Most of the tools we bring to your attention are just as useful to the home shop woodworker as to the professional. The one we’re talking about this week, the DeWalt MobileLock GPS Locator with Anti-Theft Alarm (DS500), is targeted more toward professional woodworkers and contractors – but it’s way cool. (Besides, home shop hobbyists might just want to keep track of those tools their neighbors “borrow”…)
The MobileLock is a device that attaches to a piece of equipment that you want to monitor: in other words, you don’t want it to run off “by itself.” Once you’ve done that, and called DeWalt to activate your service plan, the tool’s ready to keep its electronic sensor eyes out for you. If somebody tries to steal whatever it is you have the MobileLock attached to, it lets you know: the MobileLock can be programmed to send a cell phone call to up to three people with an alert. You can also set it up to sound an audible alarm when it’s messed with – or you can be sneaky with your pests and put the alarm on silent.
You’ll be able to find your equipment because the MobileLock has a GPS (Global Satellite Positioning) feature that lets you see where it is, whenever it is.
Other features of the MobileLock include door contact, vibration, tamper and temperature sensors. These features are where this product will shine in the home shop world. It is a means to monitor your shop when you are not in it. The temperature sensor could be a real benefit to folks who heat their shop in the winter and have plumbing – not to mention glue and finishes – that could freeze. It runs on a rechargeable internal battery.
The DS500 MobileLock unit sells for about $500, with a $20 a month service plan.
