A theft deterrent system that provides for the remote activation and deactivation of the protected equipment's primary functionality as well as for the geolocation of the equipment to assist in the recovery of the equipment. The remote control of the equipment's functionality is accomplished by including special circuitry in the protected equipment such that the functionality can be activated or deactivated remotely via a secure communications link. Associated with one form of such a secure link, and/or special circuitry, is the ability to determine the geolocation of the equipment. These dual features deter the theft of the equipment by rendering it useless without proper activation, and undesirable because of the locatability of the equipment and the threat of apprehension.