Stealthily keeps tabs on your machine
Installation of MyLaptopTracker is very
easy, with just a simple download and install of the software. You’re then
taken to a web page with a big bright Start Tracking button. Once initiated,
you can leave it to track your laptop quietly. There’s no sign that
MyLaptopTracker has been installed on your laptop; even the Uninstall programs
window shows no trace of it. In fact, the only way to get to MyLaptopTracker on
the laptop you want to protect is by opening the Run command window and typing
mydevicetracker.
MyLaptopTracker
seems to take the opposite approach to protecting your laptop compared to
packages such as FrontDoorSoftware.
Once in the program, you can select a
number of neat features, such as a folder with important personal files that
you can hide or, in case of theft, delete. You can also trigger this action if
the laptop can’t connect to the Internet after a set amount of days though
there are obvious drawbacks to this.
Two welcome features are the ability to
alter the time between email notifications and to upload images taken with the
laptop’s camera to a Flickr or ImageShack account.
The interface for the desktop program is
clear and easy to understand and took us very little time to set up, but the
web interface is rather sparse. There’s no denying that the simplicity of turning
tracking on and off via a single button is nice, but the limited web interface
can end up being rather annoying as you wait anxiously for a report.
Features
Stealth mode, one-click tracking, Wi-Fi
positioning, webcam image capture and Flickr integration, remote data retrieval
Verdict MyLapptopTracker: 7
Price: $30
Website: www.mydevicetracker.com
The tracking champs
Hopefully, by reading through this roundup
and learning about all the many tracking features that are available, your
interest in setting up some proper security measures for your prized devices
has been piqued. Besides, you don’t want to miss out on posting screenshots of
a thief online.
Sometimes in a roundup that includes both
free and paid for software there can be a huge gulf in quality between the two.
But sometimes we see free products that offer just as many features and perform
just as well as their competitors that charge. This is one of those roundups
where the free, open-source Prey easily competes with – and in some cases surpasses
– it’s paid for rivals.
If you were to take a quick look at Prey,
you wouldn’t think it was a free tool at all. It boasts loads of features,
looks great, and works extremely well. Once again, the open-source community
has shown that talent and passion can turn an altruistic project into something
truly special. With so many features, Prey is the best value laptop security
package around.
Prey
is the best value laptop security package around
When a free program does such a good job,
it can often feel like a bit of an open and shut case – after all, why pay for
something when a freebie will do the trick? The results were not so clear cut,
though, as LoJack still offers a compelling reason to lay down some cash.
LoJAck’s easy to navigate interface, along with the way it splits the laptop
security and recovery process into four steps, make it a quick and reassuring
tool to use. While there are free services out there, the subscription you way
for LoJack offer peace of mind that the service will still be there when you
need it. Dedicated support and recovery are on hand to help you, as well.
So in the end, there are two clear tracking
software winners: LoJack representing the paid-for software and Prey winning
the free software choice.
Tracking software compared
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EX05
·
Price: $495/3 yrs
·
Wi-Fi Positioning: Yes
·
Webcam Support: No
·
Online Dashboard: Yes
·
Email reports: Yes
·
Send Custom Messages: No
·
Remote Data Wipe: Yes
·
Remote Lock: Yes
FrontDoorSoftware
·
Price: Free, or $30/3 yrs
·
Wi-Fi Positioning: Yes
·
Webcam Support: No
·
Online Dashboard: Yes
·
Email reports: No
·
Send Custom Messages: Yes
·
Remote Data Wipe: No
·
Remote Lock: Yes
GadgetTrak
·
Price: $20/yr
·
Wi-Fi Positioning: Yes
·
Webcam Support: Yes
·
Online Dashboard: Yes
·
Email reports: Yes
·
Send Custom Messages: No
·
Remote Data Wipe: No
·
Remote Lock: No
JoJack
·
Price: $40 yr
·
Wi-Fi Positioning: Yes
·
Webcam Support: No
·
Online Dashboard: Yes
·
Email reports: Yes
·
Send Custom Messages: Yes
·
Remote Data Wipe: Yes
·
Remote Lock: Yes
Prey
·
Price: Free
·
Wi-Fi Positioning: Yes
·
Webcam Support: Yes
·
Online Dashboard: Yes
·
Email reports: Yes
·
Send Custom Messages: Yes
·
Remote Data Wipe: Yes
·
Remote Lock: Yes
MyLaptopGPS
·
Price: $10/mo
·
Wi-Fi Positioning: No
·
Webcam Support: No
·
Online Dashboard: Yes
·
Email reports: Yes
·
Send Custom Messages: No
·
Remote Data Wipe: Yes
·
Remote Lock: No
The LaptopLock
·
Price: Free
·
Wi-Fi Positioning: No
·
Webcam Support: No
·
Online Dashboard: Yes
·
Email reports: No
·
Send Custom Messages: Yes
·
Remote Data Wipe: Yes
·
Remote Lock: Yes
My LaptopTracker
§
Price: $30
§
Wi-Fi Positioning: Yes
§
Webcam Support: Yes
§
Online Dashboard: Yes
§
Email reports: Yes
§
Send Custom Messages: Yes
§
Remote Data Wipe: Yes
§
Remote Lock: No
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