Uniden
Uniden America Corporation, the U.S. subsidiary of Japan's Uniden, sells radar detectors, radio scanners, CB radios, and marine VHF radios directly to consumers via uniden.com across the United States and Canada, supported by installation, repair, and scanner software upgrade services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1966
- HeadquartersIrving, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Uniden does
Uniden America Corporation is the U.S. operating subsidiary of Japanese electronics manufacturer Uniden, headquartered at 301 International Parkway, Suite 460, Flower Mound, Texas. The company sells consumer radio communication and detection hardware — radar detectors (R8w, R4w, R8, R7), radio scanners (SDS150, SDS200, SDS100, HomePatrol-2, BearTracker 885), CB radios (Bearcat 980SSB, 880FM, 880, PC78LTX FM, PRO538HH), and marine VHF radios (MHS338BT, UM725/UM435/UM385) — directly to consumers through uniden.com and via affiliates, factory-certified refurbished inventory, and a pro-installed radar/laser service channel. Operations are confined to the United States and Canada; products purchased outside these regions are not supported for repair.
The underlying technology is rooted in radio-frequency engineering: True I/Q Digital Signal Processing on the SDS scanner family, TrunkTracker X for trunked radio systems, Close Call RF Capture, dual-antenna radar architecture, GPS-based lockouts, and DSC (Digital Selective Calling) on marine units. Recent R-series additions (R8w, R4w) add Wi-Fi firmware updates and Bluetooth pairing with the R/Tach mobile app for diagnostics and customization, while scanner upgrade keys (Waterfall, DMR, NXDN, ProVoice) unlock optional decoding capabilities on the installed base. The company has retired prior security/surveillance and dash-cam lines (Guardian, AppCam, Wired DVR/NVR, DC360), narrowing the active catalog to four communication categories.
Uniden's revenue model is overwhelmingly transactional hardware: one-time unit sales ranging from $149.99 to $949.99, supplemented by professional installation fees, out-of-warranty repair and programming services (radar detector update at $39.95, scanner programming at flat rates, model-specific repair fees, $15 continental U.S. shipping), paid scanner upgrade keys, and a 5–7% affiliate commission channel. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer e-commerce with free FedEx shipping above $99, Buy Now Pay Later financing, and GovX pricing for military and first responders. There is no disclosed headcount, no public listing, no venture funding, and no revenue figure in the available data; the entity is privately held under its Japanese parent Uniden Corporation.
Uniden firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Uniden
- Legal name
- Uniden America Corporation
- Website
- https://uniden.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1966
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Uniden America Corporation, the U.S. subsidiary of Japan's Uniden, sells radar detectors, radio scanners, CB radios, and marine VHF radios directly to consumers via uniden.com across the United States and Canada, supported by installation, repair, and scanner software upgrade services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Uniden industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consumer Electronics
- NAICS
- Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing (334220), Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing (33422), Communications Equipment Manufacturing (3342)
- SIC
- Retail-Radio, Tv & Consumer Electronics Stores (5731), Radio & Tv Broadcasting & Communications Equipment (3663)
- akta.pro primary industry
- RF, Antennas & Wireless Components Retail (CRACAKAM)
Keywords
Where Uniden is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Irving
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Uniden business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel
Revenue model
- Hardware Product Sales: One-time sales of radar detectors, radio scanners, CB radios, and marine radios through direct e-commerce and retail channels
- Professional Installation Services: Pro-installed radar/laser systems with professional installation services
- Scanner Software Upgrades: Paid upgrade keys for scanner radios to unlock additional features such as DMR, NXDN, ProVoice decoding and Waterfall display
- Repair Services: Paid repair services for out-of-warranty devices, including programming services for scanners
- Affiliate Commissions: Earn commissions (5-7%) on sales referred through affiliate partners
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Radar Detectors range from $429.99 to $799.99 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Radio Scanners range from $619.99 to $949.99 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | CB Radios range from $189.99 to $209.99 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Marine Radios range from $149.99 to $269.99 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Scanner Upgrade Keys |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Repair Services |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Affiliate Program Commissions |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Uniden product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Uniden America Corporation is the U.S. subsidiary of Japanese Uniden Corporation, selling consumer electronics focused on radio communications and detection devices. The company manufactures and distributes radar detectors, radio scanners, CB radios, and marine radios to individual consumers and enthusiasts through direct e-commerce and retail channels.
Product overview
Uniden America Corporation offers a diversified portfolio of communication and safety products organized into four primary categories: Radar Detectors (R8w, R4w, R8, R7), Radio Scanners (SDS150, SDS200, SDS100, HomePatrol-2, BearTracker 885), CB Radios (Bearcat series, PC78LTX FM, PRO538HH), and Marine Radios (MHS338BT, UM725, UM435, UM385). The company also previously offered security/surveillance products (Guardian, wired DVR/NVR systems, dash cameras) and two-way radios, though these are legacy lines no longer actively sold or serviced. The product ecosystem is connected through companion software like the R/Tach mobile app for radar detectors, Uniden Sentinel desktop software for scanner programming, and Uniden ProSeries/Guardian apps for legacy security systems. Upgradable scanner keys (Waterfall, DMR, NXDN, ProVoice) enable advanced decoding capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BearTracker: Hybrid CB/Digital Scanner with GPS auto-tuning and public safety alerts
- Bearcat
- Guardian
- AppCam
- Uniden Guardian
- Uniden Pro Series
- myUniden
Products and services
- Radar Detectors Devices that detect police radar signals and alert drivers; sold to individual consumers for automotive use.
- Radio Scanners Receivers that scan multiple radio frequencies/bands, sold to hobbyists and monitoring enthusiasts.
- CB Radios Citizens band radios for short-distance two-way communication, primarily used by truckers and over-the-road drivers.
- Marine Radios VHF marine radios for boat-to-boat and boat-to-shore communication, sold to marine/recreational boating users.
Companies that use Uniden
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Uniden technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature9 records
Uniden partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Uniden competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cobra Electronics: Cobra is the most direct US competitor to Uniden in radar detectors and CB radios, offering overlapping Bearcat-equivalent product lines and similar enthusiast-focused distribution. They compete head-to-head in the same retail and DTC channels.
- Whistler Group: Whistler manufactures radar detectors, CB radios, and laser detectors sold at lower-to-mid price points, directly competing with Uniden across multiple product categories in similar mass-market retail and DTC channels.
- Icom America: Icom is a major manufacturer of marine VHF, amateur, and commercial two-way radios, with overlapping product offerings in the marine and communications scanner/hobbyist markets where Uniden competes.
- Valentine Research: Valentine Research's V1 radar detector is a long-standing premium competitor in the enthusiast radar detector space, competing directly with Uniden's flagship R-series on directional arrows, range, and detection sensitivity.
- Escort (Escort Radar): Escort is a leading premium radar detector brand (including the Passport and MAX series) that competes directly with Uniden's R8w, R7, and R4w in the high-end enthusiast segment. Both brands target the same driving enthusiast persona with similar feature sets.
- Standard Horizon (Yaesu): Standard Horizon is a leading marine VHF radio brand competing directly with Uniden's UM and MHS marine radio lines, particularly in fixed-mount and handheld DSC-capable marine communications for the boating segment.
- Midland Radio: Midland is a direct competitor in CB radios and two-way communication products, also offering FRS/GMRS radios and weather alert devices that overlap with Uniden's marine and CB product lines.
Broad incumbents
- Garmin: Garmin competes with Uniden in marine electronics (VHF radios, chartplotters) and offers radar/ADAS features in newer automotive GPS units, but as a broad incumbent across many verticals rather than a specialist in radar detection or scanning.
- Motorola Solutions: Motorola Solutions is a broad incumbent in professional and public safety radio communications; Uniden's scanner products sit adjacent to and are partly affected by Motorola's dominance in the trunked and digital radio systems that Uniden scanners decode.
Emerging players
- Radenso: Radenso is an emerging premium radar detector brand (Radenso Pro M, DS1) that competes with Uniden's R-series on advanced features like GPS lockouts and false alert filtering, targeting the same high-end enthusiast buyer.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Uniden social profiles
Digital presenceUniden financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Uniden leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Uniden funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Uniden M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Uniden
What does Uniden do?
Uniden America Corporation is the U.S. subsidiary of Japanese Uniden Corporation, selling consumer electronics focused on radio communications and detection devices. The company manufactures and distributes radar detectors, radio scanners, CB radios, and marine radios to individual consumers and enthusiasts through direct e-commerce and retail channels.
Is Uniden a public or private company?
Uniden is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Uniden founded?
Uniden was founded in 1966. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Uniden based?
Uniden is headquartered in Irving, United States, in the North America region.
How does Uniden make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Hardware Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are professional Installation Services, scanner Software Upgrades, repair Services and affiliate Commissions.
Who are Uniden's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cobra Electronics, Whistler Group, Icom America, Valentine Research, Escort (Escort Radar), Standard Horizon (Yaesu) and Midland Radio. Broad incumbents are Garmin and Motorola Solutions. Radenso is listed as an emerging player.
Does Uniden have an API?
No public API is recorded for Uniden.
What industry is Uniden in?
Uniden's product category is Consumer Electronics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRACAKAM, RF, Antennas & Wireless Components Retail. Its NAICS code is 334220 and its SIC code is 5731.