OT(?): Which laptop lock?

We get given those at work. They look to me like a slight tug would break the tiny T piece off the lock, but I've never actually tried because I don't want to damage my laptop; maybe they're somehow much stronger than they look?

I'm guessing that someone knicking one may just carry on using it as it is without reinstalling. If it has a lid/screen camera, what about a startup job that takes a picture of whoever is booting it and mails it to your daughter? You might find the next picture she gets after losing it is that of the thief. Would need to be done so that nothing obvious springs up on the screen. She might even get a continuous stream of pictures of the thief and friends.

I recall someone setup their mobile to email all pictures to them, and after it was knicked, they started getting lots of pictures of some unknown family, and put them up on the web for people to identify. Don't know if anything came of it.

They do look rather feeble sometimes. I think part of the art of making them more robust is ensuring that the spacers that are sometimes supplied are fitted well to the end of the lock. This the prevents too much wiggling of the lock in the hole.

This is one such product - which also attempts to identify it's location using wifi signals.

In message , Lobster wrote

Actually, this is how ineffective I always imagined they were...

Search Youtube and you will find people opening the combination type locks in 8 seconds rather than the 3 seconds it takes to open the others :)

Doesn't matter how strong they are - it's the laptop that gives first in my experience.

A few years ago, we had some sample laptops and locks (and some SFF PCs) from various suppliers. Sales guys were horrified when they all failed the test of "give it a yank" :-)

Cases deform and the T piece pops out. Aluminium unibody macs take a bit more effort but still aren't great.

They are so effective that we gave up and just epoxy an anchor point onto the case and use that for the PCs - laptops you have to hope it's a deterrent more than anything.

This was a couple of years ago so things may have improved. Doubt it though.

Darren

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A bit of a PITA, but there's no substitute for a "fortress" mentality.

Have to admit, I don't bother anymore anyway. If I am taking a laptop away with me, I stick it in my car boot when i am out and about. And if I am abroad, I just lock it in my suitcase with a bag of dirty washing on top, and hope for the best. ;-)

Have to admit, I don't bother anymore anyway. If I am taking a laptop away with me, I stick it in my car boot when i am out and about. And if I am abroad, I just lock it in my suitcase with a bag of dirty washing on top, and hope for the best. ;-)

Hmm - if you look at what's already fitted (a picture of which I happen to have) I suspect you'll agree that another lock, while never a bad thing, is not particularly what's required...

... she just needs to USE THE BLOODY KEY!!!

First thing I said to her when I saw the door of her new room was to point out that all that reinforcement had clearly been fitted for good reason and she needed to be really careful (yeah Dad whatever). She swears that at least now she's doing so...

David

Ooh - the same colour feature wall as my office! :-)

She probably is. This week.

And when you get her the next laptop which is the biggest, heaviest, ugliest, slowest thing you can find, and tell her you can't afford a better one until next Christmas... she might mean it.

Andy

Well she might but how long did she have to suffer the inconvience of a lack of laptop? If I was having to supply the replacement it may well take a week or two...

And if she isn't locking her door what hope is there of here bolting down the laptop everytime she comes in with it?

To re-enforce the cheap moulded hardboard door by the looks of it. Looking at the planed edge you can see the edges of the hardboard faces. A good kick in the lower middle will have your foot through it...

Oh it was a month or two I can assure you...

Agreed, except that the laptop really serves as a desktop replacement in that it's rarely if ever moved from the room. Though having viewed the plethora of youtube videos on the shortcomings of Kensington locks it seems a moot point :(

David

But at least then the insurance might pay out given the forced entry.

MBQ

True enough but I'd rather have a decent door, frame lock and hinges...