Review: Escort Passport SC55 Red Light Camera Detector

Photo-enforcement camera protection for Escort radar detectors

By Radartest staff
Last updated: 2023

Note: discontinued model. See reviews of the latest models.

Drivers weary of being pestered by red light and speed cameras often want protection from these nuisances. But this has meant moving up to one of the GPS-enabled radar detectors like the Escort Redline 360c, Max 360c or Escort Passport iXc. Great radar detectors, but not inexpensive. With the arrival of the Escort Passport SC55, it's possible to combat photo enforcement cameras without having to retire your detector in favor one with integral GPS.

The Escort Passport SC55 is a dual-role device. As a stand-alone unit it acts as a red light camera detector, its Defender camera-location GPS database allowing it to warn of cameras ahead. With the addition of the Detector Kit ($20) it can be linked to high-end Escort Passport radar detectors.

The Escort Passport SC55's red LED display looks like that of the Escort Passport 9500ix and they share a number of features. A quartet of top-mounted controls operates the unit: at the outer front corners are the power on/off (left) and Mark Location (right) buttons; these flank two smaller, adjacent buttons, V/M and Cruise. Pressing this pair simultaneously enters Preferences mode, letting the user select from a menu of options.

The perpetually confused will find solace in one of the available displays—a compass heading showing current direction of travel. This can be combined with vehicle speed or either can be displayed separately. Other options include a vehicle system voltage readout or a scanning red dot. Display brightness is four-step manually adjustable or auto-dimming and there's a choice of voice announcements or tones. Auto power-down is a unique feature that kills the power to the SC55 and an attached radar detector after a few hours to limit battery drain.

The better GPS-enabled radar detectors can vary radar detection sensitivity automatically according to road speed, maximizing protection when you're at risk and dialing back sensitivity in low-speed traffic to reduce false alarms. When the Escort Passport SC55 is connected to a radar detector, it can use its real-time speed monitoring to simulate variable-speed sensitivity in the detector.

To do this, the Cruise button is used to select a threshold speed below which no voice alerts are sounded for radar encounters; a double-beep audio tone is heard instead. This in turn controls the radar detector's audible alerts.

Escort Redline 360c

Escort Redline 360c

To test this feature we linked the Escort Passport SC55 with an Escort RedLine, the most sensitive radar detector we've tested, with a world-record 14.25 miles of radar-detection range in one shootout of two best-performing radar detectors: Valentine One versus the Escort Redline. Placing the Escort Redline in maximum-sensitivty highway mode, we drove a local route that's infested with radar-controlled automatic door openers. Right on cue, the RedLine reported each signal visually but this time remained silent, a major advancement in driver peace of mind.

When alerting to photo enforcement cameras, the Escort Passport SC55's red text display shows the nature of the threat and begins counting down in 100-foot increments as it approaches. Voice alerts also provide threat identification, spelling out whether the camera is set to monitor only red light violations or speed-on-green as well (an increasingly common practice). Warning distance varies by speed, giving adequate time to react but without becoming a pest through premature, needlessly-long alarms.

The Escort Passport SC55 visually counts-down the distance to a marked location in hundred-foot increments. Arrival is greeted with a "You've reached your marked location" voice confirmation. Or, if voice alerts are disabled via the preferences menu, they are replaced by a double-tap audible tone upon first alert and when the marked location is reached. In addition, the nature of the threat is spelled out, e.g., Speed Camera or Red Light Camera. This is useful information and helps the driver react appropriately to the threat.

To reduce radar false alarms the Passport SC55 has the Cruise Alert feature, a user-set speed threshold below which no radar alerts are sounded. It works as promised, allowing even hypersensitive radar detectors like the BEL STi Magnum and Escort Redline to be run in unfiltered highway mode in town. Either will continue to alert to non-police radar signals, mostly from radar-controlled automatic door openers, but these alerts are visual-only; the audible alerts are disabled by the Escort Passport SC55. Only when vehicle speed exceeds the threshold will audible alerts again be heard.

For those not easily annoyed by back-seat drivers, the Overspeed feature can be engaged. Whenever a threshold speed is exceeded you'll be admonished, the voice of a concerned woman bleating "Warning! Overspeed!" as if perhaps the sunroof is in danger of blowing off. Depending upon your tolerance for being scolded, disabling the voice alerts while using Overspeed may be useful.

We sampled the Passport SC55 with several models including the Escort Redline 360C, finding it to be a highly effective antidote to photo enforcement cameras while also significantly reducing urban false alarms.