Feature
Protect your tech
restricted to theft prevention. These
tiny SBCs are often targeted at Internet
of Things applications, so you could use
it to experiment with real-world
monitoring too.
On the downside, many of the
smaller SBCs – the Particle Photon
included – have Wi-Fi rather than
Bluetooth. For a tag that has to operate
on internal batteries for perhaps a year
or more, this would be a serious
disadvantage as Wi-Fi is much more
power-hungry than Bluetooth. If you’re
going to run your tag from an external
battery and are prepared to recharge it
periodically, however, this is no longer a
disadvantage, and has the extra benefit
of a greater range.
Another platform that’s designed
specifically as a tag, is the open source
RuuviTag (https://tag.ruuvi.com). This
takes the form of a compact circular
board powered from an onboard button
cell, housed in a round waterproof case,
fitted with various sensors including an
accelerometer, and including Bluetooth.
It costs Ð69 excluding VAT for three
units (that works out to roughly £76most notably Lenovo ThinkPads, have
accelerometers as part of the Hard
Drive Active Protection System
(HDAPS) which parks the disk drive
heads to prevent damage to platter if
the laptop is dropped. Another example
are convertible laptop/tablets that often
include an accelerometer so that screen
rotation can be detected. Finally, don’t
forget that an alarm could be disabled
just by turning off the laptop or closing
its lid, so do be sure to disable both the
power and the lid switch whenever the
alarm is active.
Another DIY project you might want
to attempt is a proximity alarm based
on a small single board computer with
an associated Android or iOS app. The
Particle Photon (www.particle.io)
would be a contender due to its small
size and, while it isn’t much cheaper
than an off-the-shelf Bluetooth tag, it
does offer some benefits. First and
foremost is the fact that you can add
whatever features you want, rather than
being constrained by what’s on offer in
commercial products. In fact this
additional functionality needn’t be
including 24% EU VAT at the time of
going to press).
You’ll never find a solution that
allows you to keep your laptop
completely secure all of the time –
accidents can happen – but you can do
your best to minimise the risk of theft.Right: It’s
much harder
to steal a
laptop if you
carry it in a
backpackINSURANCE
Insurance is important for valuable
equipment but do make sure your equipment
is adequately covered. Details differ between
countries, insurance companies and policies,
but there are two things you should check:
Does your household policy provide adequate
cover for equipment that you take out of the
house? And is equipment covered if you use
it for business? If the cover provided by your
general policy doesn’t meet your needs, look
for dedicated insurance for your tech gear.QUICK GUIDEVisibly
marking your
gear provides
a deterrent to
potential
thievesTHE ADVANTAGE IN WRITING YOUR OWN ALARM
IS THAT YOU CAN DECIDE EXACTLY HOW YOU’D
LIKE IT TO OPERATE