Biometric Safes - Pros and Cons
Security of your home or business is essential and in choosing the right safe for you, there are many considerations to make. These can be size, shape, how it can be secured or bolted and whether it is fireproof or not. One major consideration, of course, is how the safe will be accessed. This needs to be secure in terms of how many people need access to the safe, but it also needs to be convenient. We are a long way passed the stage where a traditional lock and key are used for accessing a safe, and even dials or unique combination or PIN number systems have been bypassed by 21st century solutions, and one of those is biometric safes.
What is a biometric safe?
A biometric safe differs from any other type of safe only in how it is accessed. So instead of a key or a unique number, the user can scan a biometric feature to access the safe. This means the safe’s mechanism can scan a unique body part which can’t be copied, lost or stolen. In most cases this will be a fingerprint or a retina scan of the eyeball. With some security access systems, full face recognition is used as a biometric feature, but this doesn’t tend to be used for accessing safes.
So the user presents the biometric feature, the mechanism scans it, recognises the scan against pre-set authorised images and enables access. To set-up the feature a ‘model’ biometric scan is made and the detailed shape is recorded in an encrypted digital format. The biometric feature presented has to match this recorded image.
Benefits of a biometric safe
Biometric safes are classed as keyless safes, and there are various different benefits to the user:
- Keyless – There is no need for a separate key or having to remember a code.
- Convenient – Entry and access can be enabled quickly and conveniently, particularly in an emergency situation.
- Multi-user – The system can be set up to store multiple images, so different users can access the safe, however, there will be a limit to how many can be stored depending on what model you opt for, not for technological reasons but to maintain a suitable level of security.
- Management – It is very easy for the main administrator to add and revoke access as necessary. It is possible to tell the system to block a biometric feature when it is presented, rather than grant access.
- Unique – Of course the main benefit of using a biometric feature is that it is unique to an individual and therefore can’t be copied, lost, stolen or guessed.
Disadvantages of biometric safes
On the flipside, there are some limitations to having a biometric safe, although these are mainly considerations which can be overcome relatively easily:
- Battery powered – Because this is a digital locking mechanism it will be battery powered, and hence could be disabled if the battery runs out of power. You should maintain a back-up system for this eventuality, such as a key or code number, but there should also be a battery power indicator on the safe, so you should monitor this and act to prevent the battery fully losing power.
- False reading – Like any digital instrument, safes differ in quality, and this mainly refers to the quality of the scanner and the DPI of the image created. On inferior quality models a false scan of a fingerprint or retina could be presented and accepted as being an authorised image, if it is close enough to a genuinely authorised image. This is very rare and highly unlikely, particularly if you only have two or three people set up to access the safe legitimately, and can be avoided by investing in a better quality model.
- Non-reading – It is possible for a scanner to not recognise an authorised fingerprint presented if it is dirty, sweaty or covered in oil or grease. Repeated unsuccessful attempts can lock the safe and deny access for a period of time. With older people, fingerprints can be less well defined too and therefore the scanner finds it harder to read or distinguish the image presented. In terms of retina scans, anyone wearing contact lenses or glasses could face the same issue. Again, this is rare, and a better quality scanner won’t present this issue, but you can also clean the scanner to reduce the chances of a non-reading.
- Software malfunction – This can happen, but is very rare, and can be managed by having a back-up access system and investing in the better quality models.
- Cost – Biometric safes are using sophisticated technology and hence can be more expensive than other types of safe, however, you are investing in the most secure safe system on the market, and with technology improving all the time, this cost will reduce and even out over time.
Check out our range of safes at MB Direct and work out which presents the best practicality and security for you. Order online today and receive the best quality safes on the market and at cost-effective prices.