Gps for misplaced laptop?

Is there a product that you can recommend for locating your laptop if
you misplace it or it is stolen? I don't really want the lojack
version--I want to track it myself.
Thanks in advance

On 3 Nov 2005 09:54:16 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>Is there a product that you can recommend for locating your laptop if
>you misplace it or it is stolen? I don't really want the lojack
>version--I want to track it myself.
>Thanks in advance
This is one called "computrace"
http://www.absolute.com/

Does this allow you to track it yourself or do you have to go to police
to do it?


f/fgeorge wrote:
> On 3 Nov 2005 09:54:16 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>
> >Is there a product that you can recommend for locating your laptop if
> >you misplace it or it is stolen? I don't really want the lojack
> >version--I want to track it myself.
> >Thanks in advance
> This is one called "computrace"
> http://www.absolute.com/

On 3 Nov 2005 09:54:16 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>Is there a product that you can recommend for locating your laptop if
>you misplace it or it is stolen? I don't really want the lojack
>version--I want to track it myself.

An advert in the local paper.

>Thanks in advance

Barry
=====
Home page
http://members.iinet.net.au/~barry.og

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) oups.com...
> Is there a product that you can recommend for locating your laptop if
> you misplace it or it is stolen? I don't really want the lojack
> version--I want to track it myself.
> Thanks in advance
>

Get a Clapper (advertised every Christmas on cable TV), wire it to an auto
horn you pick up at NAPA and bolt the whole assembly it to the back of your
notebook.

When you lose your computer, clap your hands twice and the horn will
sound--- leading you right to it. Also consider attaching a xenon strobe to
the Clapper so it will flash too.

Pat

On 3 Nov 2005 09:54:16 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>Is there a product that you can recommend for locating your laptop if
>you misplace it or it is stolen? I don't really want the lojack
>version--I want to track it myself.

The commercial products only work when connected to the internet. The
idea is that the thief will try to connect to the internet thus
disclosing its general location. However, that doesn't always work if
the laptop is protected by a power on password. The thief never
bothered to even try using the laptop. Even if the laptop contained a
GPS receiver, the laptop would need to connect to the internet to
reveal it's location (unless you want to also install a packet radio
or cell phone xmitter).

In order for a GPS to work as an anti-theft device, it would need to
be internally installed. Externally installed GPS receiver can simply
be removed, shielded or unplugged. That means a MiniPCI GPS card
installed in place of the dialup modem with some kind of antenna in
the lid. I couldn't find any such MiniPCI cards with Google. If you
find a MiniPCI GPS card, I would be interested.

It might also be possible to hide a USB GPS inside the laptop, but the
one's I've torn apart offer few opportunities for concealment.
Methinks that's what preventing deployment of GPS based anti-theft
solutions.

If you're planning to use radio for the return link, you might want to
get a ham license and look into APRS:
http://www.tapr.org/aprs.html

Incidentally, I invented a somewhat effective laptop anti-theft
device. It's mercury tilt switch, timer, battery and Sonalert
beeper. A tiny hidden on-off switch turns it off when necessary. The
tilt switch is setup so that it fires off the Sonalert when the laptop
base is held in position other than horizontal. Pick it up off the
table and the Sonalert goes off after a short delay. Unless the thief
wants to carry it away holding it horizontally and open, the Sonalert
will scream its head off. I've built a few of these for friends and
have found them to be fairly effective. Unfortunately, the general
reaction of the thief is panic and two laptops have been trashed when
they dropped the laptop and ran.



--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Jeff Liebermann wrote:

> Incidentally, I invented a somewhat effective laptop anti-theft
> device. It's mercury tilt switch, timer, battery and Sonalert
> beeper. A tiny hidden on-off switch turns it off when necessary.
> The tilt switch is setup so that it fires off the Sonalert when the laptop
> base is held in position other than horizontal. Pick it up off the
> table and the Sonalert goes off after a short delay. Unless the thief
> wants to carry it away holding it horizontally and open, the Sonalert
> will scream its head off. I've built a few of these for friends and
> have found them to be fairly effective. Unfortunately, the general
> reaction of the thief is panic and two laptops have been trashed when
> they dropped the laptop and ran.
>
Clever. Much as I'd prefer not to have my laptop trashed, I'd also rather
have it broken and in my possession than in the hands of a thief.
--
derek

Jeff Liebermann <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> On 3 Nov 2005 09:54:16 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>>Is there a product that you can recommend for locating your laptop if
>>you misplace it or it is stolen? I don't really want the lojack
>>version--I want to track it myself.

After having mine stolen, with the undamaged lock left behind, I looked
into products for my new laptop. As Jeff notes, they all require internet
access to report back to the mother ship. Some of them bury this a little
better than others, claiming to survive a disk format and reload of
software. I won't go into that ;-)


> Incidentally, I invented a somewhat effective laptop anti-theft
> device. It's mercury tilt switch, timer, battery and Sonalert
> beeper.

I thought Kensington made some clever alarmed cable, but I see that the
alarm only goes off if someone cuts the cable. No need for that,
obviously, in my case. And their "replacement warranty" is only if the
cable fails. Nothing at all said about the ability of thieves to simply
pick the lock and walk away.

--
---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5

[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <dkgbjh$c5g$(E-Mail Removed)> on Fri, 4 Nov 2005 19:08:33 +0000 (UTC),
(E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>Jeff Liebermann <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> On 3 Nov 2005 09:54:16 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>
>>>Is there a product that you can recommend for locating your laptop if
>>>you misplace it or it is stolen? I don't really want the lojack
>>>version--I want to track it myself.
>
>After having mine stolen, with the undamaged lock left behind, I looked
>into products for my new laptop. As Jeff notes, they all require internet
>access to report back to the mother ship. Some of them bury this a little
>better than others, claiming to survive a disk format and reload of
>software. I won't go into that ;-)
>
>> Incidentally, I invented a somewhat effective laptop anti-theft
>> device. It's mercury tilt switch, timer, battery and Sonalert
>> beeper.

Will it withstand dunking (in a container of water)? That's how thieves
commonly defeat commercial alarm products.

>I thought Kensington made some clever alarmed cable, but I see that the
>alarm only goes off if someone cuts the cable. No need for that,
>obviously, in my case. And their "replacement warranty" is only if the
>cable fails. Nothing at all said about the ability of thieves to simply
>pick the lock and walk away.

Notebook Guardian Ultra by PC Guardian ($60 retail), which has a patented
tamper-resistant locking mechanism and an extra strong cable, is generally
considered to be the best notebook computer security device.
<http://www.pcguardian.com/Notebook_Security/Notebook_Guardian_Ultra_2001.html>

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message ...
> Is there a product that you can recommend for locating your laptop if
> you misplace it or it is stolen? I don't really want the lojack
> version--I want to track it myself.
> Thanks in advance

(This isn't practical, but would be "interesting".)

Years ago, I read about a hardware approach to dynamic DNS. At the time, I
thought it was really cool. It was just a little box with two ethernet
jacks. All the drivers were hardcoded in the hardware. Plug any internet
feed into one ethernet jack and after getting it's IP's, it dialed the
dynamic DNS service (it was $50/year), and their DNS servers assigned your
domain to the dynamic IP. The other ethernet jack was used for whatever you
are using it with.

Maybe something like this exists now that could be small enough to hide in a
laptop, and with enough work (get out the dremel and spare cables), you
could "replace" the built-in ethernet with this box. (Yep, it would be a
major PITA!)

So, when they replace the OS, you'd still be able to ping the thing easily
should someone plug it into their internet connection.

Tie that into some sort of "Wake-On-Internet" function ---- wired to
explosives!

Someone steals your laptop? Just wake for them to connect to the internet
and then blow 'em up.

(Of course, you'd probably be blowing up an innocent who bought the laptop
from a palm shop though.)