Catch a thief with this software

When Intel showcased notebooks powered by the then latest Ivy Bridge processors some time ago, one of the talking points among reviewers was the anti-theft feature. While we had been fortunate enough not to have to use this feature so far, we were intrigued when we heard ESET was offering anti-theft as part of its security solution.

The ESET Smart Security 6, which consists of anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, firewall, parental control, anti-phishing and a social-media scanner, also includes an anti-theft module. 

After installing the software, one is asked to set up the anti-theft console. One needs to set up a Phantom account, which periodically uploads screenshots and photos (if connected to a webcam) to the console when active. It also uses Wi-Fi to upload its location. Once one reports the computer to be stolen on the console, which can be accessed on the internet, ESET reboots the computer and hides all other accounts (and data) on the PC and boots into the Phantom account.

Based on the screenshots, if one is convinced that the computer is lost, not stolen, one can inform the person using the PC to return it to a particular address. Neat!

Of course, the security suite performs other common actions. Running it the first time, the suite figures out issues with the PC and will keep on reminding you to fix them till you listen to it. For example, it correctly detected that Windows 8 on my notebook hadn't been updated for 10 days and didn't let me rest till I updated it.

One thing we noticed while using this software was that the time taken to load the desktop had increased by a shade less than a minute, possibly because of certain scans ESET carries out. But the suite took up very less of processing power after we were on the desktop. In fact, we faced no issues gaming while the software, not a scan, was running.

The security suite lacks two functions available in many competitors - a PC tune-up utility and an online backup feature. Also, the parental controls only block websites (they're good enough to detect and block anonymous proxies as well), but that's about all it does.

The software otherwise does a good job of pretty much all that a software suite does, and is light. At Rs 999 for a single-user licence for one year, it's a good deal. But if one goes by price, the three-user licence for one year, at Rs 1,999/-, works out cheaper.

ESET Smart Security 6 is for those who want to add the anti-theft feature to their notebooks along with a decent security suite that is light on resources. Especially recommended for PCs older than two years.