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I love the idea of protecting my Gmail account using two-factor authentication, but I don't own a cell phone. And I don't want to tie Gmail to a land line since the whole point of having the account is to be able to use mail when traveling.
Am I hosed, or are there other means of authenticating?
Google only offers the following options:
You could use the printed codes to access your account when traveling, but other than that you'd need a phone or device that can run the Authenticator application.
You can probably make use of backup codes provided to you by Google but for that you need to start their service, you should have a cellphone or in your case, a landline, just to verify for first time.
You can use some independent devices - hardware tokens. For example, Protectimus Slim NFC. They can be used as a hardware alternative to Google Authenticator. You require an Android smartphone with NFC to program the token. The smartphone is required only in the process of programming. Then the token will generate one-time passwords which will be required along with the login and password to get an access to your Gmail account. Tokens don’t require any internet or network connection.
Disclosure: I work for Protectimus Solutions.
