Last week I decided to try a new app from Foozoo Design called Lockdown. Lockdown is security software app that locks your mac, allowing no-one but you to use it. Once enabled Lockdown’s motion-sensors, keyboard-sensors, external device sensors and MagSafe sensors prevent all co-workers, thief’s and family members from using your mac. When your mac detects a unauthorized user, the computer sounds an alarm, preventing the system from being muted or put to sleep. The software will even take a snap shot of the user with your iSight and email directly to your account.
Sounds cool huh? I thought so too, until Lockdown locked me out of my own computer. Yes, things were looking good for Friday afternoon. I was going to relax, watch some movies, but silly Ben…I decided to try out the new Lockdown.
All went well with the installation of Lockdown and I was ready to test it out. I pressed the enable button and waited to be identified as a ‘unauthorized user’. As a hit the keyboard, the alarm went off; frightening everyone in the house. Make it stop, make it stop! Shaking doesn’t work, pressing the keyboarded doesn’t work, nothing works! Unless of course you have an Apple remote. Something I didn’t have with me at that time (being away from home). The only option was to manually force my mac to shut-down, hoping that it would turn on again normally when I got home.
It didn’t…..
I couldn’t start the computer in safe mode, i couldn’t start the computer in normal mode. What a headache it had turned out to be. After checking the website (on a PC) I realised there was no user feedback or instruction manual. No fix for my problem anywhere. Only a few people reporting the same issue on Mac forums.
So, I guess your wondering if I got my mac working again. Yes, I did. Thanks to the staff at my local Mac shop I was advised do an OS reinstall. Fortunately I kept all my data and the whole experience merely cost only a few troublesome hours. No thanks however, to the Lockdown team. I’m still waiting on a return email regarding a fix to my problem.
Lockdown is unnecessary software. Any security program that doesn’t have an easy to use disable method isn’t worth using. There are plenty of other software alternatives out there, similar to Lockdown, yet better.
WARNING: Avoid Lockdown.
You wrote “Any security program that doesn’t have an easy to use disable method isn’t worth using. ” What is the point of a security program if it can easily be disabled. I will give you credit though that the software does not seem to work as suggested. I security program should not squeal at you for each an every entry attempt and then lock you out.
a security program should be easy to disable for the owner. that’s the basis of the point.
Hi Ben! I’m sorry about your lockdown experience though don’t lose all your hope for the application just yet. I found Lockdown to be really a necessity as my college and the coffee shops surrounding it’s vicinity has been the target of many recent laptop thefts. I didn’t have an apple remote when I first installed lockdown but I think your problem comes from something you overlooked that I did well to do my research first to know.
Even without the apple remote you can activate and de-activate lockdown on your mac by typing the password (when it is activated just type the password as is, you don’t even have to click enter). For this feature to work you have to make sure that you specified your password first (which lockdown does at the first install).
Though you’re right, foozoo should have had some kind of documentation about this, I had to search youtube for an answer to “deactivating lockdown/ialertu without an apple remote”
though still lockdown is a pretty handy app
good find MK!!!
Thanks for the heads up.
..I thought their must of been another way of deactivating it.
I guess foozoo should look at releasing documentation with the next release.
I found that post hysterically funny. If you didn’t have the remote in your hand why turn the software on. Sounds just like me when I locked the car with the keys inside – nothing to be done but break in!
Haven’t tried this one, but I do have iAlertU on my MBP. IT worked fine for me.
HAHA! I hate that feeling.
The problem with Lockdown is, it doesn’t warn you that you need a remote to deactivate it before you activate it. Once activated its too late.
Im glad you were amused by my “Mr Bean” style charade though. lol.
Yes, the world (and Lockdown) mocks me.
I can agree that just typing the password, that you would have to input to lock also unlocks. Easy as that, abc…. and chirp chirp… no OS reinstall… lol… SAYS SO IN THE HELP MENU OF THE PREFERENCES IN THE SOFTWARE,,,
Yeah, the best type of security software would be one that doesn’t require any password.
I’m also having bad experiences with Lockdown.
It seems that once the alarm is activated, it is impossible to turn it off.
I tried typing in the password over and over, but nothing stopped it.
However, if I lock the computer and then immediately type the password, it works fine.
[QUOTE] There are plenty of other software alternatives out there, similar to Lockdown, yet better.[/QUOTE]
Like what?
Really good explanation ! Very very useful ! i wass about to try this crap ! but HEY WHEN UR TRYIN A SOFTWARE FOR FREE < U WOULD NOT WANT IT TO BE A PAIN IN UR A$$ !!! SO FOR PEOPLE WHO SAY NO PAIN NO GAIN …KEEP IT TO URSELVES ! THERE CAN BE GAIN WITHOUT PAIN ! ANYONE WHO CAN FIND A SIMILAR SOFTWARE , PLEASE DO MESSAGE ! SHARING IS CARING !
ANYWAY NICE ONE BEN ! REALLY GOOD !