Productivity Portfolio

The Freedom Keepsafe consists of two pieces, transmitter and receiver, each powered by a lithium battery. The larger piece, or security proximiter receiver, is considered the "Mother" device. As the picture below shows, the receiver is about 75% the size of a US business card. As for thickness, try about three US quarters.

The "Mother" device includes two simple switches. The first is the power switch. The second switch is for Hi and Low sensitivity. This switch determines the range of the signal and not the loudness of the audible alarm.

The "Son" or transmitter is much smaller and only includes the power switch. The idea is to place this unit on the item you wish to protect. The company includes one piece of double-sided adhesive tape.

The Freedom Keepsafe isn't limited to protecting electronic devices. Both the transmitter and receiver have a corner cutout for a lanyard. This lanyard might be handy if you wanted to give the transmitter to a child or attach it to a briefcase.

The first question we had about the device was whether it would protrude too much on PDAs or cell phones. We suggest people first test the placement using scotch tape before applying the adhesive backing. This will allow you to see if the device interferes with a case or cover. You can then reposition the transmitter if needed. In some situations, it may be better to apply the transmitter to a case.

The next question we had was the effectiveness of the device. Using the instructions, we easily paired the two devices. Each device blinked red to assure us they were operational. We then walked away from our notebook till we heard the alert. Depending on the activity in the room and objects, our "Mother" unit would provide an audible alert when we were between 8 and 12 feet away for the low setting. The alert would repeat until we moved closed to the transmitter. We also didn't experience any interference with other devices such as Wi-Fi or our cordless phone.

The audible alert is less conspicuous than one might think. We weren't sure if the alert would be loud and obnoxious like a car alarm. We were relieved to find only the "Mother" unit provides the audible alert. As for the sound, it's comparable to the chirp you hear on PDAs. A bystander would most likely figure the sound was an appointment alarm.

One drawback we see is the adhesive backing as it is semi-permanent. Ideally, we would like something akin to thin Velcro so we could easily move the "Son" to different devices. Or, maybe the company could sell multiple "Son" (transmitters) that could be paired with one "Mother".

Overall, we're pleased with the product and can see many uses. Although we wouldn't consider the Freedom Keepsafe as an anti-theft device such as a cable lock, it can prevent you from losing your valuables. And this device is a considerably more flexible than a cable lock.