Initially LoJack thought my laptop was in New York, because I was logged in to the Virtual Private Network. The help system indicates this should determine what city the laptop is in, but doesn't promise more accuracy than that. LoJack for Laptops looks up the IP address of the network to which your computer is connected and derives a rough idea of geographic location from that data. The Theft Recovery Team can always turn it on remotely. Unless you want a record kept of everywhere you go with the laptop, disable geolocation after this initial test. You'll probably want to take a look, just to verify for yourself that it's working. Keeping important data backed up is just good sense.Īs with Laptop Cop, until you've actually reported the computer stolen, the only feature enabled is geolocation. SOS Online Backup Home Edition 4.7.4 ($9.95 direct for five licenses, 4.5 stars) offers 50 GB across five computers for $9.95/month. MozyHome Online Backup (Free, 3.5 stars) offers 2 GB of hosted online backup for free. Since LoJack won't retrieve files after the laptop is stolen, you need to arrange online backup with a company that specializes in that area. The best way to do this is to log in to the Web console from the laptop itself, navigate to the desired folder, and copy/paste the pathname into the "My Favorite Folders" page. You can make the deletion process easier by saving the names of important folders ahead of time. That can be tough normally you'd just browse to the folder in Windows Explorer. To delete a folder you must enter the full pathname. LoJack uses high-level secure deletion to ensure that deleted files can't possibly be recovered. You can remotely delete all files except the operating system or choose specific file types or folders. LoJack doesn't offer backup, encryption, or retrieval, just remote deletion. Laptop Cop can retrieve and delete file types or folders. You can also send a command to Laptop Sentry that will encrypt or delete specific files or folders on a stolen laptop. LaptopSentry 3.1 ($9.99 direct, 3 stars) comes with 10 GB of simple online backup. You may or may not want "pop up messages which include renewal alerts, recovery stories and other system information." Likewise you'll make your own decision whether to accept special offers and a quarterly newsletter from Absolute Software or special offers from partners.Įach laptop security product takes its own approach to file protection. You'll certainly want to receive notification if LoJack hasn't connected with the monitoring center in over 30 days. The company advises changing your password and PIN frequently, and this is the place to do it.ĭo look at the My Preferences tab. In fact, you're better off if the thief has no idea LoJack is present, as he'll be more likely to give away key information that will aid in recovery.īy logging in to the LoJack Web site you can change your contact information, including your email contact address. Removing the notifier doesn't affect protection at all. Once it's clear that everything is working, you can uninstall the notifier. You can use the notifier to send a test message, confirming the product's connection with the monitoring center. However, it initially installs a separate notifier application that appears as an icon in the system tray. Like Laptop Cop ($65 direct, 4 stars), LoJack for Laptops hides its presence on the system. After installation you really don't need to do a thing, as long as the laptop remains in your possession. You set up an account and create a password as well as a separate PIN for potentially dangerous actions like locking the computer and deleting files. When you install LoJack for Laptops, you have to enter your full contact information so that the company can stay in touch if laptop recovery is needed. It does mean that you shouldn't use the product to snoop on the wanderings of employees legitimately using a non-stolen company laptop. This limitation doesn't apply to the recovery team's investigation, of course. Before you enable geolocation, for example, it warns that tracking the location of individuals without their consent may be illegal and requires that you agree to use this feature only with the user's consent and in accord with law. The premium edition also uses enhanced technology to geographically locate a stolen laptop with greater accuracy.Ībsolute Software strongly emphasizes staying on the right side of the law when using LoJack for Laptops. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Softwareįor $20 more, you can upgrade to the premium edition, which includes a service guarantee that could pay you up to $1,000 if the company fails to either recover the laptop or successfully delete sensitive data.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |