Safety Tips for Your Laptop While You're in School

Because of trying times nowadays, small personal belongings suffers the risk of getting stolen -- mobile phones, flash drives, tablets, and even laptops. Having to experience losing your very own laptop can be awfully painful, especially if you depend your school work on it. To help you get your beloved laptop all the way through school with you, here are some tips that you can use as a guideline to keep your laptop safe and secure from lurking thieves on your campus.

But before we go any further, it is a must to have a backup system and use it regularly. Perhaps you can get a reliable and spacious external hard drive or subscribe to an online backup service, and back up your laptop's data on at least a weekly basis. This way, you won't lose your study notes, term papers, photos, music, and other key data should your laptop gets lost or stolen.

Here are five simple yet essential ways on how to keep your laptop secure.

1. Insure your laptop

You can purchase a separate renter's insurance policy for your laptop, since it can already be considered a valuable personal investment. You may want to check out College Student Insurance or NSSI as your insurance options for your laptop. Alternatively, you can also consider the idea of adding a rider to your parents' home insurance policy.

2. Register your laptop with campus safety

Another way to secure your laptop is by registering it with your college or university. Most of the time, you will be issued a sticker to be placed on your laptop that will serve as a theft deterrent. In case your laptop gets misplaced or stolen, your registration information will help your school trace it and have it returned to you easily.

3. Lock your laptop when you need to go away

It is imperative not to leave your laptop in public places at all times. However, if the need arises wherein you need to go to the bathroom or buy something in the school cafeteria, it's better to take your laptop with you (that's the main reason why it's made portable, right?) Otherwise, use a Kensington lock or other cable lock to secure your laptop to a fixed object before leaving the area.

And don't think that leaving your laptop in your car is a good idea, either. Even if you have skillfully hidden it underneath a sweatshirt or duffel bag, there's still a great risk of getting it stolen. Take it with you wherever you go or hide it safely in your locker.

4. Always lock your dorm room or apartment

If you need to go somewhere else and you don't need to use the laptop, make sure to lock your dorm room or apartment if you and your roommates are going to stay outside for a while. If you noticed that your dorm buddy has a habit of losing his or her dorm keys, it's better to get your laptop a laptop safe. In case somebody breaks in to your room, there's no way the thief can steal your laptop when it's in the laptop safe.

5. Install a tracking software

To complete your security measures for your laptop, install a tracking software. LoJack is one of the most competitive tracking software around. It uses a tracking system that utilizes GPS and Wi-Fi technology to track down thieves. Another software that uses Wi-Fi technology to recover stolen or lost laptops is GadgetTrak. It has a webcam usage that periodically takes photos once the software is activated. When thieves turn on the laptop, connects to the Wi-Fi, GadgetTrak takes a mug shot and police can track them down in no time. It also supports both Windows and Mac systems. You can purchase it for $19.95 or get a 30-day free trial.

If you really love and value your laptop, follow these simple tips and we assure you that your laptop will stay with you, through thick and thin, for many years to come.