Truckster (Vic) replied:

Dont laptops use lithium batteries now?

Smells like BS to me.

YMMV.

TD6 replied:

Sorry mate just read your response properly.......Yeah I don’t know but this is what I'm told and it was strange that they knew exactly where the laptop was

ianmc replied:

This shows a lack of security in the park & a lack of concern by the police.
You would think that with so many thefts they would have staked out the place.
It was common knowledge years ago in Melbourne that the staff in parks were
into car theft, joy rides & whatever.

Anthony from Anglyn Promotions replied:

Hi,

We market a product called PortaSafe. This is a portable safe with an alarm. It utilises a cable which can be threaded through a secure part of your vehicle and then inserted into the lock. When locked with the key, the alarm, 120db, is set, and if someone tries to cut the high tensile braided cable, or tamper with the lid of the safe, it will set off the alarm.

PortaSafe is big enough to take slimline portable computers, as well as other bits and pieces.

More details on our website www.anglyn.com.au , and click on the PortaSafe logo.

As with all locks etc, they are a deterrent, and hopefully make the thief go try somewhere else where it is easier.

Regards

Anthony Taylor
Tel 0438 646 981
Fax 08 9248 2713
email: anglyn@dodo.com.au

Truckster (Vic) replied:

This ad brought to you by...

Thought it smelt like something.

stitch replied:

I bet your insuance company didn't want to know about it either. My vehicle was broken into in a work carpark (railways), smashed passenger front window, took CD player and cd's...... my fault, I didn't advise them the cd player was aftermarket and I should have had personal effects insurance to cover the cd's. I know how pi$$ed off you are. I have a story, though, of a mate of mine who actually caught a theif in action with his car...........

Nudenut replied:

how would a scanner pick up a lap top if its not switched on? scanners can only scan for frequencies emitted ....and that means it has to be powered up to emit a a radio frequency...its as truckster says.... BS

Lone Wolf replied:

TD6..........

I am saddenend that this has happened to you.

As the proud owner of a new laptop myself, I read your post, and it sunk in real quick!

Okay.......... the fact that it was honed in on, and other things were left alone tells me that they knew what they wanted. 10 laptops in a week.............. I'm starting to wonder.........

Anyway......... this scanner thing intrests me.......... greatly. Is it for real? How does one pick up either a Nicad or Lithium at rest?

Answering this question is not going to give you any justice, but, if we can ascertain that this thing is for real, then perhaps others, myself included, can take extra precautions.

Again, I am sorry for your loss, and I hope you get a FASTER and SMALLER laptop to replace what you have lost.

Yours Sincerely

Ian

Member - Chris M (QLD) replied:

Thanks mate, I've been putting off buying a car alarm for the last few weeks but I know I have to otherwise I'll lose my gear.

Sorry to hear about the loss of the lappy, if it's any concession, insurance should cover it, as long as the vehicle was properly locked.

Also consider your legal options, if the carpark signage was not informing you to secure valuables and that there was a recent problem, the carpark management have a duty to disclose that to you, epecially considering that the theft was one of 10. Obviously, you only need go down that track if insurance doesn't cover repairs and replacement.

Cheers

Chris.

Savvas replied:

TD6 ... if this car park has a problem with breakins, let us know which carpark it is so we can avoid it.

Andrew replied:

Interesting thread

We (at work) have lost two laptops. One caused by ableepemployee (now with a very sore backside) who left it in its bag in plain viewn while he dashed off for a loo break. Lost the side window as well.

The other was a bit more interesting.
Out of sight under the seat and with jackets and stuff in the way.
The vehicle (falcon wagon) was in a high rise carpark and locked.
employee came back and vehicle still locked and no sign of break in. drove out and realised the jacket was in a different spot. So...
Laptop gone, power leads disconnected from inverter. No actual damage done.
Police advised that crooks can unlock some falcons to get in then relock as they leave. means that most people have left before they realise somthing is wrong and raise the alarm.

We now run lock cables that rip the computer apart rendering it useless if they try to pull it out. Otherwise we lock them in the roller drawers in the back.

A

Tim replied:

Sorry to hear about it, I got a lappy a few weeks ago and there is soo much stuff on it, if it was stolen I would be lost.

About the whole scanner thing, was your laptop fitted with a wireless network card? As someone said, the radiation from the battery alone would be next to nothing but a wireless network card.....maybe, especially if it is in standby and not shut down.
Tim

TD6 replied:

Tim,

No I didn't take your response the wrong way at all. As a matter of fact you may have hit the nail on the head with the wireless component. Appreciate it.

I, and others I'm sure, value the positive comment like yours as opposed to some of the cynicism you see through threads like this.

Space Bastard replied:

As a laptop owner myself, I appreciate what you've said TD6. With the wireless, if you have a wireless card that is plugged into the PCMCIA slot of your lappy, it should be disabled when your computer is in standby, since you are logged off any network.

Still, it would have power going to it. I know I'll be making sure I pull my wireless card out in the carpark.

cheers, and I'm sorry to hear it happened at all.

Also, older fourbies have terrible locks. I can break into my 88 patrol in about a minute using a bit of packing tape, so the safest thing to do is take the lappy with you, especially if its a good one.

geocacher (djcache) replied:

Get a lock cable. Also stickers on windows advising that all items of value are engraved with drivers license no.s work well too. No thief wants a laptop or phone they can't flog later.

In answer to the scanning question try

checking out Wardriving

A laptop with a wireless network card and a copy of NetStumbler (free download from net) would find another wireless if it was on in about no time flat. There's a whole geek sport based on it. I run it to diagnose my home wireless network problems.

I love wireless - I can type this from the recliner with the laptop on my broadband.. ahhhh. CCCsshhh - the sound of another stubby opening....

Dave
djcache - It's always in the last place you look....

geocacher (djcache) replied:

TD6 - If your laptop was still powered up, and I leave mine semipowered most of the time, then your laptop would possibly have been transmitting.

If it was in a standby state or hibernation, it probably wasn't. That may vary with individual laptops - I have no idea. A hint as to whether yours does leave it's network access point transmitting and receiving may lie in your power settings, and whether you can set it to wake on new network activity. Your IT people should be able to tell you. Others on this forum clearly can't.

The software I mentioned "NetStumbler" and other similar types of software will detect a transmitting network access point using another wireless computer.

Hopefully you have gained enough information from this thread to help in the future.

I am a reasonably new member of ExplorOz and think the forums are great - most of the time. However, like the rest of the internet you have to use some filtering of the info you gain.

I think what happened with this forum is deplorable and that there are a few people who should hang their heads in shame.

Okay you can't scan for batteries but if you think about the chinese whispers game then the coppers involved and others who retold the story before it was told to TD6, it didn't end up too far from the mark.

I think it's great that the ill informed ignorant opinionated bulls*&t artists who scoffed at the scanning idea can't delete their posts, as they stand for the duration as evidence to the fact that those that typed them have to have an opinion even when they have not a clue what that opinion is or should be.

Why do people have to turn forums like this one, which was just letting others know about the possibility of a risk of theft, into what this one became.

A person who knows the answer MAY be smart, the smarter person keeps their mouth (keyboard) shut, observes and (maybe) learns when they don't have a damn clue.

Dave

PS I didn't mention names as I don't wish to get personal. If you think I was talking about you - reflect on why you jump to that conclusion. If you think you are right maybe you have something else to think about.