BioCert FS-100 Mortise Fingerprint Lock

THE HIGH-TECH HOME
A touch of one finger is key to unlocking the front door

By Don Hunt and Brian Edwards
Special to the Tribune
Published April 26, 2003

If you're still leaving your spare house key under the mat or in your mailbox, you have a new option at your fingertips--literally.

Just over a year ago we wrote about advances in fingerprint scanning technology that would soon make their way into the consumer-level security products.

It took awhile, but that technology is now here in the form of a front-door deadbolt lockset and handle called the BioCert FS-100.

The FS-100 and fingerprint scanning are part of an up-and-coming technology known as "biometrics." Biometrics applies precise mathematical measurements to distinct physical attributes, such as fingerprints.

Other biometric applications include retinal scanning, which detects the unique pattern of blood vessels within the eye, and facial recognition systems, which measure structural features (distance between eyes, etc.) to tell one face from another.

The FS-100 fingerprint deadbolt has only been on the market for a few weeks, and comes from Freeland, Wash.-based distributor Biometrics Direct.

The FS-100 resembles a large, high-end door handle and lock, with a small opening at the very top. The opening holds the unit's fingertip scanner. A front panel covers a numeric key pad for programming the unit.

The unit is powered by five AA batteries. In the event they die while you're out, a 9-volt battery can be inserted into the front panel to provide enough power to enter.

To operate the lock, an authorized user simply places a finger over the scanner for several seconds. If the print is recognized, the door unlocks.

"If you have frequent guests who might arrive late or when you are out, such as in-laws, you can have their prints in the system. If someone is going to water the plants while you're on vacation you can put them into the system instead of giving them a key they could copy or lose. When you come back, you just take their print out," said Jim Childers, founder of Biometrics Direct.

"It's also great for kids who don't have to worry about keeping track of a key, or for joggers who don't want to carry anything while they're out."

Because the unit stores random mathematical representations of fingerprints and not the actual prints themselves, Childers says there is no risk of someone "hacking" the lock.

He added that despite physical changes that happen as people grow or age, the prints remain the same.

Childers started Biometrics Direct in 2001 after working on fingerprint scanning products with Japanese electronics giant NEC, where he says he became convinced of the coming market for biometric products.

Quick to admit the challenges of bringing fingerprinting to America's front door, he insists the opportunity lies in coming generations.

"You still have some people intimidated by their VCR and the blinking `12', but Generation X has shown it is very accepting of new technology," he said. "Those are the folks who are going to be most interested in this product at this time."

Gen X-ers and others will have to show $699 worth of interest to order an FS-100--many times the cost of a traditional deadbolt.

The installation manual for the FS-100 says the product will resist normal "man-made damages" such as hammering or other forced entry attempts.

Childers notes that while the unit will function in below-zero temperatures, he recommends that it be installed behind a storm door or in a protected entryway to avoid prolonged exposure to rain or snow.

Additionally, the FS-100 will not fit in a pre-drilled door; it requires custom drilling. Beyond that requirement, Childers says installation is easily handled by most professional locksmiths. Visit www.biometricsdirect.com for more information.