Fingerprint Technology – Fear of the Unknown?

A few years ago, fingerprint reader devices also broke into the domestic market. Their spread, however, was delayed for a number of reasons.

Several factors can be listed as to why reading fingerprints on our digital devices did not immediately become popular. Our company has been committed to this technology – we already saw an opportunity and a future-oriented direction in it at the time of our foundation – but our experience showed that the users were not ready.

In every case, we examined the market in Hungary and in the neighbouring countries with regard to access control systems, and we can draw conclusions from this.

When the technology first appeared in Hungary, most of the access control devices equipped with fingerprint readers were unsuitable for fully performing their task. The speed and quality of reading fell far short of expectations, so the companies that wanted to take immediate advantage of the opportunity offered by the novelty were disappointed in large numbers.

No company manager wants to see employees queuing up in long lines in the morning, trying to get their fingerprints read successfully to register their arrival.

Yet that case did occur, and as a result the popularity of fingerprint-based access control systems stalled. However, this was not the only objection.

It can be said that when the word “fingerprint” is mentioned in a company, most of those present – at that time, at least – associate it with police records. Incorrectly.

Although there are devices that take a picture of our fingerprint, most of these devices do not work that way. The fingerprint reader interface that appeared on mobile phones and spread rapidly was a great help in popularising the technology.

Let us see, then, exactly how it works?

Modern access control terminals equipped with fingerprint readers map the unique ridges of our fingerprint and select so-called minutiae points (reference points) along the grooves. These usually come from the bifurcations and endings of the grooves. For a fingerprint, the reader stores roughly 30–60 such points, which it then compares with the stored data during identification.

Based on these points, our systems generate a code number with the help of a secret algorithm, which is then assigned to the employee's name.

What does the future bring?

We expect a large-scale spread of devices equipped with fingerprint readers. The range of devices manufactured today is just as wide as it once was when they appeared on the market. But with the development of the technology, the reading speed and accuracy of the devices have greatly increased, and above a certain price level they are able to serve the needs of every customer in adequate quality.

There is no need for an access card that can be lost or stolen (or that employees could swap – yes, we have heard of such cases!). Registration is accurate, and suitable devices can provide real-time data on the number of people present in the area. The latter can be first-rate information for both the management and the authorities in the event of a fire.

In addition, the fingerprint reader access control terminals that we distribute also feature a touchscreen, which – beyond easy handling – makes our devices user-friendly.