How do laptop locks work

Kensington lock holes or K-Slots are tiny holes made for securing electronic equipment. The lock has an anchor reinforced with a metallic cover and a rubber-metal cable with a key or combination-secured latch. The lock fits in to the hole to secure expensive electronic equipment while the cable wraps around something solid. Look around the laptop for an ear jack-shaped hole that is about 0. If your computer does not come with a K-slot, you can get lightweight locking stations.

These work by clamping to your computer and the cable lock plugs into the laptop locking dock. A final choice would be the adhesive style of laptop lock. These are often less desirable as they involve a lump of metal being stuck to your computer, but they are still better than nothing and work great, especially for tablets and smaller devices.

They are also often cheaper than the Kensington slot locks or docking station locks. Now you know what you need, it is time to buy your lock. There is a vast collection of Kensington locks available , search for a strong one and place your order. The most important part of using the lock is finding the unmovable object you will bind the lock to.

Regardless which option you choose, there is one bonus feature that many users will appreciate. You can submit your code, and choose a username and password. If you ever forget it, you can always log in and give yourself a reminder. Kensington uses a cable made from carbon steel. This type of steel is the hardest on the market, and its unique woven pattern increases tensile strength beyond your typical cable. Carbon is better than stainless in almost every way, with the exception of one thing — shearing.

Bolt cutters are a real threat where cable locks are concerned, so Kensington used an anti-shear sleeve. This sleeve prevents these cutters from effectively grabbing into the cable. This particular lock uses a combination to gain access. With four separate digits, there are over 10, codes to choose from. You can rest assured that nobody is going to be able to guess your code without a lot of effort.

Even budged-minded computers are wafer thin compared to the behemoths we used to carry around. The Micro saver lock was designed for those ultra-portable computers where space is at a premium. With the Microsaver 2. You loop the cable around a stationary object, feed the cable through the loop, then attach the lock to your computer.

But there are a few key differences. This joint allows the lock to bend along a pivot, making it easier to fit it into tight spots. The lock is operated using a key, so using it will feel natural.

When the lock is open, the key is fixed to the lock head. For that reason, no other line of locks is available with more options than the Microsaver. You can get portable, regular, or ultra. The portable lock uses a thin, but reasonably sturdy cable. To make it easy to carry around, the cable is looped much like a telephone cord. It fits right in the palm of your hand, or the pocket of your pants.

This lock is ideal for lightweight devices where ease of use is more important than security. The Regular size is the cable that most users will need. It offers the best balance of price, performance, and security. The Ultra MicoSaver is much larger than the typical Ultra, designed primarily for display devices at retailers. The final option you can choose from is the number of heads.

This is useful if you have a pair of items you need to protect. Maybe you have a laptop and a projector, or a pair of computers on display. You want to attach the laptop lock to something large and stable.

Though it's always possible that a very determined thief could cut through the cable with a wire cutter or yank the lock so hard that it breaks a piece of the laptop off with it, most criminals are looking to grab something quickly, without spending a lot of time or making a lot of noise breaking locks.

A real surveillance video on YouTube shows a thief smashing a glass door to break into a Chicago pizza restaurant. The thief then tries to grab an iPad off of the counter, but gives up after 10 seconds of trying to yank the device off of its lock cord.

According to Kensington, the lock in the video is one of the company's "ClickSafe" models , which are designed to snap into place in seconds. Most laptops have some kind of security slot built into their chassis.

Locks can connect to this opening, which makes it hard for a thief to pull them out. There are three kinds of slots, and you need to buy a lock that matches.

Most laptop companies use the Kensington Security Slot, a year-old standard that's nearly ubiquitous in the PC industry. In fact, the slot is so common that manufacturers sometimes refer to it as a "lock slot," without mentioning the Kensington name. However, a few Dell laptops, including the Latitude 14 , Precision M and entire XPS line, use a different slot design which comes from Noble Locks, a company that specializes in physical security products for computers.

Apple doesn't put lock slots on its MacBooks, but a number of enterprising accessory makers have designed locks that attach to the Apple laptops' rubber feet or clamp tight onto the lid. If you don't have a Dell laptop and your notebook has a lock slot, it's almost certainly a Kensington Security Slot. However, if you have a very thin laptop, particularly a Lenovo, it is possible you have the new Mini Security Slot.

Locks that work with the mini slots are backward-compatible with the regular slots, but regular locks can't fit into the Mini Security Slots. To be on the safe side, check your instruction manual or the support info on the manufacturer's website. If your laptop is one of the majority that has a built-in Kensington Security Slot, you can choose from several different lock brands.