Known colloquially as a 'dongle', this is a security device that plugs into the USB port of a PC, enabling the user to gain full access to a proprietary program. The demonstration version of DRAINS cannot be used for more than a five pipes and channels without this.
Various styles of lock have been supplied with DRAINS. The older ones connected to the 25 pin printer port on PCs, which is now missing on many computers. The current locks have a USB connection. At present, different versions of DRAINS apply to different locks.