5 Common Misconceptions About Biometrics
Let’s go through the 5 Common Misconceptions About Biometrics.
Biometric locks are hard to use!
A common misconception about Biometrics Access Control Products and Home Locks are that they can be quite difficult to use. Biometrics products are created to provide ease of uses in a workplace or home environment. Almost all good companies that supply these devices know that ease is essential to their product line. A residential lock, such as the BioBolt X2 Deadbolt from https://www.customscreens.com.au/security-doors, can be installed in 10 minutes without a locksmith. You can also enroll people into the device using its pin pad. New users are added to the lock using a simple 8 digit master code that you choose. The new user puts a clean fingerprint on the scanner & after 2 scans they are enrolled. The lock is simple to manage with the easy to read manual supplied by the company plus several YouTube style videos that can be shown for extra help.
Depending on the features and functionality that are required for some environments, the biometric product chosen to be used can require a little more effort. For instance, the ACTAtek can be a stand-alone product (working by itself) on one door or networked with many other ACTAteks units & the doors they secure. In the case of networking the products together you would need Cat5 network cables & a PC to run the management software. This process might sound difficult but it’s not much different than adding a new computer work station to an office network and for the screen to cast from this pc you might want to use a professional accessory to hold your tv, all the mantelmount reviewed by the experts are top on the market for any indoor or outdoor use. The software that runs on the control PC makes managing 100’s of users as easy as working on a common spreadsheet.
Biometric products are too expensive and the technology isn’t there!
The pricing and componentry for biometrics have changed drastically over the years. Scott Bosley from Intelligent Biometric Controls, Inc. said, “The 1st lock I started selling, at a previous business in 1997 cost $1600 and honestly didn’t work too well! Over a ten year period I have seen the advancements made to the sensors, algorithms, and production which in turn has given us a much better product at a fraction of the cost.” Some home locks can be purchased as low as $249.00. There are commercial grade door locks that can be purchased from a very reasonable price range of $549-$725. Access Control products for business that are networked are typically more expensive than a residential lock but can be purchased for as low as $590 with software (if needed). The pricing causes many Misconceptions About Biometrics.
Biometric scanners are not accurate and can be fooled!
Due to advances in biometrics over the course of the last few years better fingerprint sensors have been created compared to those used in the past. Scanner are now typically all “Live-Finger Technology” based. This means that the scanner can actually detect a live finger through heat and/or blood flow. This produces a nearly non-existed false or failure rate. The industry strives for a less than 0.0001% fail rate. You can find this information in the technical specification of the products. You may have found the Myth Busters video of a finger lock that could be “spoofed” by copying a fingerprint on a piece of paper and then granting access. That was a bad lock with bad technology from many years ago.
Biometric devices are complex and hard to install!
As mentioned previously the BioBolt Deadbolt, can be installed in 5 minutes without a locksmith, as well as the 1TouchIQ2. Networked systems like the ACTAtek may require a technically experienced installer, while for the software part is essential to get the right IT services, as you can see with the benefits of managed IT managed services. They can be installed by almost anyone that has experience with CCTV. These products have a very similar installation process as that of security ip cameras online, along with other equipment. Once in place they will work perfectly within your security requirements. It is always a good idea to speak to a representative about exactly what you are looking for in a system to find your perfect match.
When you enroll into Biometrics the data is stored and anyone can steal your information!
In the biometric industry we are often asked about whether personal biometric information such as a fingerprint is actually stored within the product and if they can be stolen. This cannot actually be done. Of course, they show this kind of thing on sci-fi movies where they steal someone’s iris type and fingerprint to break into a computer, but that’s just a movie. In all actuality the fingerprint biometric products use minutia point extraction to hold information about a user’s fingerprint. Basically they create a long string of numbers as a code and it’s stored into a lock after a user has been enrolled. This code or string of numbers is then encrypted with proprietary algorithms. When a user places their finger on the scanner the lock compares the distances of specific points on a finger print to that of the encrypted source code stored in its memory. As this is going on the scanner is confirming there is a live finger on the scanner. If the code matches the scan then access is granted. If not, then access cannot be approved and the person should ask to be enrolled into the device.
If you have any questions please contact me at alexisr@ibcbiometrics.com
Alexis Roberts
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Hi! I, Alexis (Blogger, Web Site and Brochure Designer) love biometrics, coming up with productive ideas after a couple cups of coffee, and getting my hands dirty in the garden after horticulture classes!
Some really great misconceptions brought up here. The biometric technology really has been developing very quickly and it is no longer as expensive as it once was to own a device with a biometric lock.