GigaWatch

Let's face it, any parental monitoring program that you could use to secretly track what your children are doing online could potentially be misused to snoop on your spouse, your boss, a business rival, or just about anyone. There's a bit less potential for abuse with GigaWatch, because you can only manage the monitored computer from another computer within the same local network. And, as the FAQ points out, spying on people without their knowledge is almost certainly illegal in your state.

At $44, GigaWatch is the least expensive tool of its sort that I've reviewed. Note, too, that this is a one-time fee, not a subscription. The company promises that "Over years we plan to implement new monitoring features into GigaWatch and you'll be able to receive all future updates free of charge." Getting free updates is especially good given the fact that this product needs a few tweaks.

Another similar product that sells for a one-time payment is Shield Genie, but at $149.95 it costs quite a bit more. If you want Spector Pro 2011, you'll pay $99.95 each year. The initial one-time purchase price for WebWatcher or PC Pandora 7.0 is higher than GigaWatch's price, and to get maximum performance from these two you'll pay for an ongoing subscription. GigaWatch is definitely a bargain compared with the competition.

Setting up GigaWatch
GigaWatch consists of a monitoring module and a separate administrative console. During installation you'll choose which of these to install. You can also install both on the same PC, in which case you'll want to choose stealth mode, so the administrative console doesn't give itself away. (The monitoring module is always in stealth mode.)

It's probably stealthier to install the administrative console on a different computer than the one being monitored. Note that both have to be within the same local network. After installing the administrative console, you simply probe the network to find PCs running the monitor. Yes, you can monitor multiple PCs, but you'll need a license for each.

Spector Pro also requires that the administrative console reside within the same network as the monitored computer. Shield Genie goes even further, requiring that you do all your configuration and management at the computer that's being watched. By contrast, WebWatcher lets you connect from anywhere at all; PC Pandora, too, if you pay $29.97 per month for the "Live" module.

During the installation process you'll create two passwords, one for access to the administrative console and one to let the administrative console access data on the monitored computer. Why two passwords? Well, picture a business using GigaWatch to track employees (with their knowledge, of course). Without that machine-specific password, someone else on your network could install another copy of the administrative console, probe the network with it, and hijack your monitoring sessions.

Communicating With the Monitor
From the main Configuration Manager window, you can enable or disable the nine monitoring modules. By default, all are enabled. You can also dig in and configure the settings for each monitor. When you've finished, clicking "Save & Send" both saves your changes and transmits them to the monitored computer. You can also save your changes and send later, if necessary.

Each time you open the administrative console, you must select which computer you want to view and click a button to sync in the latest data from that computer. Note that you still have to do this even if the administrative console is installed on the same computer.

Successful Stealth
In stealth mode, GigaWatch leaves no trace. There are no visible icons or menu items, and it doesn't show up in Task Manager or in the list of Startup programs. You activate the console by pressing a special key combination and entering your master password when prompted. Spector Pro, PC Pandora, and WebWatcher are likewise stealthy, and they go a bit further. On the chance that the child might accidentally hit on the special key combo, they use an anonymous, unlabeled dialog box to ask for the password. GigaWatch's name is plastered all over its popup password dialog; I'd be happier if it, too, used an anonymous login dialog.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/Iq2ilTFo6pE/0,2817,2418008,00.asp

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