Competitor Product Reviews: Appendix A

Comparison of Cepco Thiefbug and Anti-Theft Powercord By Glenn Chapman July 4, 2005

The Cepco Thiefbug (as seen on their web site: http://www.cepcoproducts.com/) is a competitor product to the Anti-Theft Power Cord.

The basis of the Cepco Thiefbug is to convert the wall power socket into an alarm. The Thiefbug operates by detecting the current draw from equipment plugged into the socket. Many pieces of equipment draw small amounts of power when plugged and the thiefbug can detect such low levels. The Thiefbug is armed by plugging the equipment into the socket, and sends an alarm state for 1 minute after it is unplugged. This alarm state must be received by a central alarm panel.

There are many problems with the Cepco product line compared to the Anti-Theft Powercord:

1. Installation and Location
2. Susceptibility to Defeat by Thieves
3. Costs
4. False Alarms and the Ability to Move to New Location
5. Protection provided by Anti-Theft Powercord and not by Cepco

Installation and Location
Cepco system	Requires installation of thieftbug Alarmed outlet sockets in every protected location, and a central Monitor panel. Installation time consuming and not simple: requires electrical outlet changes. Commercial locations often require certified electricians for installation. No alarm in location equipment is removed, only at central monitoring station.
Anti-theft Powercord	Protection is provided in the equipment, often build into equipment Alarm is with the equipment, hence operates at any location item is moved to. Audio alarm in location where equipment is moved

Susceptibility to Defeat by Thieves
Cepco system	Easy to defeat: cut power to area and no alarms (commonly done by thieves to defeat alarm systems) No protection in event of power failure.
Anti-theft Powercord	Alarm only when equipment is removed, even when power failure occurs.

Costs
Cepco system	Costs are set by number of sockets protected Costs independent of equipment numbers being protected Costs multiply with number of rooms/locations being protected Expensive: $US2,200 for just 16 sockets, $4,700 for 32 sockets
Anti-theft Powercord	Cost set by equipment numbers protected, not possible locations

False Alarms and Ability to Move to New Location
Cepco system	No ability to deactivate location when you need to move equipment
Anti-theft Powercord	Ability to deactivate with password codes, move, then reactivate

Protection provided by Anti-theft powercord and not by Cepco
Anti-theft Powercord	Alarm sound moves with equipment due to internal batteries Equipment operation can be prevented in alarm state Equipment can have password protection during shipping When build into equipment no hardware installation by user