Locks, Cables, and Alarms for Your Laptop

Securing your laptop is the simplest way to deter theft. Thieves want to pick up a laptop and walk away. They don't have time to fight with a cable and lock, and don't want to be seen doing so. I've heard the argument that any thief with a set of bolt cutters can cut the cable and run with the computer. That's ridiculous: How often do you see someone walking around an airport, hotel, or convention center with a set of bolt cutters?

Most of these places, especially airports, have security screening. I can't get nail clippers past the checkpoint; good luck getting bolt cutters through. Even if thieves have them, pulling out bolt cutters and cutting a cable with people around will draw attention, and they don't want that.

A laptop security cable works like a bike lock. It allows you to secure a laptop to a fixed object like a desk or chair and prevents a thief from simply walking away with it. People might not notice a thief walking through an airport with a laptop, but they will notice him if he's dragging a chair behind.

A good security cable costs less than $50 and most new laptops have a channel built in specifically for use with a locking cable. These cables are handy anywhere and it's good practice to use one even in the office, not just when you travel.

If you are worried that a thief might actually be savvy enough to get bolt cutters past security and cut your laptop cable, then consider a cable combined with an alarm. There are cables that have censor circuits built in that detect if a thief has cut the cable. If a thief cuts the cable, the circuit is broken and a high-pitched alarm sounds.

A similar model works with fiber optics. These devices work by creating a circuit through repeatedly sending a pulse of light down a fiber optic cable. When the cable is cut, the circuit is interrupted and the alarm sounds.

Motion and tamper-detecting alarms sound if a thief moves a laptop or tampers with the keyboard. The thief can't disable these alarms; only the laptop owner can do that with a special key. Because thieves have learned to ignore car alarms (along with the rest of us), you might think that these laptop alarms would do little to deter them.

These alarms work, however, because in the setting I am talking about, people take notice. B a high-pitched alarm goes off in a crowded room like an airport terminal, people notice and pay attention. A thief isn't likely to get away once he's caused that much commotion.

Another alarm is the proximity alarm. These go off and alert you if your laptop case moves away from you, beyond a set distance. The laptop owner carries a small transmitter resembling an electronic alarm key ring that comes with many automobiles. The alarm unit consists of a receiver that goes inside the laptop case. The receiver listens for the radio signal from the transmitter carried by the owner. If the laptop case gets too far from the transmitter, or if the signal is blocked, the alarm sounds. A thief isn't likely to walk, or run, through a crowd with an alarm going off under his arm; he's more likely to ditch the laptop and try to disappear.

By locking down your laptop or adding an alarm, you're making your property a less attractive target. Combine that with vigilance and awareness, and you've found a winning combination for deterring theft. However, should this not be enough, there are things you can do to aid in the recovery of your equipment.