How to Protect Your New Christmas Tech

Here we are again in the lead up to the great gift exchange season and many of us will be putting the finishing touches to our Christmas wish lists. For lots of people these lists will, without a doubt, include a significant amount of tech. If that applies to you, and you are already looking forward to all the new gadgets you’ll be opening come Christmas Day, read on. Because more tech means more risk, and there are steps you need to be taking to protect your valuable new acquisitions.

Whether it’s a fitness tracking watch; the latest smartphone, tablet or ultra-thin laptop; a reality headset or pair of ear-pods; a wide angle smartphone lens; a smart sound bar, video doorbell or a voice assistant, whatever you’re giving or receiving this year needs taking proper care of. That goes for tech you’ve wrapped and stashed ready to give to your favourite people, and anything you’ve been lucky enough to receive. Read on for tips on how to keep all your valuable gadgetry safe and secure.

Secure it

Safes: every home should have one, especially these days. If you have one, be sure to use it. And make sure it’s fixed in place because believe it or not, a very large quantity of safes are stolen from properties by thieves buying themselves time later on to crack them.

Get into a habit of putting anything and everything valuable into your safe before you retire to bed and, if you’re not taking your tech out with you, before you leave the house.

If you don’t have one, seriously consider investing. Laptop safes are designed to accommodate various sizes of portable computers and many will also take your tablets, watches and anything else you wish to safeguard. Our safe buyer’s guide provides useful insight into the different types of safe available and the quality standards you need to look for.

If you are heading out with your tech, think about investing in a specially designed case or bag. There are plenty available in a range of sizes and styles that come fitted with key or combination locks. Some of the higher end bags have separate lockable laptop and tablet sections together with card holders that offer RFID blocking to prevent contactless card fraud. If you’re out in all weathers, opt for something that will protect your tech from the elements.

Protect it

Always password protect ALL your gadgets. Never leave default passwords as they are: be sure to change them to something unique and secure.

For things like tablets, phones and laptops, password protection will ensure that if they are stolen, it will be way more difficult for the thief to gain access to what’s stored on them. For gadgets like voice assistants and smart doorbells, password protection is even more important as it will prevent them being hacked, or at least make it much harder.

It’s also highly advisable to switch on geo-tracking and remote wiping for portable tech so that if your gadget is stolen, you’ll be able to track it and wipe its contents remotely.

Mark it

Forensic marking systems such as SmartWater can be applied to anything, including tech. The unique forensic code of your marking liquid is registered to your address, allowing the police to trace any recovered property back to you.

Marked property is far less attractive to thieves. Advertising the fact that your valuables are security marked will make it much less likely that they will be taken. This is one of the best deterrents you can invest in. There’s lots more about this in our recent property marking and recording post.

Keep it out of view

We will never stop stressing the importance of keeping your valuables out of sight of prying eyes. It really is crucial to think about what is on show through your windows and to take action to prevent inquisitive thieves spotting something desirable as they wander past on the lookout for opportunities.

Of course, some tech does not lend itself to being stashed away in a safe. Either it’s too big, or it’s designed to be on hand to use on demand round the clock, like a sound bar or a voice assistant. Items like this may not be stash-away-able, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be kept out of view of prying, opportunistic eyes.

So, keep those curtains or blinds closed and be mindful of where you locate your equipment. Do your best to place things out of view of the street. If you’re really tech-minded, you’ll know how to control your window dressings from your smartphone so you can close them remotely as darkness falls, keeping everything nicely hidden.

Tailored advice on protecting your tech from Barry Bros Security

If you are concerned about the safety and security of your soon-to-be acquired new tech, why not talk to Barry Bros Security? Our London security showroom is stocked with hundreds of items designed to safeguard everything you value, and our friendly experts are on hand to give you the tailored advice you are looking for. You can also call us on 020 7262 9009 or contact us here.