Keyboard and Mouse theft and vandalism

[RJohnson91]

Hi all,

 

We currently have a big problem with keyboards and mice going missing and also being moved.

 

Kids find it funny to plug 3 mice into their friends computer and have a great time pretending to have 'powers' of the PC... hilarious.

 

 

For us it's a pain in the butt.

 

 

So my question to you guys is, what do you use (methods and products) to eliminate / stop theft and vandalism of keyboards and mice?

 

I have been looking for a solution that clamps over the USB ports on the back to stop them removing the cables, but have found no such device, I know cable ties could help solve the problem.

 

Ryan

[abillybob]

I use cable ties and if you use some sort of cable management to keep things neat and tidy you'll find that it will make the job of plugging another mouse into a keyboard much more difficult and the students won't bother!!

[RichCowell]

I realise I'm probably in the minority with the area I'm in & type of kids we have here - we get little damage and vandalism, but have had a lot of issues with mice & keyboards being unplugged / moved, but as you mentioned - we just use cable ties to tie the mouse & keyboard cables to the others... a couple per machine - it stopped them removing them overnight... (not that they used to do it overnight of course!)

 

The recent PCs we've got have been Dells on stands with enclosures to fix to the back of the PC and lock in place - that's helped loads too, and it looks far tidier - but obviously not just a consideration when replacing them, rather than a quick fix...

[Norphy]

I use cable ties and if you use some sort of cable management to keep things neat and tidy you'll find that it will make the job of plugging another mouse into a keyboard much more difficult and the students won't bother!!

 

I did that in a school that I used to work in. It worked at first but eventually all that happened is that the little darlings started snapping the cables of the mice instead. It's just a game of escalation when it comes to students, the only way you'll 'solve' this problem is to get the teachers looking after the rooms to take responsibility for them.

 

You could always tell a computer room that was looked after by a teacher who could control a class from one which was either an unassigned room or one owned by a weaker teacher.

[gtg93]

I'm facing the exact same issue - the only problem is staff seem to be happy for the kids to "fix" there own issues when it comes to keyboard and mice problems caused by other kids, so this just escalates he problem. Somehow, the kids also keep stealing the keyboards - I'd love to know why...

 

Our desks have lockable cabinets for the towers, so I've ordered a bunch of USB extension leads so they can still use memory sticks and the cabinets are getting locked. PCs turn themselves on and off with a script so shouldn't be an issue.

 

From past experience, tie wraps work a treat unless they happen to find a pair of scissors.

Edited June 18, 2014 by gtg93

[FN-GM]

We do nothing. We hardly ever get any issues like that. Its a matter for the teachers regarding behaviour management. Its not a technical issue.

[DrPerceptron]

Ours have a side bit that pops off to get at all the USB ports etc... which is Kensington locked... but they just break the whole thing off (even the newer ones we have, you just lift the side up with a bit of effort and it comes off - even several staff have broke them to plug in their laptops)

 

Since then, we check the room and vilify the teachers who are allowing the damage and refuse to let students be in a room unsupervised. They really don't like it, but to be honest, I don't care if "it impacts on their learning" - so does having a room of broken PCs.

[JRowley]

We do nothing. We hardly ever get any issues like that. Its a matter for the teachers regarding behaviour management. Its not a technical issue.

 

I have to agree that it is not a technical issue, unfortunately sometimes its just inevitable with particularly bad groups despite a teacher's best efforts.

[FN-GM]

I have to agree that it is not a technical issue, unfortunately sometimes its just inevitable with particularly bad groups despite a teacher's best efforts.

 

Surely that is upto the SLT to sort out? Here if we get damage the teacher taking the lesson has some accountability.

[JRowley]

Surely that is upto the SLT to sort out? Here if we get damage the teacher taking the lesson has some accountability.

 

Sure, but that doesn't stop it out right, if a particularly bad child is having a particularly bad day and decides to take it out on a mouse, I doubt very much that any number of staff (SLT or otherwise) would be capable of preventing it unless they were to go hands on, something which is unlikely to happen given the cost of a new mouse.

[RichCowell]

Im currently working (battling) through this !

 

 

Ammunition required

 

Cable ties : Cable tie anything and everything to secure it.

Emails : Fire off emails to anyone and everyone who will listen.

Helpdesk : Generous amounts of information when closing a call regaring lack of supervision, inspections, checks and rampant vancdalism that should be picked up as part of teaching and learning !!!

 

If you're doing a lot - I HIGHLY recommend one a cable tie gun - they're awesome!!

 

Cable Tie Gun | eBay

 

Some of them look a bit cheap and nasty, but that's the same one I've got and it's great lol...

[timbo343]

We had this but since got another problem. We cable tied the keyboard/mouse/network leads together. At our place they seem to think its acceptable to put up on the mouse buttons which results in them been snapped. Trouble is, its not always the last person to use the mouse and teachers don't pay attention to the minor vandalism in the rooms as they don't "own" the room so to speak.

[Grey-gear]

We use these

 

http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/accessories/s2/

 

Keeps the wires neat and secured the to computers but needs a pad lock. Stop the student moving the mice and keyboards around, still get the odd bit of vandalism but nothing like before.

[synaesthesia]

Cable ties and CCTV cameras. Word gets around when someone is no longer able to use computers thanks to a ban and exclusion.