Electronics Targus PA400U DEFCON 1 Ultra Notebook Computer Security System
Rating:  -
Let me begin by saying that I don't do many product reviews at all, but I felt after buying and trying this product, I should. Mainly because it would suffice for some and not for others. I feel that's when product reviews are most important. Since there are only 5 reviews up to this time, I'll consolidate those and annotate some comments on top as well.
Pros:
1. Manageable (5"x2"x1.5" and doesn't weigh alot)
2. Compatible with many if not all recent laptops
3. Very easy to lock and unlock, especially if you leave the dial just a few digits away from your combination
4. While the motion-sensing warning beeps are distinct, they are by no means 110dB like what this other user mentioned, so they wouldn't bother somebody across a large room. If a normal conversation is 60dB, these warning chirps are around 45dB, and VERY brief at that.
5. There are 4 digits to the combination, which means a full 10000 combinations. The '999' combinations the other user mentioned relates to a previous model, not the PA400U.
6. One user mentioned that there was a 110db beep to let him know the device is on. That's b.s. There are a couple chirps, and then a red 'status' LED blinks to let you know the alarm is activated.
7. The alarm is distinctly louder than the chirps, so people around should figure out that it's an alarm.
8. Alarm goes off if cable is cut.
9. Movement of the device sets off 'warning chirps' and there is a red LED light that gives thieves the correct idea that it's an alarm. (In fact, because the LED flashes if the device is locked even if the alarm itself is not set, it's feasible to place the device just on top of the computer, that alone maybe deterring a couple would-be thieves.)
10. The 'warning chirps', albeit without a melody (it's monotone), are no more irritating to others than a cell phone.
Cons:
1. Hypersensitive to motion, so you can't really use it outside if it's windy, it'll almost surely go off. In fact, the user who said that its own beep causes the alarm to go off, I find that to be hyperbole. But to give an idea how sensitive it can be, there are times when I have set it on my desk with alarm activated, six inches away from the keyboard -- when I press the 'backspace' key on my keyboard hard enough, the warning chirps can go off. (Incidentally, to give an idea what sets off the warning chirps, when I shake the device, I can hear what sounds like a thin metal disk that is being balanced horizontally when you lay the device flat. When you move the device, the disk is disturbed from its equilibrium position, and that's what sets off the warning chirps. That's also why some users may have mentioned that it seems so hypersensitive: after I set the alarm, and set the device on the table, the disk inside is still vibrating a bit, so typically there is some 2-4 seconds of chirping immediately after you place the device on the flat surface.)
2. As much as the manufacturer believes that it is 105dB, and as far as information I gleaned from the internet suggests that a lawnmower is 90dB, this device is nowhere near 105dB -- nobody will blink twice if you were in a noisy bar. If a normal conversation is 60dB and a lawnmower is 90dB, the alarm on this thing is perhaps 70-75dB.
3. The warning chirps would likely bother a stranger at the next seat, or in a library.
Note on who should buy:
First off, the user that said his laptop was stolen, I believe it, especially if your laptop case is made out of a flimsy plastic like my early-model Dell Inspiron is, a thief could easily use his feet as leverage and just rip it off. If I were in an unmonitored room with a 200 lb stranger, I definitely wouldn't leave the building for 30 minutes without taking the laptop with me. In that sense, I COMPLETELY disagree with the user who said he'd feel safe leaving his $3000 Vaio in the library for an hour while he grabs lunch.
I completely agree, however, with the users who said it works as a deterrent. I believe it is a particularly effective deterrent if (a) there are other people in the room, because it does make a noticeable noise that would bring attention to the thief, and/or (b) you're in the room up to 100 feet away. If you're a guy like me that is super-cautious with his laptop, always looking over his back in a cafe that it's gone, this device is very effective. You set it, and then you can mingle with friends or acquiantances in the same room or within earshot without issue. (For example, with it, I have much less problem in cafes going on extended bathroom breaks and bringing my laptop with me to the bathroom drawing weird stares.) To be quite frank, I believe the best kind of places to use this would be a hotel lobby, an airport, and ESPECIALLY a cafe.
VERDICT: In short, if you'd pay a premium for a device that genuinely looks like a laptop alarm (thus deterring thieves), and you'd pay for a moderately loud distinctive sound to tell you that somebody is attempting to take your laptop (like I would) or a sound loud enough where others nearby would likely notice the theft and be able to ID the bugger later, then this device is good. Otherwise, just get a standard cable combo lock if it's cheaper.
Although one user said his uses a key, I bought my PA400U in June 2005, and it is strictly a combo lock.
Tip to Targus:
Provide a couple volume levels for the beeps
Rating:  -
I just had a notebook stolen that was "locked" with this lock. The thief gave it a good yank, and the metal easily broke off. I suppose it may work as a deterrent, but don't fool yourself into thinking your computer can't be stolen.
Rating:  -
I am very happy with my cable lock. Although it does not make your computer equal to Fort Knox, it will at the very least slow a would-be theif down. I can hang my 8lb laptop off of it, and bounce it up and down with the cable, and it holds firm (trial conducted over my bed, a heavily padded surface). I like how the cable swivels around the actual lock to avoid the cable kinking, and becoming cumbersome. I also like the fact that it is a key operated system. Although combinations are quicker, they can be hacked in about 5 minutes of trying, and slipping a key in the lock and giving a quick turn can't be any simpler. Just remember to keep one key in a safe place, and write the key serial number down somewhere so a replacement can be found. For the money, I don't think there is a better security option for notebook computers, unless you spend the ... on a doberman puppy, and train it to attack computer theifs. But that would be hard. Buy this lock system, and it could save you ....
Rating: -
Let me start by saying what I like about this device: it is relatively light, and works flawlessly both as security against and as a deterrent to anyone trying to walk off with your notebook. With this device, I feel safe leaving my $3000+ Sony Vaio sitting in the library for an hour while I go grab lunch. It takes 20 seconds to lock, and 20 seconds to unlock, and has been compatible with every notebook I've tried it on.
That said, the device is not without its problems. Firstly, the device is HYPER-sensitive to motion. If one puts the device into motion-detection mode, it is very difficult to disarm (i.e. to rotate the combination dial) without setting off the alarm. What's worse yet is the 110db warning beep it lets out every time it detects even the slightest bit of motion, meaning that even if you are skilled enough not to set off the full alarm, you are going to have a rather embarassing time disarming it should be in any sort of quiet setting. In short, it is virtually impossible to use the motion detector feature in anywhere you might want it, like a library, since your neighbors will not likely be receptive to a series of 110db warning beeps. Another problem with the device is that there are only 1000 possible combinations. While this sounds like a petty complaint, it is significant -- if you plan to leave your notebook unattended for an hour or two, it is not difficult for your local sticky-fingers to run through all possible combinations before you get back. Let us hope no one is this daring, however. My final complaint about the device is a minor one -- I don't need a 110db beep to let me know the device is on.
Basically, Targus could fix most of the problems by having two volume levels for various warning beeps; instead, though, we have to suffer through these things at the same ear-piercing volume as the alarm.
Rating: -
Mine goes off with little or no motion. It almost seems that its own "beep" causes enough motion to make it "beep", which causes it to "BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP"..... So I don't set it. The saving grace is that even if I don't set it, the alarm always goes off if the cable is cut. The thinness of the cable plus its retractability make it easier to travel with than the thick cables.
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