New electronics are hot items for students gearing up for the school year. But are your new gadgets safe from being stolen at school? 7's Kim Khazei has more on how you can keep your stuff from getting swiped in 'Back to the Books.'
From mp3 players to laptops, students nowadays have high tech school supplies.
Justin Goodstein-Aue, student
"You need your ipod...Your laptop."
Valerie Gumpertz, student
"I have my mp3 player...My CD player.."
Chelsea Stone, student
"I've had to buy 300 to 400 electronics just for classes."
But school rooms and dorms can be one of the most dangerous places to keep expensive electronics. So students need to take steps to protect their new gear during the school year.
Jeff Peden, Newbury Networks
"One way to aid in the recovery of a lost or stolen laptop is to install a piece of software on the laptop."
Theft recovery software will let police know your computers location if it's stolen.
Jeff Peden, Newbury Networks
"Down to a town or sometimes street level."
It's also important to write down your laptop's 12 digit address...Your school can use it to see where it's being used on your campus network.
Jeff Peden, Newbury Networks
"So they can go in and say I know it's in this room, it's on, and it's currently here."
And experts say a cable lock is a must, it connects into the side of your laptop or your ipod and wraps around your desk. So if someone tries to walk off with your stuff they wont get far!
And whether its your mp3 player or your digital camera...Another easy way to protect your electronics is to register on juststolen.net. A Brookline police officer designed the site to help officers return your stolen property if it's recovered.
Tom Shea, founder of juststolen.net
"If it's registered with us and it turns up, police officers and sheriffs in the US and Canada can access our database and get in touch with you."
So when it's time to hit the books. You won't be without your high tech tools.
Another high tech tip...Remember to install anti-virus software and put a firewall up before you connect to your campus network...That way your laptop won't be at risk of being invaded by a hacker once you connect.
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