Spector Pro 5.0

Product: Spector Pro 5.0 Vendor: SpectorSoft Price: $99.95 Editor Rating: 4 stars DOWNLOAD NOW!

Pros

- Monitors all computer and Internet activity.
- Program supports remote monitoring from another computer on the same network (in another part of the house or office.)

Cons

+ Limited email notification
+ Lots of configuration options can be a little intimidating

Review

We tested each activity monitoring program by first installing the program with all logging options enabled. Next, we ran different applications to see what activity was logged. During the test, we visited websites with Internet Explorer, engaged in chats with AOL Instant Messenger, sent emails using Outlook, Outlook Express, and Hotmail, and downloaded files using FTP and the P2P program Limewire.

Feature Set

Spector Pro is a full-featured activity monitor for the seriously paranoid or employers wanting to monitor their employees. The program can monitor all forms of computer and Internet activity. The program can also take screen captures as frequently as every second (in black and white to save space, if necessary). Spector Pro can block all Internet access or just particular programs. Remote monitoring across a ‘small’ network (not the Internet) is supported provided you install the supplied Spector Pro viewing program on the remote computer.

Installation

The installation of Spector Pro went smoothly. The setup program asked for a password and after restarting the computer, Spector Pro was recording. We needed to open Spector Pro to set the majority of its many options. We would have preferred that the setup program prompt us for these settings during installation.

Ease of Use

The viewing interface of Spector Pro is simple with tabs across the top labeled according to the different activities the program monitors like: Email, Web Sites, Chat/IM, etc. Clicking on one of the tabs, in most cases, brings up a list of the recorded activities of that type with a detail view below showing details of the selected entry. Spector Pro has features to monitor nearly any activity a person could do on a computer and, consequently, has a great many options that can be configured. If you don’t know what you are looking for, opening the ‘Settings’ dialog could be confusing.

Monitoring Effectiveness

Spector Pro passed all of our monitoring tests. All emails sent or received from Hotmail, Outlook, and Outlook Express were logged. Both sides of our AOL Instant Messenger conversation were recorded, as well as, all of the websites we visited. Files downloaded using FTP and Limewire were logged, although the FTP download was only recorded in the ‘Programs’ activity log.

Documentation

The Spector Pro manual is available online from within the program by clicking ‘Help’ and is easy to read and navigate. The manual is complete and has descriptions for all the program’s functions and options. In addition, the “How do I?” section has over 40 entries. Spector Pro also has phone, chat, and email based technical support.

Summary

The remote monitoring capabilities of Spector Pro make it an excellent activity monitor for the office or if you want to catch someone in the act of doing something they are not supposed to. The price of $99.95 is the highest of all the programs reviewed but when you consider how well the program works with its configuration and content filtering options, we think it is worth it.


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