Device Recovery
According to the FBI's National Crime Information Center, the number of reported laptop thefts increased almost 48% over the last two years, from 73,700 to almost 109,000. The number of reported phone robberies jumped 33% over the same period, from 60,100 to nearly 80,300. Mobile devices are increasingly popular and vital worldwide, and many people now relying heavily on a laptop or smartphone both at home and at work. With this popularity also comes the demand for higher security for such valuable items. Skyhook XPS can add tagging and tracking capabilities to any Wi-Fi-enabled device - whether small, low-powered devices such as tags or cards, or via easy to install or downloadable applications. Remotely identifying the location of these and other Wi-Fi devices enables real-time tracking, location-based audit trails, and even asset recovery in the case of loss or theft. Several anti-theft companies have turned to Skyhook to add the important element of location to their security applications.
With the addition of Skyhook's Wi-Fi positioning to mobile theft detection programs, theft victims can get a more accurate location of the thief, without any traditional hardware like GPS. Skyhook can also accurately pinpoint the location of thieves indoors or in urban environments, an impossibility with GPS. GadgetTrak chose to integrate Skyhook's technology into MacTrak, a Mac OS X application that enables users to identify the thief's exact location, and have pictures of him or her uploaded directly to Flickr. Awareness Technologies partnered with Skyhook on their Laptop Cop program to provide a thief's location to Windows users. Finally, CyberAngel deployed Skyhook on their Wi-Trac, which also notifies law enforcement officials of a theft once it receives notification from the application.