Does Anti-Theft Lock Require A Live Connection

Hi Community,

Thanks in advance for you help.

My question is "does the anti-theft lock command require that the stolen computer be connected live over the internet to take affect, or will it send a signal when it comes online"? My laptop was stolen and I need to try and find a way to catch who stole it.

I've tried searching for the answer, but can't seem to find one. Also, I'm a bit chickened out to test it on one of my other devices considering some people on the forums are saying that they can't disable the lock after trying it out. Inside the Bitdefender Central, I can't seem to find any notification on the device that the lock option has been enabled.

Also, a side question is "will Bitdefender log the location of the device when the lock has been activated, or do I need to wait till it updates itself"?

Thank you for your help with this as I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what other steps I need to take to try and recover this laptop or at least catch the perpetrator.

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NerdyDavros

Hello Community, still wanting to know the answer to this question and would love for a response.

columbo

Hello,

Since I don't have Total Security which has that feature, and have been away from the forum for 2-3 years I'm just going by past memory. That laptop will have to be online for you to be able to see it and enable the Anti-Theft feature against it. See if this helps: https://www.bitdefender.com/support/how-do-i-use-bitdefender-anti-theft-1096.html

NerdyDavros

27 minutes ago, columbo said:

Hello,

Since I don't have Total Security which has that feature, and have been away from the forum for 2-3 years I'm just going by past memory. That laptop will have to be online for you to be able to see it and enable the Anti-Theft feature against it. See if this helps: https://www.bitdefender.com/support/how-do-i-use-bitdefender-anti-theft-1096.html

Thank you so much columbo.

I've been sitting here waiting for a "device locked" notification from Bitdefender, but it looks like I must take more of an active roll in constantly checking to see if it's come online.

Sergiu C.

Hi,

The laptop needs to be online only for the command to be received, not for it to be sent.

Of course, it is possible to format a laptop without ever connecting it to the internet, at which point the command would no longer be able to be received at all.

NerdyDavros

9 hours ago, Sergiu C. said:

The laptop needs to be online only for the command to be received, not for it to be sent.

Of course, it is possible to format a laptop without ever connecting it to the internet, at which point the command would no longer be able to be received at all.

Thank you for the information, it's very helpful.

I had a feeling that this might be the case, so I've pretty much given up hope on that computer. I'll still check in on it from time to time. Unless automatic connection checking gets added to the PC, I don't think this feature is going to be as handy. It's great for smart phones though that have constant connection to the internet.

columbo

16 hours ago, Sergiu C. said:

Hi,

The laptop needs to be online only for the command to be received, not for it to be sent.

Of course, it is possible to format a laptop without ever connecting it to the internet, at which point the command would no longer be able to be received at all.

Thank you for following up with that helpful info. Sergiu, as I wasn't sure if the send command could be given, then when the laptop went online, would receive that command.

It's been 2-3 years since I've been here, or used BD, so at times I feel like I'm giving bread crumb help and suggestions. I know it's not your fault, as you are an employee, but management really needs to consider someone to be on the forum at least once a day fielding questions, which would go a long way in not only helping, but in BD's reputation for not only being one of the best security solutions, but also in forum support.

You have a good spirit Sergiu, so again, it's nothing against you