Prey lets you easily keep track of your laptop, phone or tablet if it is stolen or missing. It’s lightweight, open source software that gives you full and remote control.
Prey is available for computers (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Ubuntu) and mobile devices (Android and iOS apps). The main features include:
- Lock Down – lock down the computer unless a specific password is entered
- Wipe Passwords – (optional) delete your stored passwords and hide your Outlook/Thunderbird data
- Geolocation Aware – uses device GPS or nearest WiFi hotspot to fix the location
- WiFi Autoconnect – (optional) if no internet connection is found Prey will connect to the nearest open hotspot
- Webcam capture – take a picture of the thief with your laptop webcam
- Screenshot – grab a screenshot of the active session
- Automatic updates – Prey can update itself to a new version automatically
- Free – add up to 3 devices for free, otherwise upgrade to a paid Pro account
Prey For Computers
Download the Prey client software from the project site here. Install and register a free account – required to access your Prey online Control Panel. This is used to monitor your devices – you can watch new reports arrive and manage specific settings.
The program waits for a remote signal to wake up and work – from either the internet (for computers/tablets) or from an activation SMS message (for phones) that you send to it. After marking your device as missing, Prey gathers the info that you requested (e.g. geolocation. IP address, webcam image, session activity) and sends it to your Control Panel account for you to act on.
Could A Thief Remove Prey?
The developers state that it can’t just be uninstalled unless the thief knows your Prey administrative password.
However, if the hard drive is formatted (wiped clean) then it’s gone for good – advanced users could set a BIOS password and disable booting from removable devices to try to force the thief to boot into Windows normally.
Prey For Android
Download from Google Play here – requires Android 1.6+
Prey For iOS
Download from iTunes Store here – requires iOS 4.0+