Using your fingers as a unlocking mechanism is getting more popular with many current phone models having that feature. For homes, I have already review the best fingerprint door lock in the market today. However, like any other products, they are not perfect and it is good to go in with full knowledge of what are the pros and cons of buying a biometric entry door lock.
#1: Replacement will be a pain
For a normal keybased lock or even a password based electronic lock, they can be easily switched if someone manages to hack into your home. If it is your fingerprint, there is no replacement since you can’t replace your fingerprints.
#2: Power failure
Since a fingerprint scan door lock needs electricity to run, a power failure could hinder it totally useless. One solution is to install a UPS (uninterupptable power supply). Another is to find a model that runs on battery although you will need to replace it quite often as it needs to be on 24/7.
#3: False positives are common
It doesn’t take a lot for the thumb scanner door lock to not recognise your fingerprint due to reasons such as oily fingers, or a dirty fingerprint scanner. These are obviously that can be easily resolved but you will be needlessly frustrated if it happens too many times. Imagine trying to get into your home when there is a downpour and the bloody keyless door lock refuse to acknowledge your fingerprint because it is too wet!
#4: Enrol everyone
Just like you need to give a key to anyone who wants to enter your home without you around, you will need to authorize everyone’s fingerprint into the system. The former is a must easier process. Just duplicate the keys and distribute the to the right persons. This can be done without you being there. For the biometric doors, you need to arrange for everyone to enter their fingerprints into the system which means a more lengthy and involved process.
Just imagine this scenario. There is someone delivering something to your home and no one is in. In the traditional door lock model, you can simply leave your key with your neighbor and he or she can open the doors for your behalf. With a biometric door lock, you can’t do that unless you first enroll your neighbor’s fingerprint into your system first.
#5: Possible danger to yourself
If someone really wants to hack into your home (for god knows why), he might cut off your fingers to do it! Of course, this is a very unlikely scenario but it can happen. A traditional key based door lock doesn’t have this possibility at all since all you need to do is to steal the key.
Conclusion
Every product has its merits and disadvantages. In the case of the fingerprint door lock, I have listed 5 above to give a sense of whether is it worth changing your current door lock system to this biometric type.