ᐅ Access to House and Garage: Keys vs Keypads vs Fingerprint Readers
Created on: 13 Jun 2022 12:18
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Samantheus
Hello everyone,
We are currently considering which technology to use for access control to our home, and since I haven’t found any polls in this forum regarding the popularity or user experience with the different systems, I wanted to ask the group.
Our front door supplier recommends a fingerprint system. You don’t have to carry anything, it can’t be skimmed, you can’t forget it, and it supposedly works well even for children. They offer the eKey dLine system. However, the additional cost for the motorized lock and fingerprint reader is quite high.
Our garage door supplier recommends a code keypad. You don’t have to carry anything, it always works, and a code can be shared without being physically present. They advise against fingerprint systems because they are significantly more expensive and many don’t work very well. The finger must be dry and clean. They say you might have trouble getting back in after rain, sweating from jogging, or with dirty hands from gardening. For this reason, they have discontinued most fingerprint systems and recommend the code keypad.
As an alternative, there is of course the classic key with all its pros and cons.
I’m interested in what you have decided on or would choose, and what your experiences are. Do you have any security concerns about the code keypad, especially with children? Does fingerprint access work for you even in the rain?
Do you use the same system for your garage and front door, or do you have different solutions?
Best regards,
Sam
We are currently considering which technology to use for access control to our home, and since I haven’t found any polls in this forum regarding the popularity or user experience with the different systems, I wanted to ask the group.
Our front door supplier recommends a fingerprint system. You don’t have to carry anything, it can’t be skimmed, you can’t forget it, and it supposedly works well even for children. They offer the eKey dLine system. However, the additional cost for the motorized lock and fingerprint reader is quite high.
Our garage door supplier recommends a code keypad. You don’t have to carry anything, it always works, and a code can be shared without being physically present. They advise against fingerprint systems because they are significantly more expensive and many don’t work very well. The finger must be dry and clean. They say you might have trouble getting back in after rain, sweating from jogging, or with dirty hands from gardening. For this reason, they have discontinued most fingerprint systems and recommend the code keypad.
As an alternative, there is of course the classic key with all its pros and cons.
I’m interested in what you have decided on or would choose, and what your experiences are. Do you have any security concerns about the code keypad, especially with children? Does fingerprint access work for you even in the rain?
Do you use the same system for your garage and front door, or do you have different solutions?
Best regards,
Sam
Samantheus schrieb:
Almost forgot. I’ve read about this too, but I associated it more with commercial use and didn’t know it’s also used privately. What I still don’t understand: where do you see the advantages of the system? I would have thought it combines the downsides of keys (you have to carry something which can be forgotten) with the downsides of fingerprint/code (requires a motorized lock/considerably more expensive). So what are the advantages compared to a regular key?Advantages over keys: • Lost tokens can be easily deactivated.
• Works reliably in all weather conditions (unlike some fingerprint systems).
• Very small and lightweight, available in various shapes and colors (key fobs, code cards like bank cards, wristbands).
• The lock doesn’t get scratched even if you fumble drunkenly with it.
• Locking process is faster than with a key (hold it near, door unlocks immediately).
• In my system, the RFID module was a relatively low-cost add-on (the half module for RFID cost me only about 45€ (around $50) extra).
• Secure.
Only downside: more expensive overall when combined with a motorized lock (it’s convenience rather than luxury, in my opinion).
I keep tokens on every keychain and in my phone (card). I also gave one to my daughter (she lives only about 100m (110 yards) away 😉 ) and to my neighbor (my nephew).
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Samantheus15 Jun 2022 09:12WilderSueden schrieb:
Here’s where the problems start. How many false positives do we have? How much does the risk increase when comparing one finger from a single person to multiple fingers from several people (one finger might also be covered by a bandage...)? This is impossible to assess since what actually happens is often kept secret. The only thing clear is that since fingerprints are not always identical (wet, dirty, etc., and the finger may be held differently), a system has to allow quite a bit of variation.
On top of that, there is likely already a valid fingerprint on the door handle—after all, someone has to touch the door somehow. I don’t have it on hand anymore, but I once researched the topic of security. The conclusion back then was that the traditional key is the least secure method. The reasons, if I remember correctly, were:
- A door without a motorized lock is only truly “locked” if it is locked again separately with the key. A door with a motorized lock is automatically locked as soon as it closes.
- Most burglars targeting single-family homes use very basic methods, such as crowbars, rather than technical approaches (bypassing/hacking, etc.).
- Modern fingerprint sensors only recognize real, living fingers.
- A key can be lost unnoticed (unlike a finger).
- A key can be relatively easily duplicated and/or stolen (for example, the handyman who needs access, a neighbor watering plants during vacation, friends or family members with emergency keys). Other access methods can be programmed to allow, for example, the handyman access only for a given week, and fingerprints are much harder to steal.
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WilderSueden15 Jun 2022 09:31Samantheus schrieb:
Modern fingerprint sensors only recognize real, living fingers. That’s the theory. In practice, however, it often turns out differently.
Samantheus schrieb:
Most burglars targeting single-family homes operate in a very basic way, using crowbars rather than technical methods (bypassing/hacking, etc.). That may be true. My main criticism was about the lack of transparency regarding how many fingerprints are accepted that shouldn’t be. Still, I wouldn’t completely rule out hacking attempts if you happen to be a more attractive target.
Samantheus schrieb:
A finger can’t be stolen that easily 😉. That reminds me of a scene from Shoot ’Em Up where the protagonist runs out of ammo, but the villains’ guns have fingerprint locks. "There’s nothing like good old-fashioned handiwork." 😉
The classic key’s major weakness is that it can be easily copied, which makes it theoretically insecure. That’s why you don’t just hand it out to anyone, especially not strangers (e.g., tradespeople). The emergency key with a distant relative is not kept on a keyring but stored somewhere at home. So, the risk of loss is not the same as with your personal key that you need every day. Overall, keys perform much better in practice than in theory, and they are also inexpensive and reliable.
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Myrna_Loy15 Jun 2022 09:34Samantheus schrieb:
I don’t have it on hand anymore, but I once looked into security on this topic. The conclusion of my research back then was that the traditional key is the least secure method. The reasoning was, if I remember correctly:
- A door without a motor lock is only truly “locked” once it has been locked again separately with the key. A door with a motor lock is always locked immediately as soon as it closes.
- Most burglars targeting single-family homes use very basic tools, like crowbars, rather than technical methods (bypassing/hacking, etc.).
- Modern fingerprint sensors only recognize real, living fingers.
- A key can be lost without being noticed (unlike a fingerprint).
- A key can be relatively easily duplicated and/or stolen (the contractor who had a key to get in, the neighbor watering plants while on vacation, friends/family with emergency keys). Other access methods can be programmed so that, for example, the contractor only has access for that week, and a fingerprint cannot be easily stolen. 😉
That sounds like an argument list from a fingerprint lock manufacturer. Our security keys are not that easy to duplicate, as we’ve already found out several times thanks to careless family members. You can’t just go to a hardware store locksmith and say “make me five new copies.” THAT is currently the only reason for me to move away from key systems: the cost and effort of ordering new keys. Oh, and the broken key that required replacing the entire apartment door lock.🙂
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motorradsilke15 Jun 2022 09:48WilderSueden schrieb:
The traditional key has the major weakness that it can easily be copied, which theoretically makes it less secure. That’s why you don’t just give it to anyone, especially not strangers (think contractors). The emergency key with the brother-in-law won’t be hanging on a keyring there but kept somewhere at home in a cupboard. So the risk of loss isn’t the same as with your personal key that you need every day. Overall, the key performs much better in practice than in theory; plus, it’s affordable and reliable. Most house keys can’t simply be copied either. For ours, you need a card and a code to do so. Sure, there will always be people who manage it, but those people might also be able to bypass other security systems.
I would never use codes with kids; they often pass the code on or forget it themselves quickly.
Fingerprint access sounded nice, but it was too expensive for the benefit it could provide. When I’m home, the door isn’t locked anyway, and taking the key out once a day when coming home doesn’t bother me, especially since the same keyring holds the remote controls for the driveway and garage doors.
Samantheus schrieb:
- A door without a motorized lock is only truly "locked" when it is locked again with a key. A door with a motorized lock, however, is always locked automatically as soon as it closes.
That is not correct. There are front door locks that lock automatically and mechanically. For example, the GU-Secury Automatic. This lock mechanically secures itself when the door is closed, can be opened from the outside with a key and at any time from the inside using the handle. It can be equipped with an A-opener. The lock is always engaged when the door is closed. This is also confirmed by insurance companies.I do not want to publicly evaluate fingerprint or similar systems here. It might be interesting to note that some systems allow lowering the number of matching points required between the scanned and stored fingerprint. In other words, the recognition threshold can be reduced. Everyone should consider how secure that then is.
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