To all you lot who may have laptops with mobile internet access laptops.

 

Dont say the police dont tell you nothing cause as a copper im about to save you some money!!!

 

The latest scam with stealing laptops from cars goes as follows:

 

Mobile internet access uses very similar equipment as bluetooth on most mobile phones, thats why i can get full internet access on my new mobile, ie 3G mobile phone/ laptops.

 

Thiefing *******s now use mobile phones to track down which car has a laptop inside it even if they cannot see it. What they do is activate their bluetooth on their phone and set it to "detect other devices". They then walk around a car park and use it to detect laptops, which most people leave on standby and dont turn them off, and use the phone as a signal detector... ie if they go to a car and detect a laptop in the area ( bluetooth will only pick stuff up in cars from around 2 meters away) and the signal is instant, they take a guess... they then move away from that car and if the signal weakens they break into the car, lower the folding rear seats, and bingo a nice new mobile internet laptop!

 

So be warned this is happeneing more and more where i work and is becoming a tend in motor vehicle crime

 

Hope this help

 

Nick

nice one nick, good advice :)

 

Disable standby & set ur lappy to go into hibernate mode rather than standby (powers off the system fully) and is more reliable than standby for starters (standby still has a trickle drain on the battery too)

Good advice indeed, but here is some even better advice. DONT EVER LEAVE YOUR LAPTOP IN YOUR CAR!! Take it with you!! And your Face off, and your phone and your wallet and your....... need I go on!!!

Dont even leave a Britney Spiers CD, cos some theiving bar steward will nick that!!

 

 

BTW, the CD was my daughters!! Honestly!!

ha ha ha, you would though wouldnt you, i known i would, and christina..... nice

 

very true though pete, but some people just think hiding it in the boot will do, but as ive just said, that just aint enough any more

Considering bluetooth uses extra power - I would have thought the bluetooth would not be active if the portable is in standby.. especially on a newer portable - where conserving power (battery) is the idea ... and certaintly not active if you switch it off :D

 

Barry

Good advice. I can remember the Missus having a cd wallet stolen which was hidden under the seat. There was nothing visible from outside the car but they still chanced their luck. Thankfully they got away with her Westlife collection :)

Considering bluetooth uses extra power - I would have thought the bluetooth would not be active if the portable is in standby.. especially on a newer portable - where conserving power (battery) is the idea ... and certaintly not active if you switch it off :D

 

Barry

 

I have been thinking about this too, and I even tested it with my IBM Thinkpad, the result is that when it's in either standby or hibernation then the bluetooth is off.

I have been thinking about this too, and I even tested it with my IBM Thinkpad, the result is that when it's in either standby or hibernation then the bluetooth is off.

 

Yep - my IBM T41 is the same, no Blue Tooth on Standby. In fact nothing runs whilst its in standby.