How to secure mouse and keyboard

[ecuatorial]

In one of our IT rooms we keep having keyboards and mice unplugged, sometimes left loose or plugged into other machines. The room is long and narrow with beams so students are often messing around with the PCs in there without teachers noticing.

 

Any ideas on how to help prevent this? I have considered 20mm padlocks attached to back of PC (small enough not to allow USB end to be pulled through) but can't find any that are well made for a decent price.

[Jawloms]

Saw a school using screw down cables clips once. Has pros and cons.

[hardtailstar]

Cable ties is our deterrent and teachers have to do checks at the end of lessons.

 

This has reduced the keyboards/mice going missing and the teacher checks reduce the amount of damage mostly

[DrCheese]

Cable ties. Lots and lots of cable ties.

 

Makes changing a keyboard a faf, but that's kinda the point.

[3s-gtech]

I bought shares in the National Cable Tie Company. I think we keep the shareholder dividend sweet.

[jthompson]

Yep, cables ties. There's a bit of a dark art to judging just how much reach to allow on keyboard and mouse cables. Enough to avoid children feeling as though they have to pull on them at all, but not so much that they can be placed in front of neighbouring machines or hang off the front of the desk too much. Err on the side of longer, and remember to allow for left and right-handed use.

 

We usually use one small cable tie each for the mouse an keyboard to bundle the excess, and then a beefier cable tie fed through those loops to secure them to the power lead and/or base. If it's an AIO, allow enough slack on the plug end to accomodate the full range of any height and angle adjustments.

 

As ever with cable ties, take pains to not leave any lying around for children to do silly things with. Because they will.

[Boredguy]

We have keyed alike 25mm padlocks that we put into the catch on the back of our PC cases, and put the Keyboard, Mouse and Monitor cable through to reduce the number that go walk abouts.

 

Doesn't stop the damage they do, but at least if they want to nick the mouse they either have to cut the cable and make it useless, or try taking the whole PC which a teacher might notice.

[GizmoIT]

Cable ties, cut at a suitably sharp angle to deter interference..

[6Foot2]

Cable ties. Lots and lots of cable ties.

 

Makes changing a keyboard a faf, but that's kinda the point.

 

With lots of cable ties deployed, perhaps the price of a cable tie opener isn't quite so prohibitive?

 

Reuse cable ties:

 

Link: CABLE TIE OPENER | Only 1 Second To Unlock Cable Tie | Let's Reuse Cable Tie | Pocket-sized | Stainless Steel : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

 

https://youtu.be/LbJVGTZEE7g