The reason why this is so great, is your hand is likely on the shifter near the outlet you plug the smart cord into your car

Smart cord is a nice touch.

I purchased a Smart cord directly from Escort's website and there have been several times when my Passport sounded a Ka alarm with no cops anywhere to be seen

I coupled this with a hardwired Smart Cord to free up my cigarette lighter, you can also use this model with the Escort Live app

it?Now this detector does come with a convenient power cord that has a mute button on it (in addition to the mute button on the device

One thing I learned after my purchase is that this radar detector has a "smart cord" that allows your to sync with a free app that relays information from other drivers that have this radar detector (with the app), without you needing to manually input police, etc

The smart cord is handy to defeat the audible signals quickly

This is really bait and switch as they should either add the cord, swap the cord for the correct cord per app or tell you up front of the additional costs

The 8500X50 has the added benefit of being compatible with Escort's "Smart cord " (not included), which has technology allowing the unit to "Talk" to other nearby Escort units similarly equipped

I bought a new cord thinking this was the issue, but no luck

When my package arrived, I opened it to find a really nice box that contained a hard carrying case, Window mount, smart cord, and the detector itself

The smart cord died in less than a month of ownership (no power goes to the cord, plug is fine)

the cord is pigtail style.works well

I love the smart cord, the mute feature is great and very handy for my short arms that can't reach easily to the mount

Luckily it comes with the smart cord and mute button!

But the new Live cord makes it even better

I was able to set it up regardless of band type,The product does come with a convenient power cord that has a mute button on it

I love the unit BUT was not aware that I had to pay an additional $99 for a "Smart Cord" that can be utilized in unison with an apple app for "Live Escort" on the road

i took the suction cups off the mount and used some clear 3m double sided tape and mounted the detector next to the mirror on the passenger side... smart cord stays out of the way and the unit is as high up seeing more of the road... the 3m tape hold this light unit perfectly... the smart cord is genius with the mute button and bright warning light not all in your eye flashing showing everyone your detector... it has auto mute fully customizable settings