GPS in laptops

[Russianwolf]

I was recently watching Numbers on TV. In the episode they had their house broken into and laptop stolen. At the end of the show everything was returned because they were able to trace the laptop through a gps trace. supposedly all newer laptops have a gps "chip" in them.


Is this real?

[onedash]

I dont think so. I think all or most new cell phones have the capability in them but they are not all programmed to work at least not for free. But to find a cell phone normally they triangulate its possition with 3 or more towers. Some FRRS radios transmit the GPS location everytime the mic is keyed and someone else can know where you are.
And with the laptop even if it had a GPS does not mean they could find it. It would still have to transmit its location like low jack or onstar to someone to then go and find it.

[justaguy]

No GPS chips for theft tracking just yet.

But there are software solutions that are close..

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news0...ptops_gps.html

[LCHIEN]

No GPS chips for theft tracking just yet.

But there are software solutions that are close..

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news0...ptops_gps.html

That's hardly a solution. If I was stealing a computer for its data, I would remove the disk drive and never plug that computer into the internet again. A computer not turned on could not be tracked with that method. I'd mine the disk by plugging it into a separate computer.
Furthermore, if a thief did have an internet connection, how many hours would he have to have it plugged into the network before it uploaded all the contents of a say, 120 GB drive to the internet? Surely long enough for him to copy anything off he wanted.

However, I did see in the papers, advertisements at some large computer chain stores, laptops equipped with lojack, same as used in car theft tracking. As that broadcasts theft and location immediately upon theft, not waiting for the computer to be powered up, that would be a much better solution.
of course, an object as small as a laptop could easily be dropped into a shielded case which would render lojack useless. And I don't know if police would be as excited about chasing down a stolen laptop as they would a stolen car. the car is much more easily visually identified by make, model, color and tag# as they approach it.

[justaguy]

However, I did see in the papers, advertisements at some large computer chain stores, laptops equipped with lojack, same as used in car theft tracking. As that broadcasts theft and location immediately upon theft, not waiting for the computer to be powered up, that would be a much better solution.

I hate to burst your bubble but Lojack for laptops is an all software solution as well.

http://www.lojackforlaptops.com/how-...or-laptops.asp

All of the current recovery mechanisms for laptops are either software or writen into the bios and all require an internet connection to "phone home".

[LCHIEN]

I hate to burst your bubble but Lojack for laptops is an all software solution as well.

http://www.lojackforlaptops.com/how-...or-laptops.asp

All of the current recovery mechanisms for laptops are either software or writen into the bios and all require an internet connection to "phone home".

Well, that kind of sucks. My bubble is burst. Just lojack in name, not technology...