Rafe reviews the updated version 2 of Klomptek's Track and Protect, which he describes as the 'Rolls Royce' of remote security, allowing not only the traditional locking and wiping functions but also super-cool recovery actions like getting the phone to report its own whereabouts to you over the web (even if the finder/thief puts in a new SIM) and taking photos of anyone trying to 'break in'. Read the review for a full breakdown of Track and Protect's capabilities.
Read on in the full article.
This must be one of the most well thought-through pieces of software I've ever seen.
Especially when you consider the costs involved, I'm amazed. When you consider the monetary value of the hardware, plus the indirect value of the information stored on smartphones, I think it's a no-brainer to install it.
I've got an N86, and my wife has an X6. I think we'll both be installing this little piece of kit.
so actually you can wait to buy the credits untill you lose the phone.. just install the app and in case you need it, you can buy credits? (but it won't show the reward/return page)
I'm also an experienced user of Track and protect and i think having this on your phone is a must. My wife's phone was recently lost, and returned 3 days later because of Track and Protect. When she noticed she lost it we immediate locked it and activated some features via the web panel. At first we saw it moving through the city but soon after that it disappeared because of empty battery (Now she charges it more often 😉 After a few days we got called by someone that found it and switched it on. He noticed a reward displayed and our name and address. Everything else was disabled. All he needed to do was press "Call" and he saw 3 numbers to pick from: our home, my wife's office and me. He dialed our home and we picked the phone up in the same city we live in.
In theory you can wait with buying credits but thats definitely not recommended as many features are inactive if there is no credit balance. For example, in case stolen and the SIM is replaced, the phone does not send any info to the server. If someone tries to break the passcode, no auto front face picture is send to your personal web account etc.
I think Track and Protect should be seen as a insurance in hopes it's never needed. Although i have to admit that the remote camera and call back features are already used by me for fun reasons 😉
Like Rafe said: you don't really appreciate Track and Protect until the worst happens...
Nokia should send some serious head hunters after the guys who designed this (in particular what sounds to be a fantastic user experience)! Gods and goblins know they need such people!
this wont work if the phone is wiped, right?
Theoretically you don't need to buy credits... but as others have noted this does limit the functionality somewhat. And I don't think you really want to be messing about with credits etc. when things do go wrong. 5 Euro is a good insurance policy - though to be honest I'd consider going for one of the bigger bundles for value reasons. As i mentioned in the article you can transfer things to new SIMs / devices etc.
What happens if the account associated with the "alien" SIM card doesn't have any credit to send SMS messages? Or does the message go through some sort of reverse-charge number?
If there are no credits and a SIM is changed by a thief the server will not be reconfigured. All you get is the location of the place where the SIM was changed, but you can't control your phone via your web account. Just tested, i had the same question 😉 So there is definitely a need to have some credits on your balance to use ALL features. Anyway, just bought the largest bundle and it is 110% worth it. Really an excellent piece of work, i'm very impressed and if this "Klomptek company" read this, thanks! My advice to all readers: avoid calling yourself an idiot one day, make sure to get it.
If I interpret the FAQ correctly the basic features of the program are free but once you buy some credits there will also be a monthly fee of 2 credits even if you do not explicitly use any TnP services. Also, I will have to watch my data traffic for a while to determine whether TnP transmits the phone's position on a regular basis or only when polled through the web interface
Q: Why do I need to buy credits?
A: Credits are necessary for sending commands from your account to the phone. Each command is worth 1 credit. Track & Protect service also charges a monthly fee of 2 credits. When the balance reaches zero you will not be able to send commands to your phone and most of Track & Protect protective functions on the phone will be disabled.
I tried it and liked it, however Advanced Device Locks Pro + Easy Locator (both of Melon Mobile) are better options (IMO), also you can send commands by SMS so you don�t need a laptop, also the location is retrieved via a link (google maps) by SMS, again you don�t need a laptop, only a phone with browser. (no affiliated to Melon Mobile, by they have great products).
Both Advanced Device Locks Pro + Easy Locator would NOT have brought back the phones as in above practical examples ;(