Losing a laptop can be devastating. Whether someone stole it or you forgot it somewhere. It’s a substantial financial loss, though you can replace it. But what about the essential personal files? Or the documents of your workplace? What about them?
How will you get them back? This loss is much more upsetting than your laptop. I know that I would be devastated if I lost all of my files suddenly one day.
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And also really a dangerous problem. If it falls into the wrong hands, they can easily hack into it and get all your personal information like online banking accounts or other individual files. I mean this is how identity thefts are happening nowadays.
So, you need a way to track your laptop if you lose it anyhow. And that’s why I’ll be giving you the top 5 laptop tracking programs you will find on the market. These are the high laptop security and tracking software you are looking.
They will help you to locate and even lock down your laptop to save them from falling into the wrong hands. Now we don’t want that, do we? So, let’s get on with it!
Top 5 Laptop Tracking Software
Number 1: EXO5
A business package that’s more focused on locking down your data
It’s a software that focuses more on securing you’re all your data. So, by using it, you can quickly lock down your laptop.
Though, it’s not a free program. You have to pay a decent amount of money to get it on your device. The best thing is that you can use it up to 25 devices!
Features:
- RemoteKill file encryption
- Drive lock
- Curfew
- Geolocation
- Logs
- Data export
- RiskSense alerts
EXO5 is mainly for small or medium level organizations, but if you are a home user, you can also use this to track your laptop anytime. It’s better to get ahold of this one as you can use it on multiple devices at once.
How it works
Well, firstly, you have to go to the Settings tab and download the Agent installer. This agent is a .exe file that you need to install on the device you will track. After installing you will see it in the Assets option.
You can see the device on Google Map. Using Wi-Fi triangulation technology it tracks the devices. It’s pretty accurate. Though sometimes miscalculates the location that’s a rare case. You can also see the IP address.
Also, you will also be able to see whether it’s connected to the internet or not. You can also see any hardware changes made on your laptop or other devices along with what programs they install on the laptop.
So, you’ll get a pretty good look at your laptop even being far away. The event log helps a lot to let you know what exactly is going on, on your laptop.
Though, the handiest feature is the RemoteKill. It helps to encrypt any files or folders you want. You can even add a boot sector lock to shut down your laptop. And you can reverse all the encryption once you get back the device.
Number 2: Absolute LoJack
LoJack is the all-rounder of the group, and it can track like a boss! It’s also not free but much cheaper than EXO5.
Features:
- Geolocation
- Remote lock
- Customized lock-out message
- Remote delete
- Theft Recovery Team
It was made focusing solely on home users. The installation is easy and straightforward. You will get pop up notification on any move your laptops making. Though the pop-ups get a bit annoying, nevertheless it’s a reassuring program.
It will surely protect your laptop from any vultures.
How it works
After installation, you have to go to their website and create an account. You can enable the geolocation tracking from there, and you have to give it a PIN. You will get a map which will show you exactly where your device is.
The accuracy of the program is extraordinary. You’ll get a full proof planned recovery options laid out to you. With four tabs layering out your recovery plan like locate, lock, delete and recover.
Though, the map is a bit complex. It doesn’t use google maps like most of the trackers instead it uses a map powered by Esri. Though it looks far better than google map, you can’t zoom in to get the specific location of where the laptop is.
It’s more useful in large cities rather than small areas.
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You’ll see a Device Status above the map, updating every 24 hours. So you’ll get a specific knowledge of your device. Remember the PIN you gave while creating the account? You can use that to lock your device if you think that’s the better solution.
So, you have first to enter the PIN and then enter a message and then click Lock Device. Though, it takes about 20 minutes to lock the device. Then you’ll get a confirmation email.
The laptop will no longer be useful after that, not until you reverse the process.
Number 3: Prey
If you don’t want to spare the extra bucks for tracking your laptop, then you can try out Prey. It’s an outstanding free program after the paid ones.
Features:
- Wi-Fi auto connect
- GPS and Wi-Fi geolocation
- Small memory footprint
- Webcam and screenshot capture
- Remote data removal
- Lockdown PC
Prey is a free program, but it doesn’t mean that it has fewer features. Prey has full features, and it is an open source program. The interface is very professional looking and preferably has a great interface.
So, you’ll like it right away. If you want you can easily tweak the codes if you are a developer. But it’s better to leave the systems alone if you don’t know anything.
How it works
After installing you will firstly, need to set up how it will send you reports. You’ll get two options one is by email and web, and the other is email only. The web control panel is excellent.
It has a bright and exciting interface. You can easily configure any settings using the sliding toggles.
When you mark your laptop as Lost, it will automatically start to generate reports about the laptop. You’ll get emails from locations and other specifications. You can easily tweak the rate of the emails to get more detailed information about your device.
Though Prey would only give you a website link for the reports, the reports are excellent though. The location is pretty accurate, so you can trust on this program if your laptop’s been stolen or lost.
Prey has an excellent feature. It takes screenshots of your laptop. So, if the thief is doing something on the laptop, you will get to know what. It can also help you identify the thief in any way.
So, I can say it’s a great free laptop tracker.
Number 4: GadgetTrak
GadgetTrak is another excellent software for you to try out. Though it’s not free like Prey, it comes at a cheap rate with a lot of features.
Features:
- Wi-Fi positioning
- Webcam support
- Integrated police reports
- Online dashboard
It gives an accurate location of where the laptop is right now. Maybe not pinpoint, but it will provide you with a few building to work. So, you’ll not be blind about where your laptop is. Though sometimes the indicator jumps even though there is no movement in laptop location.
The exciting part is that this one will take constant sly snapshots through the webcam. So you’ll get a pretty good idea of where or who the thief is. Though you can’t change the frequency of the snapshots, it’s a great feature whatsoever.
So, hopefully, you’ll get to catch the thief in the act.
How it works
After downloading and installing the software on the machine, you’ll need to register it using your GadgetTrak account. After that, all you need to is to log in to their website and use the control panel to enable the tracking.
The reports come in emails, and you’ll get them every half an hour. The emails contain some pretty useful information’s that will help you know what’s going on.
The most useful feature is the Wi-Fi-based location. You will get latitude and longitude of the place it’s based on the Wi-Fi or networks surrounding it. You’ll get a rough location on Google maps using this, but it’s better to stick to the webcam shots.
The only lacking of this one was that, if the laptop is turned off then it can’t send any info’s. But will post once it’s turned on. You won’t find it anywhere up front, but you will be able to uninstall it from control panels using a password.
Number 5: The LaptopLock
It’s another free tool for your service. It offers a solution to all your problems. You can delete files, encrypt the data or send messages to the thief.
Features:
- Delete files
- Encrypt files
- Show a message to the user
- Execute a program
- Play a sound
- Visible or hidden from the user
You’ll get a fancy interface with simple configurations to help you get the best experience. Though, there isn’t any tracking feature associated with it. So, you need to install another gadget that has it such as Prey.
But it’s mainly used to lock the laptop and get a good update on the condition of the laptop.
How it works
First, you need to sign up on their official website. The process is straightforward and quick. You just need to enter your email address and give a password. And you’ll get access to the online control panel.
No extra fuss needed on this one. And after signing up, you’ll get the software for downloading. During installation, it will ask you to choose whether or not to show a splash screen when the laptop starts up. So decide what you want.
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File security is the main priority here. You can select any data you want to delete if you mark your laptop as stolen. You can easily choose the files and folders, and you can remove the data without any trace.
So, any data recovery tools used on it won’t be able to access the data. But if you don’t want to delete the files you can easily encrypt them.
Notifying you about the laptop is the send priority here. You can quickly select an option between showing a message and playing a sound when the laptop is in use. The main thing is that you can use this tool to launch any spy tools.
You can use the spy tools to take photos or track the program alongside the reports.
If you notify a recovery team, it will start to collect information for handing over to the police. So, it’s a great simple app that you can use for your benefit.
Final Verdict
Hopefully, you’ll find the perfect tracker tool you want to your devices. So, two of them are free, and you have spent some money on others. Bu is spending a little money can bring back your laptop, then it’s a small amount to pay.
Choose wisely, though I liked Lojack and Prey more than others, as they have quite some useful features.
LoJack’s is easy to navigate interface. The way it splits the laptop security and recovery process into four steps making it easy to access is a neat feature.
The support and service is spot on for a few amounts of money.
On the other hand, though Pray is a free tool, it undoubtedly provides a lot of paid features you’ll see in other tools. That’s what I loved about it. It’s full of features has a great interface and gets the job done.
So, I’ll recommend you to try them out. But the choice is yours in the end. As you never know when you might need these tools.
Hasib is a born geek and loves tweaking his computer and gadgets for effectiveness and productivity. At WindowsChimp, he specializes in writing Tutorial guides and discovering new hacks to share.
Excellent list Hasib 🙂 I am personally using Lojack in from past one year and its works great.