How to choose a speed camera app
A good speed camera app does three things: uses official open data updated daily, tracks your real average through average-speed zones, and alerts you on time without getting in the way. ZeroCyl does all three, free and without an account, in Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Singapore and the US.
7 things that matter
- Data source and freshness: official police open data, updated often. ZeroCyl updates daily.
- Average-speed zones: these use your average over the whole section, so the app should alert you at the start, show your average live and tell you the speed that keeps you under the limit.
- Mobile traps: there is no open data for them, only driver reports. You want one-tap reporting, alerts for drivers behind you, and "still there / gone" confirmations.
- Alert distance: earlier at higher speed, and only for cameras ahead in your direction. ZeroCyl alerts at 1 km, 500, 200 and 100 m above 80 km/h, and at 400, 200, 100 and 50 m otherwise.
- Works with navigation and music: the apps run in the background and only dip your music while speaking.
- Privacy: ideally no account and no stored tracks. ZeroCyl needs neither.
- Price and ads: ads on the driving screen should be static and silent. ZeroCyl is free with one static banner, removable with a subscription.
Is it legal?
Apps that compare your GPS position with published camera locations are legal in the regions ZeroCyl covers; police often publish the locations themselves. ZeroCyl never detects or jams police radar or lasers, which is what many countries ban. ZeroCyl only offers camera data where the law allows it. Do not handle your phone while driving.
Where ZeroCyl works
| Region | Coverage | Cameras |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan (incl. Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu) | Full | about 2,400 |
| Hong Kong | Full | about 180 |
| South Korea | Full | about 25,900 |
| Japan | Partial | about 160 |
| Singapore | Full | about 190 |
| United States | Partial | about 1,000 |
Speed camera locations
FAQ
What does a free speed camera app do?
ZeroCyl gives staged spoken alerts for fixed cameras, average-speed zones and reported mobile traps, turns your speed red when you are over the limit, and adds your own alert points, vehicle modes and the limit of the road you are on. Free, no account.
Does a speed camera app use a lot of battery or data?
The web app downloads the camera list once (Taiwan is about 0.2 MB) and again only when it changes; while driving it checks for mobile-trap reports every 30 seconds, which is very little data. Battery goes mostly to GPS and keeping the screen on, so plug in.
Do I get alerts in the background on iPhone?
Not with the web app: iPhone pauses web pages in the background. Use the ZeroCyl app for background and lock-screen alerts: the Android beta is on the website and the iPhone app is coming to TestFlight.