Michael Seltzer
New member
Hi All,
Not sure this belongs here, exactly. Then again, it doesn't seem to belong anywhere, exactly.
For those who travel with a laptop, do you leave your laptop in motel/hotel rooms when you travel? What do you use to secure your laptop on trips?
I've been looking at security cables, and they don't inspire a lot of trust. Maybe that's because I've recently been looking at bicycle locks. You can find lots of information and reviews on trying to protect and secure your bike, but I haven't been able to find anything about securing your laptop. According to most sites talking about bicycle security, cable locks, for the most part, are about the least secure option. And the cables that come with computer locking systems are MUCH smaller than those used for bicycles. It looks as if any decent set of bolt-cutters (even ones small enough to fit easily in an inner coat pocket or a briefcase) could cut through them. As for materials, I think the bicycle lock manufacturers are using the best grade materials they can, at least for the top-end systems (many of them offer a guarantee when you buy the lock--if you lose your bike, they pay to replace it). It's odd, laptop security cable manufacturer sites talk a lot about how secure the locking mechanism itself is, but no one talks much about the cable, which looks like the weak link in the system to me.
I suppose with laptops, as with bicycles, deterrence is the name of the game: make it look harder than it's worth for the thief. But if all you're trying to do is deter the maid, probably the cheapest security cable out there would work. However the statistics on laptop theft make it seem as if it is more than simple casual, opportunistic, theft occurring. If there are those out there, maybe even some maids, who are more prepared, I can't help wondering if the security cables are any barrier at all.
Of course, there's LoJack. Maybe that's a good option, but I have to admit I'm uncomfortable with any system that puts software on my machine that checks in every hour (or day) with the mother ship in Vancouver. Especially when the mother ship can communicate back and do interesting things remotely, like completely erase my hard drive.
Anyway, I have a trip coming up, and was just wondering what others do.
Michael
Not sure this belongs here, exactly. Then again, it doesn't seem to belong anywhere, exactly.
For those who travel with a laptop, do you leave your laptop in motel/hotel rooms when you travel? What do you use to secure your laptop on trips?
I've been looking at security cables, and they don't inspire a lot of trust. Maybe that's because I've recently been looking at bicycle locks. You can find lots of information and reviews on trying to protect and secure your bike, but I haven't been able to find anything about securing your laptop. According to most sites talking about bicycle security, cable locks, for the most part, are about the least secure option. And the cables that come with computer locking systems are MUCH smaller than those used for bicycles. It looks as if any decent set of bolt-cutters (even ones small enough to fit easily in an inner coat pocket or a briefcase) could cut through them. As for materials, I think the bicycle lock manufacturers are using the best grade materials they can, at least for the top-end systems (many of them offer a guarantee when you buy the lock--if you lose your bike, they pay to replace it). It's odd, laptop security cable manufacturer sites talk a lot about how secure the locking mechanism itself is, but no one talks much about the cable, which looks like the weak link in the system to me.
I suppose with laptops, as with bicycles, deterrence is the name of the game: make it look harder than it's worth for the thief. But if all you're trying to do is deter the maid, probably the cheapest security cable out there would work. However the statistics on laptop theft make it seem as if it is more than simple casual, opportunistic, theft occurring. If there are those out there, maybe even some maids, who are more prepared, I can't help wondering if the security cables are any barrier at all.
Of course, there's LoJack. Maybe that's a good option, but I have to admit I'm uncomfortable with any system that puts software on my machine that checks in every hour (or day) with the mother ship in Vancouver. Especially when the mother ship can communicate back and do interesting things remotely, like completely erase my hard drive.
Anyway, I have a trip coming up, and was just wondering what others do.
Michael
