If you consider how many Empeg/Riocars were ever made, I'm troubled to see so many get stolen or otherwise end up in the wrong hands, so here's an idea.

There's a good chance the new user (carefully avoiding the word owner) will at some point connect the unit to a LAN with access to the outside world. What if, every time the Empeg connects, it sends out a small email (or tries to) to the rightful owner so it can be traced through IP address?

This assumes that the LAN connected to has a gateway directly to the internet. There are free POP3 email providers that use an SMTP server that can be accessed from anywhere (myrealbox.com, for instance; can be accessed as webmail too) so should be easy to set up.

I know this suggestion wouldn't do if only used with USB or if LAN uses a proxy server, but even if 30% can be traced this way without the offender realising it, got to be a good result.

The disadvantage is that your Empeg keeps sending you mail whenever it connects anywhere, but I suppose that can be easily filtered by an email program to send to a separate folder so you don't need to look at it unless there really is a problem!

Note that in my fantasies I'm not hindered by any knowledge whatsoever... Comments?

Cas.

the idea sounds cool and all, but It seems like your assuming that the person stealing it knows how to use it. I mean I often have trouble getting my ethernet to work, let alone someone who steals it. From the stories that people have it seems that the people stealing it dont know what the hell an empeg is or how to use it. This idea would only work with someone who knows how to use it, and in that case they likely troll this bbs.

There were a few threads discussing this a while back, like here.

-Zeke