What are Biometric Door Systems and how do They Work?

Security has always been a major concern for everyone, from homeowners to businessmen, whether it’s ensuring the safety of precious valuables and/or property behind physical locks or protecting valuable data with several layers of encryption.

However, these systems have flaws. For instance, physical locks can be manipulated or broken into with force, while digital locks, such as those that use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), can be jammed or even corrupted.

The good news is that technology has allowed the development of a wide range of both soft and hardware systems that protect valuables, from web-based security services to personal devices with their own security levels. The biometric door system is the latest and most advanced in this line, that combines the best of both physical and digital locks in order to ensure maximum security for both home and office facilities.

What are Biometric Door Systems?

Biometric door systems are sophisticated security systems that use biometrics instead of keys, RFID card credentials, or access codes and PIN numbers. Not only are they capable of authentication, but are also capable of adjusting the authentication levels depending on the ease of access you want or need.

They are also more convenient, as you would never have to worry about leaving your key or keycard or forget the PIN number again, as the access code to biometric systems are always with you, whether it’s your face or thumbprint.

How do Biometric Door Systems Work?

The easiest way to control who gets access to your facility is by storing a database of the people who are allowed access, which biometric systems are connected to through a network or series of networks.

Biometric door systems work by identifying individual biological recognition patterns such as fingerprints, facial recognition, and even body motion. These recognition patterns are then encoded into a set of data points and compared against the existing database. If a match is found, the system recognizes the person trying to enter and opens the door.

• Fingerprints – Fingerprint readers encode the detected pattern into the set of data points into the console or device that is installed next to the door. From there, the entered data is compared against the database of registered patterns. If the encoded pattern has a match in the database, a signal will be sent to the locking mechanism to open the door.

• Facial Patterns – Self-contained units attached to the network detect the pattern of your face instead of simply your fingerprints, and these facial readers can be easily installed.

These readers connect to the network and identify a person’s face based on the network’s database of recognized faces that have been previously registered.  

• Finger vein – Veins on your fingers are as unique as your face or your thumbprint, and work the same way as fingerprints and facial patterns. The only difference with finger veins is that the apparatus connected to the system uses infrared LED scanners in order to encode these veins into a set of data points, which, again, is compared against the existing database to see whether or not the encoded data matches.

• Body Motion – The accuracy of biometric door security systems can be further increased by adding body motion in addition to facial recognition, gradually adding information about a person’s body movements and identifies personnel who are authorized even before they get to the door. In addition to this, body motion sensors can also be used to monitor guests.

The best part about biometric door systems is that they can be built on an open plat form and integrated into a central system along with fire alarms, surveillance cameras, and thermostats, which can help to record and monitor activity in the case of an accident or an emergency.

All these systems can work with each other for the benefit and added security, and the information can be sent to a central access point (i.e. a computer with the necessary software). This central access point is then made available to a system administrator, who controls how the system behaves as well as manages the database, from entering the data points for new authorized personnel to deleting the old data points.