When it comes to security of your home or business, the first thing you need to do is to make sure it is impenetrable to intrusion, right? Each year, there are millions of reported cases related to property crimes such as burglary. They come with billions worth of items and valuables lost as a result. Home invasion is another risk, which is a form of forceful breach of one’s privacy. As such, entry points like windows and doors should be properly shut. Especially when the space is unoccupied, whether it’s for a short while or a period of time. With doors serving as your access inside, it is important that they have a lock system in place to keep it secure.
Fingerprint door locks and security
It is common that doors are locked with a manual barrier. You can only open them by mechanical keys. Nowadays, keyless locks are fast replacing their predecessors in modern living, one of which is the fingerprint door lock. They are designed to eliminate the disadvantages of your standard door knob locks. Such have become vulnerable to picklocks. Thus, they are deemed to be a highly reliable tool. Many property owners use them in keeping their places safer from unauthorized entry. But how secure are these locks?
What are fingerprint door locks?
Fingerprint door locks are a type of biometric locks which scan one’s fingerprint. It is a means of determining who will be permitted to enter an otherwise closed area. Their keyless nature is its most notable feature. And with your own fingerprint serving as the unlocking mechanism, it is a unique key. But it also has the ability to store multiple fingerprints. Thus, each person can save more than one of their fingerprints as backup. At the same time, you can authorize different people as well.
How secure are fingerprint door locks?
We know that fingerprint door locks came about as improved versions of regular locks in terms of security, among other things. But again, just how secure are they?
Key vs keyless
With the high tech appeal of the fingerprint door locks, it seems that they are signalling the end of the manual lock and key. Just like how computer keyboards have practically wiped out the clunky typewriter. It may still take some time for fingerprint door locks to reach that point. But their claim to offer higher security for your property makes them a more attractive proposition. You don’t run the risk of losing keys or getting your lock picked by a dextrous thief. Nonetheless, there are several factors considered by buyers such as price, usage, purpose, etc..
For example, you wouldn’t replace the door locks to your bathrooms with a fingerprint door lock. At least not just yet, unless money was no object to you. Or perhaps you truly don’t want anyone to encroach your privacy. Simply put, it depends on the level of restriction you want for a certain area.
Forceful entry
Standard locks can be forced open in the absence of a physical key. That is despite the protective measures like having pins and plates. Burglars usually drill out the lock cylinder and open it with a screwdriver. In the case of fingerprint door locks, picking them can be a rather more difficult endeavor. First of all, they don’t have a pin tumbler setup. Hence the drilling strategy won’t work at all. Nonetheless, it is quite similar to how deadbolts can be hard to open by force. They have to be rotated only by a key to unlock.
With fingerprint door locks, the cylinder will rotate electronically instead, even when it has run out of battery. Furthermore, an attempt to open your door that is equipped with a fingerprint door lock will trigger the alarm system. Thus could be a built-in feature, or a supplemental setup.
Upgraded security features
Manufacturers are continuously upgrading the security features of fingerprint door locks. This helps make them more attractive to consumers. They see the value of added conveniences such as cameras, having remote operation, to name a few. It is also their way of addressing hacking issues in apps, cloud services, and firmware. The following are just some adjustments and innovations made in this regard:
- Heavy-duty material
The thick steel that can stand a lot of use will reinforce the reliability of fingerprint door locks in keeping your place safe and secure. Their sturdy construction can prevent the most violent attempts at forceful entry.
- Anti-peek keypad
This allows random reshuffling of codes after every use, offering the highest possible security and privacy. The user gets to receive new one-time codes through the corresponding app. It prevents this data being copied, stolen or spied upon by unscrupulous individuals.
In line with remote operations, homeowners can check whoever comes in regardless where they are. At the same time, they can answer doorbell rings using their mobile device.
- Intelligent alarm
Homeowners can stay on top of their security without having to watch the live streaming of their camera system. This feature will send real-time alerts whenever there are failed access attempts. It will also inform the owner if the device is low on battery.
- Advanced fingerprint recognition technology
Fingerprint scanning may either use an optical version or a semiconductor. While both are accurate in identifying the correct fingerprints, optical technologies make for better wear resistance. Semiconductor types boast of ideal false acceptance and false rejection ratings. This is also achieved with 3D optical sensors which give the fingerprint identification a higher accuracy.
- Reprogramming option
When a standard lock is compromised one way or another, the user may likely just replace it with a new one. For fingerprint door locks, fingerprints may still be reproduced in theory using a molding. This would mean a very high stakes theft or invasion is involved. Or if hackers were able to override your security system functions. When this happens, you can reprogram their algorithms instead of replacing them.
- Auto lock mechanism
This will lock the door automatically after each recognized entry. It ensures that it is always on guard. Otherwise, it can be susceptible to a breach caused by negligence.
Conclusion
Fingerprint door locks are not only these fancy-looking tools. They are useful innovations in home security as well as in management of commercial real estate. They could very well make your property more secure in several aspects. Ultimately though, better security will still depend on the quality of your fingerprint door lock. Choose the one that rates high in its recognition accuracy and sturdy construction.