RFideas pcProx Sonar Presence USB Sensor Review

The RFideas pcProx Sonar sensor sells for $129.00 at RFideas Store.

Overview
I like things that do stuff automatically without user intervention. To have a presence sensor hooked up to my computer that senses when I am in front of it and when not sounds useful. The device is straight forward designed. At the end of a long USB cable is a black box (1.75 x 1.75 x 7/8 inch) with a sensor and a 3 color LED on the front side. That is it.

The pcProx Sonar is recognized as a USB keyboard and the drivers are installed automatically. To work with this gadget the pcProx Sonar Configuration Utility has to be installed. The software is provided as download from RFideas. The utility has auto configuration options for windows 2000 and windows XP. I have XP with welcome screen configuration. I choose that option and the log-off (Walk-away) keystroke sequence is automatically set (Windows Key, L). After clicking ok the configuration is transferred to the USB device. I get up and right away the system logs off - works as described. There is no need for a Walk-Up keystroke sequence. Both events can have 5 keystrokes. Each keystroke can have a combination of the modifier keys, CTRL, ALT, Windows Key. Because there are only 5 keystrokes possible the pcProx sonar is really just suited for automatic log-off and log-in actions. I played around a bit and I could launch programs from the quick start menu by configuring a sequence, Windows Key, followed by the first letter of the application (e.g.: i for Internet Explorer). So theoretically I could launch a custom application or batch file with a pcProx keystroke sequence.
 

RFideas put some thought into the product. For instance the LED light can be switched off - each color signal individually. The LED light gets annoying overtime. The real killer-application is to combine the pcProx Sonar with an RFid Reader. This way users can not only be logged-out automatically, but also logged-in. With just the sensor anybody including the cat can walk up to the computer. Hence automatic login, without identification is a bad idea. RFideas offers RFid readers and also provides SDKs for custom access systems.

Conclusion
If you have a sneaky room-mate or do not want your boss see that you spent time again on I4U by forgetting to log-off when leaving your PC, the pcProx Sonar is your solution. The presence sensor will provide more value when combined with a RFid reader solution that would enable automatic and secure log-in.

How to Buy
The RFideas pcProx Sonar sensor sells for $129.00 at RFideas Store. There are discounts for purchasing in volume.

 

Specifications
Requires operating system support for USB port. Configuration software requires Windows 98, 2000, XP.
size: 1.75 x 1.75 x 7/8 inch
More details on RFideas product page.