EnigmaTAG Crimestoppers Property Protector Review
If you're looking for a way of keeping your gadgets and valuables protected, take a look at the EnigmaTAG Property Protector - a sophisticated asset tagging technology.
Here, we review the EnigmaTAG offering, which is also known as CrimeStoppers Property Protector.
What is EnigmaTAG?
A highly sophisticated tool to keep your gadgets, valuables and household good protected. Supplied in what looks like a nail varnish bottle, each dab of the fluid contains tiny microparticles that can't be seen by the human eye. The blobs left by this unique gel can, however, be detected by UV light, and can be read by the police.
The microparticles contain a unique ID number, to prove the item's owner, and get your lost or stolen items returned.
We discovered EnigmaTAG when we were at the Gadget Show Live 2010 in Birmingham, and believe that this is an excellent solution for keeping those precious gadgets protected.
On this page, we explain how EnigmaTAG property protector is used.
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Getting EnigmaTAG Crimestoppers Property Protector
EnigmaTAG is supplied in a plastic blister pack with bottle, instructions, UV torch and warning stickers:
The bottle contains 5 millilitres of a purple-ish liquid, in what looks like a small nail varnish bottle. This is enough for at least 120 'blobs' of the EnigmaTAG liquid.
Marking your property
This is straightforward. Shale the bottle well, then open the bottle and use the brush applicator to dab on a dot of the liquid. It's recommended that you apply two dabs per item, and matt surfaces tend to work better than a smooth surface. It makes around 30 minutes for each blob to dry.
Mark every item of value - TV set, laptop, smartphone, sat nav, camera, games console, mp3 player, radio, hi-fi, bike, luggage, jewellery, watch, etc.
Once dry, the blob is fairly hard to see without close inspection. It makes sense to position it underneath or on the back of an item, and as it's not completely invisible, somewhere where it won't affect operation of the device (touch screen, camera lens, etc). Inside a better compartment makes sense as a backup.
You can check whether an item is tagged using the supplied ultraviolet UV keyring torch
Here's an item (a Nokia mobile phone) with a blob. As you can hopefully see, under a UV light, it's clearly visible.
 EnigmaTAGged |
 EnigmaTAGged under UV torch |
Registering with EnigmaTAG
It's all very well having your items marked, but how are the recoverable? This is the clever bit. Each bottle comes with a unique number, coded to the particles in the fluid. You then register that code online. If a lost or stolen item of yours is recovered, the police can detect the presence of EnigmaTAG with a UV light, read off your unique number, and trace the owner through the database.
Rather than creating their own database, the makers of EnigmaTAG have been clever - they've partnered with IMMOBILISE, which is a UK national property protection service. Their service is already linked to the Police NMPR database and the likes of Transport For London Lost Property Office. Immobilise has been endorsed by all UK police forces, TFL and the mobile phone industry.
Registration is straightforward. A link on the EnigmaTAG takes you through to Immobilise, where you register a username and password, plus your contact details. It wasn't immediately obvious what to do next - you need to add your first item to their database, and select 'type' as EnigmaTAG from the options displayed. Then enter the unique reference number from the side of the bottle. You can also manually add serial numbers of your products, should you wish.
And that's pretty much it. The kit comes with two window stickers and a page of device stickers, which can act as a deterrent to thieves.
Summary
An innovative and impressive solution - so much better than the old postcode-with-a-marker solution.
The EnigmaTAG liquid is almost impossible to remove, sticks well to your devices, and is recommended by the police. It's been used to successfully convict thieves, and to return property, and it's reasonable priced. Linking to the Immobilise database is a masterstroke - no subscriptions, and it's a database that the police and other authorities already use.
This gets our top recommendation for keeping your tech safe.
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More on EnigmaTAG
We interviewed the team behind EnigmaTAG in our April 2010 podcast when we met them at Gadget Show Live. Take a listen or read a transcript: EnigmaTAG Interview
Listen to our FrequencyCast Special from Gadget Show Live 2010 Our interview with Clive Smith from EnigmaTAG starts 21 minutes into the show |
Related Links:
- Brasso Gadget Care- Another way to care for your gadgets!
- Gadget Insurance - another way to protect your tech
- Cyber Clean - A glowing yellow gel that keeps your keyboard clean and fresh
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