Biometric Gun Safe

erco

I'm not a gun guy, so I was intrigued to see this biometric gun safe on Ebay today: http://cgi.ebay.com/GunVault-MVB-500-Biometric-Gun-Safe/330673372852?_trksid=p1468660.m2000037

I'm more interested in the biometric technology behind it, fingerprints & all. Mostly positive reviews at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Gunvault-MVB500-Microvault-Biometric-Pistol/product-reviews/B001UAMZD4/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Anyone here have any experience with a similar item or this technology? What is the means of fingerprint detection, cameras?

bomber

My laptop actually has a fingerprint scanner built into it. I would assume that they use some sort of grid of force/pressure sensors, as a camera requires light to function, it would not work (at least, not very well).

T Chap

http://www.fingerprints.com/en/Products/Modules/FPC-AM3.aspx

I use this device, it does a capacitive measurement, converts the ridges of the fingerprint to an image, then extracts unique points in the fingerprint pattern and stores that info as a 946 byte template in it's flash memory. It can store 990 templates. After storing the template, when the fingerprint is placed on the sensor, it quickly does another image>template and compares the templates to the memory. It can render a response in a second or less. There is a dealer in the US, they sell for around 65.00USD. Extremely consistent reads.

ElectricAye

One thing's fer sure. Retinal scans won't work if you shoot your eye out, kid.

Gadgetman

I wouldn't trust a Biometric safe further than I could throw it!

fingerprint scanning is too easy to fake, or it's bl**dy impossible to get a correct scan.
And one review of the mentioned safe...
http://www.amazon.com/review/RF1W27LRL9WMH/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#RF1W27LRL9WMH

besides, didn't the Mythbusters crack open a doorlock with fingerprint sensor?

Retina scans aren't much better...
A story that 'goes around' in the security business(I heard it at HackCon one year) was that a German company decided to go for retina scanners on all their doors because they didn't want the problem of people misplacing swipe cards or the mess of fingerprint scanners in wintertime...
It all worked well for a couple of months... Then there was a big shindig, lots of alcohol, partying, late night...
And NONE of the partygoers could enter the buildings the next day...

If you want a safe you can open relatively quickly without a key, get one with a keypad!
In addition, reinforce the doors, shatterproof glass in ground floor windows(feel free to plant rosebushes under windows... ) and generally build TIME into the 'outer security' first.

bsnut

I'm more interested in the biometric technology behind it, fingerprints & all

Busch Gardens (the amusement park) have fingerprint scanning technology in there turnstiles for years. The way it works is you scan your barcode that is on the ticket and then you place your finger on the scanner and when it's done reading your fingerprint the gate opens up. Their goal is to match the park goer fingerprint with the ticket that they have bought and it is also used for reentry to the park.

sylvie369

I was surprised to find fingerprint scanners on the storage lockers at Chicago's Union Station when I took a train through last December. The machines were quite old, so apparently they've been doing that way for years. In fact the machine broke down when I was there (for the guy in front of me), but it was the software hanging when he'd scanned his credit card, and had nothing to do with the biometric scanner (which I did see working properly for quite a few people while I was waiting there).

skylight

I have two Bioguard Biosafe biometric fingerprint units one is Wifi and the other is ethernet(320 and 340) though both can be used stand alone, thery are very accurate and can store thousands of prints,with circuitry to identify whether prints are from genuine living tissue or fake, they have outputs to control locks etc

Supplier for Austria and Turkey but has a range of brochures for the different products:

http://www.unidost.com/bio-guard.html

The main site is here:

http://www.bio-guard.co.il/

They both have RFID built into the sensor and come with tags so you can use them as just RFID or just Fingerprint or both Fingerprint and RFID for added security. Enrolment can be done either through PC with the included Bioguard software or with the included RFID tags+fingerprint sensor.
The software is excellent and allows amongst other things the ability to timestamp a user so allowing for timesheet applications.

glueckm

Hi T Chap,

I know it's quite an old post I reply to. But I have got my hands on and FPC-AM3 fingerprint sensor but I don't have access to the developer site and I'm missing the information about the CRC algorithm used by that chip.
By any chance, do you have that information?

Thanks,
Martin

T Chap wrote: »

http://www.fingerprints.com/en/Products/Modules/FPC-AM3.aspx

I use this device, it does a capacitive measurement, converts the ridges of the fingerprint to an image, then extracts unique points in the fingerprint pattern and stores that info as a 946 byte template in it's flash memory. It can store 990 templates. After storing the template, when the fingerprint is placed on the sensor, it quickly does another image>template and compares the templates to the memory. It can render a response in a second or less. There is a dealer in the US, they sell for around 65.00USD. Extremely consistent reads.