Blackout systems have become a symbol of modern automotive privacy. Press the button, and the entire plate surface turns dark. Both FantomTec’s design and the Alite Blackout license plate cover deliver this effect, creating what looks like a completely blacked out license plate.
Yet the real test of a blackout system isn’t how dramatic it looks in a short video clip but how consistently it performs under real driving conditions. Cameras are smarter, angles are harsher, and lighting is more complex than ever. What seems identical at first glance becomes very different once traffic optics get involved.
On TikTok and Instagram, the two products look nearly indistinguishable. In authentic road environments, they behave nothing alike.
This isn’t a comparison of “who becomes darker.”
It’s a comparison of which blackout plate cover actually maintains darkness when visibility challenges intensify.
Both systems turn black - But one controls light, not just color
At first glance, FantomTec and Alite Blackout appear to accomplish the same thing. With a tap, both panels switch to a deep-black state, producing the familiar license plate blackout moment that drivers find appealing.
But the surface-level similarity hides a major engineering divide. FantomTec relies on a basic electrochromic darkening layer. It is effective for casual visual perception but was never designed to withstand multi-angle optical analysis. Alite, on the other hand, uses a multi-layer optical stack that manages the behavior of light at multiple wavelengths, including infrared.
In other words, FantomTec darkens the plate to the eye, while Alite restructures how light interacts with the surface itself.
That difference becomes obvious when cameras - not people - start examining the plate.
Alite Blackout
Stealth in a сlick
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Learn moreFantomTec vs Alite Blackout - Small angles reveal big differences
FantomTec looks convincing when filmed head-on. But cameras on roads rarely capture perfect angles. They shoot from elevated posts, dashboards, moving vehicles, and reflective surfaces. That’s where FantomTec shows inconsistencies: the blackout phase becomes thinner on edges, brighter in corners, and uneven in the center.
The Alite Blackout license plate cover, however, maintains uniform density. Even when the camera shifts left, right, or downward, the surface retains an evenly distributed dark profile, producing a reliable blackout license plate appearance under all common viewing angles.
And because modern ALPR systems analyze reflections rather than color, angle stability matters more than visual aesthetics.
Why FantomTec falls short compared to Alite Blackout:
- the dark phase is visual, not optical, allowing IR reflections to pass through
- brightness becomes inconsistent under angle or moisture
- the electrochromic layer reacts unevenly, creating lighter “halo zones”
- temperature affects transparency, especially in heat and cold
- switching speed slows in low temperatures
Alite Nanotapes
Click and Stick
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Learn moreIR light is the true test - and FantomTec doesn’t pass it
ALPR systems rely heavily on infrared illumination to capture plate details even in complete darkness. This is the exact environment where FantomTec underperforms. Its dark phase absorbs visible light effectively but becomes partially transparent under IR, revealing the structural shapes of characters through subtle contrast.
To the eye, the plate seems black.
To the camera, it is still readable.
The Alite Blackout system solves this issue through engineered IR diffusion. Instead of simply tinting the surface, it manipulates the path of IR reflection, preventing cameras from forming clear contrast lines. This makes the Alite system not only darker but optically stronger in the wavelengths that matter most.
When infrared enters the scene, the technological gap becomes clear.
Nanofilm Ecoslick
Anti-radar stickers
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Learn moreEnvironmental stability: The quiet difference no one advertises
Over weeks and months, the limitations of a consumer-grade panel become more visible. FantomTec frequently loses uniformity after repeated cycles. Humidity makes it lighter. Cold makes it slower. Heat makes it more transparent. Drivers begin to notice patchiness, uneven darkening, or slow transitions between states.
Alite Blackout maintains stability regardless of rain, heatwaves, frost, or long-term vibration. Its optical layer stays consistent over time, preserving the appearance of a true blacked out license plate with no “weak zones” or unpredictable transparency shifts.
A blackout system should perform the same on day 300 as on day 1.
Alite is built for that level of reliability.
Nanofilm Ecoslick Material
Anti-radar material
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Learn moreTwo Blackout devices, one real optical solution
FantomTec and Alite both provide the dramatic “tap-to-black” transformation. But once angles, infrared, weather, and long-term durability enter the picture, their differences stop being subtle and become defining.
FantomTec darkens for the human eye.
Alite Blackout darkens for the camera, the environment, and every lighting condition that modern roads present.
Folding frame Alite Flipper
Stealth in a click
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Learn moreThat is why the blackout license plate cover from Alite stands as the truly engineered solution - designed not just to look impressive but to retain optical dominance where it matters most.
