You might have come across a strange hole on your laptop, portable HDD, monitor, and other electronic items. The hole, known as Kensington Security Slot, is actually a patented anti-theft security system component marketed by Kensington Computer Products Group.
Kensington Security Slot or Kensington lock is present on various portable devices and it can be connected to an anchor in order to prevent the device from theft.
The original design patent was held by a bicycle lock maker brand Kryptonite in 1999.
The Kensington Slot consists of a metal hole on the device and a cylindrical anchor attached to a metal cable with rubber coating. The anchor is connected to the slot and locked using a key or number combination. The other end of the cable can be attached to any immovable object such as a table.
It can’t be regarded as a fool-proof solution as the cable can be cut using a wire cutter. Usually, the body of many portable devices is made of plastic or similar material. A person can wrench the Kensington lock off the device without causing much damage. But it does act as an extra layer of security to prevent a device from shoplifters in stores.
With time, at least in the case of laptops, Kensington lock has started appearing less due to their shrinking thickness. For example, the security feature is not available on any of the MacBook laptops. On the other hand, smartphones and tablets are already thin enough to not accommodate it. Hence, store owners other means to keep them safe from thieves.
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The post What Is This Weird Slot On Your Laptop? What Does It Do? appeared first on Fossbytes.
What Is This Weird Slot On Your Laptop? What Does It Do?
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