Review: Griffin Portable Security for Laptops

I’ve been reading way too many articles about laptop thieves in airports and especially coffee shops. The first step, of course, is to get a secure password and a secure encryption system (we like Macs for that reason), but the second, is to lock your machine down if you spend a lot of time working away from home.

We tried out the Griffin Portable Security Techsafe locking system, which was invented I would guess because computers, at least our Macs, no longer come with a security latch built in to their cases. Griffin had to figure out another way.

Their solution is pretty easy. The kit comes with tiny clamp that fits easily into the hinge of most laptops. It’s a slightly delicate maneuver and not one you want to force, but once you do it once and see how it fits, it’s very simple. (The one big fear would be closing the laptop before inserting the clamp all the way, which would probably break the screen.)

Once the clamp is in, part of it protrudes out the back of the laptop, making it easy to latch onto with the include combination lock. LIke any lock and cable system, this is clearly not meant to chain a laptop somewhere out of sight and will only act as a slight deterrent, but one sure enough to stop anyone in all but the meanest of Starbucks locations.

Pros:

Simple mechanism and combo lock so no extra keys to carry.

Cons:

Cable wouldn’t stop of a dedicated thief, but weaker length is the clamp, which is made of a thinner metal, which could be cut pretty fast with wire shears. This could have been made more difficult with a shorter clamp that was more covered by the locking mechanism. The lock is set on one combination for life, so don’t lose it!

All in all, a good laptop security solution from Griffin.

Techsafe Cable Locking System from Griffin Technology $24.54 on Amazon.

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I’ve been reading way too many articles about laptop thieves in airports and especially coffee shops. The first step, of course, is to get a secure password and a secure encryption system (we like Macs for that reason), but the second, is to lock your machine down if you spend a lot of time working away from home.

We tried out the Griffin Portable Security Techsafe locking system, which was invented I would guess because computers, at least our Macs, no longer come with a security latch built in to their cases. Griffin had to figure out another way.