ActivityMon

Developer Advanced Software came up with the ActivityMon product to meet a very specific need: the need to know what computer users are doing on the computer. There are several ActivityMon editions to pick from, but the one that’s meant to be used at home by regular users is the appropriately named ActivityMon Home. This application lets the concerned parent monitor what his child is doing on the PC, or the cautious husband know what his spouse uses the computer for.

To get started with ActivityMon Home, you will have to download a 12MB installation file onto your computer. With the help of a straightforward setup wizard, you can quickly have the application up and running on your Windows-powered machine (XP, Vista, and Windows 7 are supported).

During the installation process, you will be asked to pick one of the three installation types: For Current User (ActivityMon Home will be visible only when you log in), For All Users (shortcuts will be created in the Start Menu for all users who log in), Invisible (the application will be installed in a secret hidden directory and will display no user interface and no shortcuts).

The data that ActivityMon Home collects is encrypted and password protected; so is the Activities Viewer and the application’s settings. During the installation process you will be prompted to pick the password that protects ActivityMon Home.

While ActivityMon Home is running, it logs all the user’s activities. It keeps track of what applications are launched, what windows are accessed, what websites are visited, what devices are connected, and what keys are typed. The application also takes screenshots at specific intervals of time (you can choose how often from the Settings menu).

All the information that ActivityMon Home collects can be accessed from the aforementioned Activities Viewer which is password protected. The Activities Viewer features a customizable ribbon interface that users should immediately feel at home with. There are tabs at the top that present the data collected by ActivityMon Home in categories. There is a tab for the screenshots taken by ActivityMon Home, one that presents the websites visited by the user, one that presents the applications that are accessed, and so on.

By default the Black style is selected – there are other styles to choose from and change the way the Activities Viewer looks. You can access the styles from the Options menu in the upper right hand corner.

You can start ActivityMon Home’s Activities Viewer from the Start menu, or better yet, with a key combo. From the Setting menu, the Secret Start submenu, you can pick the keys that you can use to secretly start the Activities Viewer.

You have 15 days to use ActivityMon Home for free for evaluation purposes. Getting a license to keep using the activity monitoring solution is a must once the trial expires.

ActivityMon Home is a must have for the computer user who wants to know how the computer in the household is used, either by his children or other family members.