Remote security

If you work in an office environment, you may need to lock your Mac whenever you leave your workspace for security reasons. The simplest solution that requires no effort on your part is to invest in a Sesame 2 Proximity Lock (£40, atama.io). This little gadget can sit in your pocket or on a key fob, and when you walk away from your desk your Mac will lock automatically. When you return, your Mac unlocks, ready for you to resume where you left off.

You can also use your iPhone to both manually lock and unlock your Mac using Knock (knocktounlock.com). You need to remember to lock your Mac before leaving your desk – you can do this from the iPhone app as well as your Mac itself – but unlocking your Mac simply involves moving within range, waiting for a green circle to appear around your user image and doubletapping on your iPhone screen to unlock – all without your password. It’s not as elegant as Sesame, but it’s a lot cheaper: the Mac app is free, the iOS app will set you back just £2.99.

It’s also possible to remotely lock your iPhone or iPad should you lose it without having already set up a passcode – see over the page for details on using Apple’s Find My iPhone feature.