Top SmartWater is almost impossible to remove and uniquely identifies the owner Above Tags from Tile use Bluetooth to help you track down missing devices
doesn’t feature a true proximity alarm. The PebbleBee Honey (www.pebblebee.com) is one that does offer a proximity alarm, aka geofence, functionality. The other main type of alarm that’s relevant to laptops is the purely software version. These are really only effective against opportunistic theft and will sound if, for example, the mains power supply or a mouse is unplugged from an unattended
your laptop or other equipment a much less attractive target to a potential thief. Two categories of product achieve these two important functions. The first category allows you to mark a product in a way that is highly visible and difficult to remove. One type comprises stencils, prepared with either your address or a unique serial number, that are supplied with an applicator and special ink. The ink etches into the surface of your laptop or other equipment, thereby making its removal almost impossible. The other main type involves specially prepared tamper-resistant labels, again showing your address or an ID, which are supplied with an adhesive for attaching them to your equipment. Again, removal is difficult and, at best, will leave tell-tale signs. When a serial number is used as opposed to an address, this product is sold with registration to a database – accessible by the police – which associates the owner with the equipment. The advantage this offers is that equipment can be re-registered if you sell it. Retainagroup (www.retainagroup.com) offers this type of product in the UK, and STOP (www. stoptheft.com) in the US. At first sight, the second category of products – those which mark your products invisibly – seems a strange concept. Some companies sell invisible ink pens that you’d use to write your postcode or ZIP Code on your equipment that becomes visible if you shine an ultraviolet light on it. We don’t recommend this solution since it offers no deterrent value and is also potentially removable with a solvent if the thief discovers the marking. Where things get more interesting is when we consider those products such as SmartWater, which is an invisible ink, prepared with a formulation unique to each customer, that you apply to the equipment and is almost impossible to remove completely. It can be detected with an ultraviolet light, leading the police to forward recovered equipment to SmartWater for analysis to reveal the registered owner. It’s provided with warning labels that you can attach to marked equipment, thereby providing that all-important deterrent value. SmartWater is sold in the UK; prices range from £25-35 for products in their Home Security range and these can be purchased
Stencils, prepared with either your address or a unique serial number, are supplied with an applicator and special ink laptop. Unfortunately, pretty much all of these alarms only work on Windows and, while a few free packages are still available for download, most commercial products have been discontinued. However, for those proficient in coding, a DIY solution is a possibility (see p63 for one using RuuviTag).
Marking products Products for marking equipment serve two quite distinct purposes. First, they improve the likelihood of your equipment being returned to you if it’s stolen and subsequently recovered by the police. Second, because possession of marked equipment could be discriminating, it makes
PRODUCTS
Anti-theft device types to consider
1
LocTote FlakSack Sport
2
Lock Alarm Mini
It’s difficult to provide physical protection for individual small items, as you can easily do with a laptop. However, the LocTote FlakSack Sport (http://loctote. com, £75) keep several small pieces of equipment secure. It takes the form of a slash-resistant bag with a nylon and steel locking strap and combination lock which with you can attach it to an immovable object.
The Lock Alarm Mini (www. lockalarm.com, £25) offers both physical protection and an alarm. The physical protection is provided by a strong steel cable to secure your laptop or other kit. This is difficult to cut with hand tools and, if a thief does try to cut through it, an alarm will sound.
3
SmartWater
SmartWater provides the benefits of both visible and invisible marking. Warning labels act as a deterrent, while the invisible paint is very difficult to remove and the smallest trace is enough to identify you as the owner. Mark up to 50 items for £35 from https:// shop.smartwater.com.
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