Biometric reader technology is becoming more and more popular. In the past this reader technology was very expensive and was typically utilized in high security areas. Today, the costs have dropped and they are becoming more and more common place.
Biometric readers read a part of a users body. For example, a finger, a hand, or an eye. Most readers require that a PIN be entered into the unit to call up that individual's template. The user then presents their finger, hand or eye to be verified. If there is a match then the user is permitted into the controlled area, otherwise the user is denied access. Individual tolerances can be programmed into these readers to adjust for individual changes. These tolerances can be extremely restrictive to extremely lax and can vary by individual user.
For more information on specific readers that are available visit the following web sites:
Hand Readers www.recogsys.com
Finger Print Readers www.identix.com
Other types of readers that are utilized are swipe or insertion readers. These were very common five years ago and less common today. Swipe / Insertion readers all use the same concept. An access control card is swiped or inserted into a reader. Several different technologies exist; weigand, bar code, barrium ferrite, and magnetic stripe are some of the common swipe / insertion technologies. These technologies have been replaced by proximity and biometric technologies. Very few new systems utilize swipe or insertion technologies today, most manufacturers still offer these technologies.
