As with all things battery-operated, the first step in setting up the unit is charging the battery. First, plug in the charger into an available receptacle. Next, open the small compartment door on the bottom of the unit and plug in the charger. Take note of the pin layout on the end of the cable and make sure your inserting it correctly. Its all too easy to mash these pins into oblivion if you try to force the plug in the wrong way. Once the unit senses current and begins charging it notifies you with an audible beep. In keeping with the purposely austere exterior of the DS500, there is no battery level indicator, LED or anything else to let you know the status of charging. Battery condition information can only be ascertained online or by phone. However, once you access your unit's account, you can have low and full battery notifications sent directly to you via e-mail or by phone. You can, however, leave the unit plugged into the charger without fear of damaging the DS500.
You may be wondering why the locator is so devoid of buttons, lights or any kind of interface. Its user-friendliness lies not in the unit itself, but rather in the password-protected realm of the MOBILELOCK website and the phone system. The DS500's apparent incongruity with other electronics we are used to-like cell phones, computers and PDAs-seems to be by design. Those other electronic devices are user-friendly because they have to be. MOBILELOCK's mission, however, is not to enable any and all passersby to learn its secrets or even its purpose. Just the opposite is true. Its design is meant to confound a thief, who is looking for a button to press or some other overt indicator of how to get around MOBILELOCK. In this respect, MOBILELOCK has already defeated a would-be thief.
Activating The MOBILELOCK Account
As mentioned previously, there are two methods of accessing your MOBILELOCK account-either by phone or via computer. Using a computer is probably the preferred method as most of us like to see pertinent information before us, instead of listening for audible cues and prompts. Still, this boils down to personal preference-which is why there are two access methods.
When signing on for the first time, navigate to MOBILELOCK web page and click on 'Setup New Account'. you'll need the unit's serial number, your contact phone numbers and e-mail addresses as well as a credit card to get things rolling. Once you enter all your contact and billing information, navigate to the Alarm Settings page.
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