What Is a Fingerprint Reader and How to Use It

What Is a Fingerprint Reader and How to Use It

What Is a Fingerprint Reader and How to Use It

Security is becoming more important. More users are worried about their privacy, the security of their data and how safe they are with their devices. Best laptop with Fingerprint readers can help ensuring that only known people have access to the device. It is hard for someone else to use your fingerprint than it is to guess a password or handle an unlock pattern carefully.

Following this guide you will learn everything you need to know about fingerprint readers. These fingerprint readers are so small that they can fit in a laptop system. However, if you operate your personal computer all the time and worried about security, you should get the best laptop with fingerprint readers as they increase your security and get you satisfied all the time.

How Is A Fingerprint Reader Different From An Eye Scanner or Face Recognition?

Fingerprints are different from face recognition and iris scanners because you already carry them around with you everywhere (on your fingers). This means it is easier for computers to scan fingerprints than scanning someone’s eyes or face, although it might be harder to fool a best laptop with fingerprint reader than it is to fool an eye scanner or face recognition system.

Fingerprint readers can be better for multi-factor authentication, because fingerprints cannot be faked. However, you can potentially still use someone else’s fingerprint: using the copy of your fingerprint to unlock your phone and tricking another person into using her prints (theoretically) as well. With iris scanners and face recognition you cannot do that, but those systems might possibly become tricked more easily by forgeries or images/videos of the target user. Also, there are less issues with false positives (you’re probably not going to see your cat unlocking your phone).

How Do Fingerprint Readers Work?

Every finger has miniscule ridges which create unique patterns. If you swipe your finger on the surface of the fingerprint reader, these ridges are “read” by a scanner and turned into binary code (0s and 1s). The more miniscule the ridges, the better the scan resolution. Usually said resolution is around 500 DPI (dots per inch), one CD has about 700-800 DPI while good scanners can go up to 4000 DPI. A higher resolution means that it will be more likely for your phone to correctly identify your fingerprints.

Best laptop with Fingerprint readers usually store this data in a secured place within your smartphones memory where it cannot be accessed from outside under any circumstances unless you give permission–this makes it impossible for someone else to access or view your fingerprint data and use it without your permission. The only way to access the binary code is with a private key (password).

Fingerprints Are Unique To Every Person

Every person has unique fingerprints, even if they look very similar. Of course some people’s prints might be more “distinct” than others’, but it is theoretically possible to match any finger on earth with another (unless you lost a finger or had one amputated). So, don’t worry about always swiping the same finger on the reader: every time you touch it, it will recognize you. You can even swipe different fingers! It does not matter at all. It just knows that a finger is touching its surface and reads whatever ridges are passing by.

How Can I Set Up My Fingerprint Reader?

Setting up your fingerprint reader is very easy. When you first turn on your phone, it will most likely prompt you to set up a biometric lock (fingerprint scanner) or use some sort of password/PIN/pattern instead. Swipe down the notification shade and tap “Screen security” (or something similar). The exact wording might be different depending on which device you are using. Then follow the instructions on how to set it up properly. Try swiping every finger you have several times so that it can learn what each print looks like! You will see messages like “The scan was successful!” when everything goes well. If not, try again! It might take a few tries to get it right!

External Fingerprint Readers

External fingerprint readers are those you attach to your door and use as a key. They come in two varieties: swipe and touch sensors.

Swipe sensors require you to swipe your finger across the reader so it can record and read your fingerprint on its own. You don’t have to press any buttons on the device itself, just move your finger back and forth on top of it.

Touch sensors on the other hand detect capacitance (the ability for certain objects to store electric/magnetic energy). To scan with this type of sensor, you need to place your finger on top of it and press down slightly before lifting it off again; usually there is a button that needs to press first, but there might also be an NFC tag that you tap while holding down the button.

Touch sensors have a higher resolution and will always scan your finger correctly regardless of how much moisture/oil it has, or if you’ve eaten some garlic. They are more expensive though. Also, swipe sensors do not require batteries!

Facts About Fingerprint Readers

  • You can enable/disable the recognition of your fingerprint at any time you want. It will still work with your PIN, pattern or password! You just won’t be able to unlock it using just your finger anymore (you’ll have to use one of the other three security measures).
  • The location where you set up the biometric lock is irrelevant. The area where you touch on the reader does not matter in any way ! It would not even matter if there were some soda spilled all over it: it will still recognize your fingerprints correctly every single time you scan your finger(s)!
  • Fingerprint readers do NOT store pictures of your fingerprints. They only create a unique code out of them and store that instead. That code is then compared to the one that came from your finger, and if it matches, you can access your phone.
  • Fingerprint readers aren’t perfect. It’s possible for someone to make a fake fingerprint that will fool it into reading it as yours! So always use a PIN, password or pattern as well! This is why I recommend using a PIN/password/pattern even if you set up a fingerprint reader. It adds an extra security step so no one can get past all three of them without knowing at least one of them.

Conclusion

Fingerprints are important for people who tend to misplace their phones. If you drop your phone at the wrong place, someone might pick it up and access all of your personal stuff! Fingerprint readers are only one extra layer of security though. I hope this article was helpful for you guys