Using prey to recover lost devices: a detailed guide

Your mobile or laptop was just stolen. That sucks, what if there was a way to recover it? With Prey installed you would be one step closer to getting your devices back thanks to its enhanced reports system.

There are multiple computer tracking softwares around, which use GPS technology and Wi-Fi networks to find out your device's location, but with Prey, as industry pioneers, we have developed a special software that will send you complete reports with your device's whereabouts, pictures, surrounding Wi-Fi networks and more. What's even better - this is often the crucial piece of evidence the police needs to recover your stolen devices.

Other services might allow you to know where your device is, but if you go to the police with only this information, it is a possibility that they will tell you they don’t have enough proof to deploy a squad to retrieve it, since the thief might have already moved your device from where it was or the info might be deemed untrustworthy.

Thanks to our reports, which are generated constantly, it is possible to gather more than just the location, but also information on who is handling the device at that exact moment. Thanks to our system, the app will take pictures using the front and back camera and screencaps of what is being displayed on the screen, giving you more proof to be able to recover your device.

With Prey you’ll be able to get:

       
• A photo of whoever is using the device
       
• Proof that the device has been in the same place for an extended period
       
• A screencap that proves that it is being used
       
• Chances of getting the name of the current holder.

Imagine the following scenario: A thief has your device. You know where it is but you need more data. You can get multiple photos but most of the time you’ll only see an arm, a shoulder or a wall, until, at last, you get a clear shot of the face.

Once you get that specific photo, you can save that to the report and keep looking for data. Let’s imagine somebody opened Facebook on your laptop. With that screencap we’ll be able to get their name and other personal information.

If, to all this, we add the location, we can build a detailed report of who has your computer, in a format that is useful for the police and and can help them finally recover it.

With these features, Prey is your best ally for recovering your devices and improving your mobile security. Don’t be satisfied with just knowing where your device is; make the most out of your tracking app and turn it into a recovery service. You can even get back your data, which we know in most cases is even more valuable than the actual device.