locations. On the iphone you just click a button to 'report trap' set the type of trap, and then tap on the map where the trap was. Great App!

What I find is a little open to legal interpretation is the ability to mark down checkstops. One could argue that it's encouraging drunk driving. Either way, this is STILL a brilliant app.

Edit: long weekend bump!!!

[mr2mike]

Originally posted by bituerbo


We should all start removing 'police often hide here' markers and replace them with live trap locations.

What I find is a little open to legal interpretation is the ability to mark down checkstops.
Edit: long weekend bump!!!

I agree, with marking live speed traps. I actually got pulled over on a live trap and as he's writing a ticket, I'm reporting it to trapster.

There was a blitz on a week or so ago and rarely was anyone reporting live traps.

Also, some 'tools' are reporting the intersection cameras used to control the lights as speed cameras. I don't know how many of these I've had to remove. Get it right.

I'm thinking we start a beyond group within this app. You can do it and then only the beyond guys and their reports are seen by the other beyond users. This should remove the useless "cops often hide here" locations. If wanted (lets say you're in a different city) you can always switch to all user database.

Sorry guys, I refuse to report checkstops.

[Doozer]

I have this on my Curve, and it's never been able to lock onto my location once. And yes, my curve has the built-in GPS. I've used GPSed with no problems (although it's a bit slow to lock on sometimes), but Trapster, never once, has ever locked on.

Any other BB users have this problem? I'm using OS 4.3. I've followed all the instructions on the Trapster site to make sure the internal GPS is enabled, etc.

If I ever get this working, you can bet I'll be doing my part to keep it updated.

PS - for those who have usage concerns, I'm pretty sure there will be extra data charges when you're downloading maps and info all the time. How much depends on your usage, but the Trapster says heavy users could be pulling a few megs per day.

[Sakujo]

intrigueng...

[bituerbo]

Bumping this one up. I've installed the 3.0 OS version of Trapster on my iPhone, and I'm getting push updates 3-4x a day of live police locations. I have yet to come across a speed trap in-town that hasn't been added, but I do verify them to make them more credible.

THANK YOU to everyone who's actively participating in this program, this app is becoming more reliable than my radar detector. If you're not using it actively then it's definitely time to get on board.

[mr2mike]

I originally started this post but kind of dropped off on the useage of it.
They say that they've made the program better with faster start ups, etc.

I still don't like the "police often hide here" option as sure they might but I only want to know if police are currently there. I almost never see someone post a current trap.

I've gone through and discredited most of them in the NW, SW and downtown area, trying to clean them up. Lots of people don't seem to know the difference between a red light camera and a intersection control camera used by the city.

[bituerbo]

I'm also trying to discredit the 'police often hide here' and incorrect red light camera locations.

[shakalaka]

Just got this on my iphone. Has facebook connectivity too now, hopefully it wont post useless stuff on my profile.

[les.reynolds]

Originally posted by Doozer
I have this on my Curve, and it's never been able to lock onto my location once. And yes, my curve has the built-in GPS. I've used GPSed with no problems (although it's a bit slow to lock on sometimes), but Trapster, never once, has ever locked on.

Any other BB users have this problem? I'm using OS 4.3. I've followed all the instructions on the Trapster site to make sure the internal GPS is enabled, etc.

If I ever get this working, you can bet I'll be doing my part to keep it updated.

PS - for those who have usage concerns, I'm pretty sure there will be extra data charges when you're downloading maps and info all the time. How much depends on your usage, but the Trapster says heavy users could be pulling a few megs per day.

I have the same issue I have gone through the Trapster site and looked at all their fixes with editing all Trapster permissions to allow and all that crap and the out of battery reset and I still am in California or someplace. If I ever do figure it out I will post how i did it.

[Big_Fat]

thanks didnt know about this :thumbsup:

[donnie533]

I have found the perfect way to avoid radar / redlight cameras....I tend to stop for red lights and drive at (not above) the posted speed limits.

New Alberta legislation in the works to ban the operation of handheld electronic devices while driving.

[mr2mike]

Originally posted by donnie533

New Alberta legislation in the works to ban the operation of handheld electronic devices while driving.

Not too concerened because how do you suppose they see the phone sitting in the passenger seat or cupholder running trapster?

[bituerbo]

Originally posted by donnie533
I have found the perfect way to avoid radar / redlight cameras....I tend to stop for red lights and drive at (not above) the posted speed limits.

New Alberta legislation in the works to ban the operation of handheld electronic devices while driving.

Easy solution: get a cradle. I don't think anybody here drives around with trapster sitting in the palm of their hand.

They cannot ban in-dash navigation units, many cars have them stock. They wouldn't ban aftermarket GPS units since the public outcry would be too great. What would happen to Sirius subscribership? Can our government afford to finance a major media outlet through bankruptcy? Probably not. Thanks for regurgitating a headline, along with some askew incorrect 'facts'. Beyond needs less of your presence.

[mr2mike]

Anyone still using this? I rarely see active radar or multinova getting reported.

I found, turning off the "police hide here" areas make it a better setup. I mean we all travel the same routes daily, so we know where cops typically hide.

[bituerbo]

I get daily push notifications for live police, sometimes multiple hits daily. I'd say more people are using it now than ever.

[FivE.SeveN]

I use it, it's awesome. If you've got a bluetooth-enabled phone and stereo, you can have it broadcast through your car speakers even.

[torob]

Didn't want to make a new thread... i put this on my htc touch - the winmo version

But it has no map.. just shows me a alert which is in Michigan USA...

Any ideas why this is happening? Has it happened to anyone that has fixed it?

[jsn]

Just wanted to check. Has anyone confirmed how much data this uses on the iphone? I have minimal data on my plan (150mb) so I could see this app using it up pretty quick.

[mr2mike]

Originally posted by torob
Didn't want to make a new thread... i put this on my htc touch - the winmo version

But it has no map.. just shows me a alert which is in Michigan USA...

Any ideas why this is happening? Has it happened to anyone that has fixed it?

Happened on my gf's BB with telus. Not sure why but her GPS wouldn't kick in to work. So most likely it's the gps part of your phone or does it have gps?

[Canmorite]

Added some 'police often hide here' places, I get updates of live police usually once a day. Great app!

[mr2mike]

I generally drive the same routes everyday so I turned off 'police often hide here' and it works best for me. Then I only get notified of live traps and multinova or speed cameras.

This service will get better, the more users.

[kenny]

I stopped using Trapster because I couldn't disable the "Police often hide here" alerts. Don't see the option to on the Nokia version.

[hobohunter]

Or, you could not speed? Crazy idea I guess...

[mr2mike]

Originally posted by kenny
I stopped using Trapster because I couldn't disable the "Police often hide here" alerts. Don't see the option to on the Nokia version.

Ya mine is the iphone version. Hopefully the updates will include control for the Nokia's. This makes it a better system IMO. Less useless alerts.

[kenny]

OK, I'm blind. Apparently you can change the settings on the website for my account so it doesn't even send them to my phone once I'm logged in. I guess I'll start using it again.

@hobohunter, what a crazy idea.

[titanzik]

Originally posted by pf0sh0
I use it sometimes too, but it drains my battery quickly

Drains my battery too, but if you really want to use it for this you should just get a car adapter...having the maps app on drains the battery too;)

[torob]

Originally posted by mr2mike


Happened on my gf's BB with telus. Not sure why but her GPS wouldn't kick in to work. So most likely it's the gps part of your phone or does it have gps?

Yeah of course, my google maps works fine.
On their website they recommend net framework 3.5 and use of QuickGPS or something like that

The quickgps or whatever it is called doesn't work, getting all sorts of connection errors.. and net framework wouldn't install though i could swear my ROM has it builtin (its custom)

I'll forget about trapster for now, couple friends who have it on iPhone say its not updated or used enough making it useless/annoying

[scat19]

I stopped using it. It's such a long prcocess to enter a trap.

[mr2mike]

Yes, difficult if it's not already on and running. I find if I don't have it on, I'm going back once I reach my destination and adding the trap in.

[canuckcarguy]

Drains my battery way too fast.

[mr2mike]

New update for iphone with a bunch of new features.

Caravan mode and settings:

http://blog.trapster.com/2010/01/14/caravan/

CARAVAN
You are now able to see your buddies on the map, in real time! You can also see other Trapster users on the map and request to be their buddies! This is great if you are planning a road trip, since you will be able to see exactly how far ahead or behind your friends are.

You can easily send them messages via audio, text and/or pictures. Also get turn by turn directions directly to your buddies location.

This feature is able to be turned off so you can't be stalked by your buddies or girlfriends.

PATROL
What if no one has been this way recently, and has not reported any traps? Patrol is the solution. Blue paths will be displayed on over the streets on the trapmap, assuring you that the road ahead has been “patrolled” by fellow Trapster users.


Also Road Hazard reporting.

[mr2mike]

Originally posted by canuckcarguy
Drains my battery way too fast.

Solution:
http://www.gromaudio.com/ipod.html
V2 works for iphone 3G AFAIK

[SCHIDER23]

I been using this one for a while, still not used to it, but I do like the notifications when I'm running the app, I always forget to turn the damn program on, maybe that is why I'm still not used to it. :burnout:

[Doozer]

Originally posted by mr2mike


Happened on my gf's BB with telus. Not sure why but her GPS wouldn't kick in to work. So most likely it's the gps part of your phone or does it have gps? I have the same setup, bb with Telus, and I find that the GPS is virtually useless during the daytime, especially in the city.

Both Trapster and another GPS tool I have (GPSed) work great in the evenings, pretty reliably, but maybe it's satellite priorities or something - they almost never connect during the day.

One night I drove to Edmonton, leaving Calgary about 8pm on a Wednesday. GPS connected, and Trapster worked great the whole way. That was before Christmas, and Trapster still thinks I'm in Edmonton because I haven't been able to connect during the day since I got back.

[KKY]

Has anyone used Waze?

[gqmw]

How much data does this use? For a BB.