# Lojack for computers - possible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 1, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lojack-for-computers-possible/165735 "2003-04-01T16:34:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lojack-for-computers-possible/165735/1 "2003-04-01T16:34:43Z")
Having recently had my laptop stolen, I wonder why it isn’t possible to install something in a PC that will issue a cry for help under certain circumstances. Cell phones now routinely come with GPS software meaning that you could, I suppose, call up your provider and ask them where your cell phone is in the event it was stolen. This seems like a great idea for costly, easily stolen items like laptops. Or how about an application that tells an ISP what phone number it’s dialing in from. That way I could report my stolen laptop to my ISP and they could set up a filter to look for the next time it came online. These ideas seem to good for somebody not to have invented them already. Do such things exist? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Matthew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Mr.Matthew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Matthew)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lojack-for-computers-possible/165735/2 "2003-04-01T17:03:18Z")
Several products exist. [This page](http://www.stolenlaptop.com/) explains several of them. It’s a great idea. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lojack-for-computers-possible/165735/3 "2003-04-01T18:30:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Attrayant \* > These ideas seem to good for somebody not to have invented them already. Do such things exist? Been out for years. Using Google searching under “stolen laptop alarm” I found … - [http://www.fawcette.com/dotnetmag/2002\_10/magazine/columns/wireless/](http://www.fawcette.com/dotnetmag/2002_10/magazine/columns/wireless/) - [http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/08/15/laptop.security.idg/](http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/08/15/laptop.security.idg/) - [http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,59091,00.html](http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,59091,00.html) - [http://www.idg.net/idgns/2000/08/11/StolenLaptopSparksAntiTheftTechnology.shtml](http://www.idg.net/idgns/2000/08/11/StolenLaptopSparksAntiTheftTechnology.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lojack-for-computers-possible/165735/4 "2003-04-01T20:07:11Z")
A few months (maybe more than a year) ago was either stolen from the University of Texas and used elsewhere, or stolen from elsewhere and hooked up to a public Ethernet port at UT. In either case, the laptop immediately notified a system belonging to the proper owners of its IP address, it was quickly isolated, the goods recovered, and the suspects apprehended. So, not only do they exist, they work, too. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lojack-for-computers-possible/165735/5 "2003-04-01T20:29:15Z")
Nice, I think I’ll look into that for my SOs laptop