Hardware GPS tracking solution for Macbooks?

[Keystone Nyan Cat]

Hey everyone! I need a way to track my MacBook if it gets stolen- and while I have decided to move forward with the inbuilt 'Find My Mac' since it works on a higher level to other solutions like Prey and Lojack that don't have BIOS-level access, I was hoping to compliment it with some hardware solutions as well. I've narrowed it down to something like Tile or maybe try out a GPS tracking tool for kids like Snowfox, but was looking for something less conspicuous and came across something called the Matrix Blackbox which works of the internal power to a USB port and is completely hidden away. That said, I don't think it will work for the new Type-C MacBooks, and it is too expensive. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with any alternative GPS-based internal hardware tools for Macbooks that can be used to track them.

[SansVarnic]

Lojack is an option. There are other options, I dont personally use thee services so I dont have much to offer.

https://www.absolutelojack.com/

[I-r0k]

Honestly you can just get a tile and slap it on. It does cost like $20 USD so...

 

https://www.thetileapp.com/en-us/

[AshleyAshes]

52 minutes ago, I-r0k said:

Honestly you can just get a tile and slap it on. It does cost like $20 USD so...

 

https://www.thetileapp.com/en-us/

This wouldn't really be effective.  While the Tile will communicate with ANY device running the app, if it ever goes out of range of an app it is lost.  And you never know where the TILE is, you know where the DEVICE the Tile was last seen.

 

This would be a pretty ineffective way to recover a laptop that has been stolen.

 

I imagine it could work to a degree within closed housing, like if you were in dorms and a someone else in the dorm building took it?  But if someone just took your MacBook and bolted with it, it's probably gone.

[LogicalDrm]

The Matrix Blackbox is refined version of what I have suggested in past for anyone looking for DIY or cheap GPS tracking solution. I haven't looked into these in detail, but seems like Lojack uses wifi to connect into servers (correct me if I'm wrong, but there wasn't any mention of gprs connection or using 4g). These services have drawback as if thieve doesn't use wifi or anything to connect to net, service only gets last online location.

 

Blackbox has own SIM and gprs connection to cell towers. If phone works there, so does it. DIY stuff would be same. Not as refined obviously, but main idea would be same. GPS tracker with gprs connection to send data to server you have setup.