Lockster VS Locks? Yay!

When you are hoping to maximize your travel security, one of the most obvious places to start is with buying a lock. But how secure are luggage locks? The disturbing truth is that luggage locks are terribly insecure.

What does the insecurity of these locks mean for your luggage security? How does that affect the protection of your property? In order to investigate these issues, we will have to venture deep into the terrifying truth about luggage locks.

What security do TSA locks offer your luggage?
TSA locks are not secure. The shackles can be cut by most low-quality diagonal cutting pliers, the lock cylinders can be picked open with very little skill, and the schematics for the master keys have been revealed to the public. If you are using a TSA lock, you are getting the illusion of security.

The biggest benefit to using TSA locks is that the TSA can open your bag without having 24/7 house  lockout. This still might not keep your lock from being cut off, as many travelers report having TSA cut locks off regardless of having been TSA approved. But at least there is a chance that your insecure lock will not be broken open.

A TSA approved padlock is the next step up from a zip tie. It provides the same amount of initial security if you are worried about criminal tampering. However, a TSA lock can potentially be taken off and relocked on the bag, where a zip tie cannot be reattached once removed. With a TSA approved lock, after a lawful search, there is a chance that your luggage can maintain its same level of “security”.

1. The TSA Can Remove Any Luggage Lock Without Cause
If you are checking luggage, the TSA reserves the right to open your baggage by the means required to properly carry out the search. In case you have not received a “Notice Of Baggage Inspection” letter in your checked luggage, it reads as follows:

To Protect you and your fellow passengers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is required by law to inspect all checked baggage. As part of this process, some bags are opened and physically inspected. Your bag was among those selected for physical inspection.

During the inspection, your bag and its contents may have been searched for prohibited items. At the completion of the inspection, the contents were returned to your bag.

If the TSA security officer was unable to open our bag for inspection because it was locked, the officer may have been forced to break the locks on your bag. TSA sincerely regrets having to do this, however TSA is not liable for the damage to your locks resulting from this necessary security precaution.

The note goes on to suggest that the recipient of the inspection notice refer to www.tsa.gov to find “packing tips and suggestions on how to secure your baggage during your next trip…” Is it ironic for a note telling you what you just read to recommend that you use better security next time you fly? It may seem that way, but the spirit in which it is intended is that locks are not security, knowing what is going to get your bag flagged is the security you need for avoiding TSA attention.

2. Every Luggage Lock Can Be Opened
It is true that every lock can be picked, even locks that have not been picked yet can still be opened. Opening methods that travel security professionals use are almost always destructive. There is no lock that exists that can withstand every type destructive entry method given an unlimited amount of time with the lock.

Not even the best padlocks in existence can hold up to the highest level of pressure that can be applied to them. Do not expect that your security can keep out any law enforcement. Even though you may be hoping to avoid criminally minded baggage checkers, they are within their right to open your luggage at all costs.

Though there are documented cases where strong enough security has been enough to have TSA give up on trying to open it. I don’t fully understand the implications of security that has law enforcement give up, but I would not expect to be the exception to the rule that if the opening of your bag a legally sanctioned it will be carried out.

In terms of criminal threats without the full force of the law behind them, your locks can still be opened. However, when it comes to standard criminals you have to consider every aspect of luggage security and not just the security of your luggage locks.

3. No Luggage Lock Can Protect a Zipper
Any luggage lock that is placed to secure a zipper is completely useless. Anyone with a ballpoint pen can puncture the zipper track (aka teeth). This gives anyone access to the contents of your bag in seconds. Once a person has rooted around in your belongings, they can then move the zipper’s pull tab over the open teeth and reseal the bag without any sign of entry.

If you have an anti-puncture zipper, then your zipper is safe, but a lock can never protect the zipper. When you want a lock to matter at all, you have to use luggage that has hasps, not a zipper. Hasps are common on hard shell cases, which are intended to protect the contents of the luggage.

It is also unlikely that you will end up with a bag that has an anti-puncture zipper if you do not go out of your way to purchase one. This feature is not common, in spite of the fact that the method of entry is extremely popular for criminals all over the world.

4. Your Bag Undermines the Security of a Luggage Lock
Security is not the main concern for standard baggage manufactures. Unless the luggage has been designed with security in mind, the lock you place on it is not going to matter much at all. Besides zipper protection, you have to be concerned about more brash criminals that will not care about surreptitiously or even covertly open your bag.

A very common method of entry that criminals will use is to cut your bag. You made need something like a Pelican case. With a light slice from a sharp knife, a thief now has access to everything in your luggage. Unless your bag can resist cutting, having a lock on your bag is not going to truly protect the property inside.

Most likely your bag is always going to be easier to break than an incredibly strong lock. It does not make sense to have an extremely powerful lock if the case it is securing is itself insecure. Be aware of the level of protection provided by the bag before you make any investment in a lock.

5. Built-in Luggage Locks Are Not Secure
Built In Luggage Lock

This is a guiding principle more than a hard and fast rule, but it is important to think about the fact that almost any piece of luggage you buy is not going to have high-security locks. This might be something that the case claims, but you need to know better than to believe the advertising.

Even if the brand of security being used is not notorious for manufacturing subpar locks, it might still be something cheap and ineffective. A lot of times locks on cases and luggage will claim to be high-security, but they are just using a novel lock type. Such lock types that are used as built-in luggage locks include tubular locks, cruciform locks, and disk detainer locks.

If a lock is poorly made, it does not matter what kind of internal components it has. Poorly made locks are not secure. They break easier because of the lower quality metal, and that means they can be broken open easier. Mass production required to place them on luggage also 24/7 car door lock change very simple to the point where most of these locks can be opened with bypasses or improvised keys.

What is the best way to protect luggage?
As you may have learned from the article about protecting your beach bag, the best possible way to protect any luggage is to keep your eyes on it. This is not going to be possible at every point of your trip, especially if you have to check your bags. The important thing is to take advantage of the instances where you can watch over your property.

Your locks need to take as long to open without permission as the average time you will leave them unmonitored. As has already been established, flying in the United States will be the exception to this rule. Law enforcement will have too much time with your luggage, and they will have the authority to open the lock. But for deterring criminals, this type of security assessment is a must.

Final Thoughts
It doesn’t matter if you are in one of the most dangerous countries in the world, or you are sleeping over at a friends house in the next town over, when you have luggage, you will attract the attention of criminals. Luggage locks are not going to do much to protect your bag. You need to consider a lot more than just luggage locks.

Moultrie A-20 Mini Game Camera Review

Today we’re connected more than ever to an expanding network of technology and communication. Moultrie aims to take advantage of these changes to win our loyalty with the MOULTRIE A-20I MINI GAME CAMERA. This advanced modern trail camsports moderate features and advanced wireless capability.

We believe you may find the A-20 Game Camera to be most useful around the house for the backyard animal lover or as a starter game camera for serious hunters. Unfortunately, the features may not stand up to the most demanding sportsmen and outdoorsmen.

We’re going to take a look at the A-20 Game Camera by Moultrie and tell you what’s good and bad about this sleek piece of modern hunting tech.
Image

Moultrie equipped the A-20 with a 12MP front facing camera for high res photos of your game. Trigger speeds below one second from detection to capture ensure your photo is on time.

Images are offered in two settings, low (1500 x 1200 px) and high (4000 x 3000 px). This is great for controlling quality versus storage space when necessary.

Pictures can be set for shooting in single shot mode or burst mode to tailor your scouting exactly for your needs.


Note: Flash range is stated at up to 50ft but you may find the night range to be much lower. The camera is often criticized for very poor night photo quality.
Video

Capture video in 480p resolution (640 x 480) with a 4:3 aspect ratio (same as your standard TV or monitor). While the 480p resolution isn’t, by any means, cutting edge, it’s adequate and will save space on the SD card for longer storage.We worry that users may find the 480p resolution to be excessively grainy or blurry.

Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Solar Kit Review

I bought Goal Zero’s Guide 10 Plus Solar Kit because it seemed like the perfect solution for keeping my smaller gadgets charged while on the go, and for providing a backup charging solution at the homestead.

What sets this kit apart from other similar kits (e.g. the Voltaic Systems 7 watt kit) is that the charger uses rechargeable AA batteries, and can also charge AAA batteries with the included insert. This adds another dimension of flexibility to the charger, because you can not only charge smartphones and tablets but also your flashlights, portable radio, and more.

The kit consists of two separate products; the GOAL ZERO GUIDE 10 PLUS (comes with 4 AA NiMh batteries, 10Wh capacity) and the Nomad 7 Solar Panel, and while I’m testing them separately the overall score will be based on the two products being used as a unit.
Performance – 9

To find out how the Nomad 7 and Guide 10 Plus battery pack holds up to real use I put it through a couple of tests to charge various devices both straight from the solar panels and from the battery pack. Nothing scientific, just hands on real world use. The results are in:
Test #1: Charging Google Nexus 5 from battery pack

For this test I let my phone fully discharge to 0% and then plugged my micro USB cable into the battery pack and turned on the charging-mode. After 37 minutes I turned on the phone and the battery had been charged 12%. However this is where I ran into problems.

Charging with the phone turned off worked fine initially, but when I turned it on it only charged for a few seconds and then it stopped. I can turn off and turn back on the charging and then it shows the green light (indicating that it’s charging) but after a few seconds it turns to red (indicating that the battery is out of power, which it isn’t).

I tried charging a Samsung Galaxy S3 to confirm that there is indeed power in the battery pack and that phone charges without issues from the battery pack.

I also tried charging my Amazon Kindle Touch 3G and experienced the same problem as with the Google Nexus 5. No charge.

After troubleshooting this and digging around the internet I’ve found out that… Surprise!

Apparently I need one of Goal Zero’s USB Smart Adapters to be able to charge certain newer smartphones and tablets, because phones require anywhere from 0.5 Amps to 2 Amps for charging and out of the box the Guide 10 Plus does not seem to provide the correct Amps to be able to provide a charge to my Kindle or Nexus 5.

This makes me frustrated to say the least, because nowhere in their sales material or on their product pages do they mention anything about needing an adapter. Nowhere. Not even in one of those little disclaimers in fine print.

My thinking is that if you need this adapter to actually be able to use their products according to their claims then maybe they should include this relatively cheap USB Smart Adapter with their power packs to start with? That feels like a better option than letting customers find it out when they’re holding the products in their hands.

I can’t give this solar kit a good score performance-wise until I’ve tried the USB Smart Adapter. See my update below!

The good news for US residents is that the adapter will only set you back $4.79, so it’s not a big deal to add it to your order when you purchase the kit.

The bad news is that their cheapest shipping option to my little cabin in Sweden is $37.96, which is a joke. I’m sure it’s no different for other countries outside of North America.

A Mindset Tune-Up for a Profitable Exit Strategy

After pouring years of hard work to create and build a successful business, you earned the right to sell it so that you can move on to new pursuits. Maybe even a well-deserved retirement in Maui.

But selling a company is not the same as selling your products or services. Some of the lessons that you learned in business will serve you well, but you need to plan and make decisions based on a different perspective.

Planning a business sale does not require a full paradigm shift in the thinking that contributed to its past success. Until you hand the reins of your company over to a new owner, you have a responsibility to keep it in good shape. However, when you decide to sell, you need to tweak your thinking to ensure that you retain or add value to your business. It makes sense to start talks early with your accountant and trusted business finance professionals to strategize specifically about what you can do to help get maximum valuation for your company.
Here’s a four-point tune-up of your thinking that can help you attract buyers and move toward a profitable deal:

Ramping Up the Curb Appeal as You Plan to Sell Your Business

Anyone who has launched a successful business venture has probably likely spent countless tireless hours building it to what it is today. Through all of that work, though, have the owners given thought about what could be done to prepare to sell the business one day? Whether the plan is to sell it now or in the next five years, it takes time to prepare for the transition.

There are many moving parts to consider when planning a business transition. The owners must identify strategic buyers, understand the company's valuation and prepare the team. While it’s essential to manage all these moving parts, the owners must also consider the largest asset that doesn't appear on the balance sheet: the company's brand assets. This includes the brand's values, promise, personality, identity and reputation.

3 Reasons It May Be Time to Sell Your Business

The phone rings. It's Sergey from Google, Marissa from Yahoo or Tim from Apple saying, "I'd like to buy your business … is a zillion dollars enough?" And just like that: The decade of workaholism and takeout food has finally paid off.