Adding apps to "Location" service on MBP.

[cheddar-caveman]

I have Prey location installed on my MBP and iPhone but for some reason it can't "find" my computer. My phone appears on its location map all the time but not the MBP.
Going into "settings" on the MBP, Prey is not in the "Enable Location Services" window. How can one add devices please? I can't find any way to add Prey to the service.



many thanks.

 

[IWT]

Hi cheddar-caveman. Good to see you back again.

I may be mistaken in all of this, but I've researched the Prey site and it looks to me that once Prey is installed on your Mac, you have to log in to your account online to "see" it and probably your other Devices as well. There is no mention of activating "location services" on the Mac.

In other words, my reading of the situation - possibly incorrectly - is that the situation with a Mac is different from installing Prey on an iOS Device.

And if I'm right (big if), this would make sense in that if one or more devices were stolen, you could access any computer anywhere, log in to your account and see where your stolen devices were.

I'll do a bit more research around the location issue and come back if I find a better answer.

Ian

 

[IWT]

Does this help - especially the "existing user" point?

https://help.preyproject.com/articl...n-my-device-why-isnt-it-showing-on-my-account

Ian

 

[cheddar-caveman]

Thanks for that but I have done it already and it just comes up with "command not found".
Prey is installed OK but for some reason it doesn't seem to be attached to the "location" on the MBP. On my iPhone it works just fine.
I think that somehow I need to add Prey to that window on the right of the "Privacy & Security" page in the settings but I can't find out how to do that, hence my post!

 

[cheddar-caveman]

Hi cheddar-caveman. Good to see you back again.

I may be mistaken in all of this, but I've researched the Prey site and it looks to me that once Prey is installed on your Mac, you have to log in to your account online to "see" it and probably your other Devices as well. There is no mention of activating "location services" on the Mac.

In other words, my reading of the situation - possibly incorrectly - is that the situation with a Mac is different from installing Prey on an iOS Device.

And if I'm right (big if), this would make sense in that if one or more devices were stolen, you could access any computer anywhere, log in to your account and see where your stolen devices were.

I'll do a bit more research around the location issue and come back if I find a better answer.

Ian

Yes, thanks Ian. I've also contacted Prey but haven't had a reply yet. My iPhone is sat right next th=o the MBP so identical WiFi etc. I did drop my iPhone the other day and Prey located it very quickly. Can't work out if I need to do anything in the MBP, maybe uninstall and re install? We'll see.

 

[pm-r]

Yes, thanks Ian. I've also contacted Prey but haven't had a reply yet.

It barely get some rather questionable user reviews here FWIW:
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/33763/prey




- Patrick
======

 

[ferrarr]

I just installed it on my Mac mini, and nothing appeared in my Location Services. It showed up on the Prey website, when I first installed it, and I will re-check it in the morning.

I think you should re download and re install Prey.

 

[cheddar-caveman]

Yes I was getting towards that idea ferrarr. Kind of hoping that Prey would come back to me but not so far

 

[cheddar-caveman]

The actual Prey programme doesn't appear in the "Applications" folder so don't know where it's hidden. Any way, reinstalled it and it has "found" the MBP and got an email from Prey Systems advising that my MBP had "come back to life" after an eight month absence!!
And no, it still doesn't appear in the "Location" tab either.

 

[chscag]

Check your System Preferences "Other Apps". Should be the bottom row if it's there. Otherwise, open Applications, Utilities, and check to see if it's there.

 

[cheddar-caveman]

Um, can't find any "Other Apps" Tab in the System Preferences and no, nothing in the "Utilities".

 

[ferrarr]

Prey is designed to not be seen at all. You will only find plist files or other files/remnants of it being installed. You install it, and go on the web to find your device when it’s lost or stolen.

 

[IWT]

Which, Bob, was my understanding as well after researching the app - post number 2.

Ian

 

[cheddar-caveman]

There must have been some problem with my old installation as I have re installed Prey and it's working just fine.
I dropped my phone while out walking the other day and it pinpointed it that evening and I went and picked it up! Clever stuff, but this is what prompted this post when it wouldn't locate my MBP sat next to the iPhone!
Now it does!

 

[IWT]

Good for you. Well done.

Ian

 

[Rod]

What are the advantages of using Prey over the native Find My iPhone/iPad/Laptop? Using the native Find My Device app would work even if you lost all of your devices by logging into iCloud on another computer. Not to mention the remote alarm, lock and erase functions.
Sorry but I can't see how a third party app could be any better than the native app, especially if you have to pay for it.

 

[chscag]

I was just on their web site (Prey) reading their ads and explanation of what the app does. I have to admit that I agree with Rod in that I really do not see where they provide anything that Apple doesn't already do with their "Find your iPhone, iPad, Mac". According to the Prey website they supposedly use many various methods of tracking your device if it's stolen. Again, I don't see any advantage to using it.

 

[cheddar-caveman]

Firstly gentlemen, I must correct your post in that the basic Prey, covering up to three devices, is FREE for which you get a full service.

You get:-
1: sounding an alarm on the missing device. This repeats so that you can "hear" it when you get close.
2: send a message to it.
3: lock it.
4: wipe all data from it.
5: access and retrieve files from it.
6: it sends you an accurate map reference as per the attached picture -

This was when I tripped when out walking and unknown to me my phone fell out of my pocket. A couple of hours later, when I got home, I activated the "device lost" function on my MBP and there it was!

Also, as soon as the device comes within a WiFi signal range it will turn on the internal camera allowing you to actually see who has it.

I have no idea what the "built in, find my "i" device" does as I can't find it on my MBP, no idea where it resides. I have found it on my iPhone but again no idea how it works, how one can access its functions and "find" a missing device. I suspect one has to have access to iCloud or some other Apple function whereas Prey is stand alone.

 

[IWT]

Each to their own

Ian

 

[chscag]

Find your iPhone will also locate your other devices. And what you mention above about what Prey does, Apple's service "Find my iPhone" does likewise. You can read up on how Find my iPhone works and also how to use it. And it applies to all your devices not just three. I have four devices protected: Both our iPhones, an iPad Pro, and an iMac.

Keep in mind that nowadays thieves are smart enough not to turn on a stolen phone or Mac until they completely disable it. The best protection for a portable Mac is to use FileVault and set a Firmware Password.