The Benefits of a Finger Reader

!±8± The Benefits of a Finger Reader

A finger reader is a kind of device utilized to verify the identity of a person. Normally, these fingerprint readers check the fingerprint of a person and compare the live print with the features of the stored copy. These devices are utilized in computer security, building access as well as law enforcement. Various kinds of technologies are utilized in these devices that provide several weaknesses and strengths to operate as identity authentication devices.

Features contained in our fingerprints

Our fingerprints contain various kinds of features that can be identified and these features are used by these devices to compare the live fingerprints with the recorded one. The crinkles in our fingerprints generally form a pattern from three distinct known patterns. The ridges and arches enter to our finger from a side, in the middle it rises and exits from the other side of the finger. These ridges enter the loop around the finger and also exit from the same side.

Minutiaes and ridge-endings

Minutiaes are the individual ridges that show specific features. Ridge-endings are those ridges, which end suddenly without touching nearby ridges. When a ridge rips into two that is called bifurcation, like these features the possibilities of combinations of fingerprint features are very large, and the most amazing thing is that fingerprints of different people never match.

The sensor and the touch surface

A finger reader utilizes a sensor to check someone's fingerprint. Sensors of these devices act similar to the digital cameras and record the visible light. These finger readers have a touch surface that is used to take the print of the fingers. These devices use an optical sensor and so the flat surface and the fingers should be very clean while taking the print. These finger readers can be fooled by an image of a fingerprint, so it is not a completely trustworthy device.

Ultrasonic sensor

One more type of sensor used in a finger reader is the ultrasonic sensor. These sensors reflect sound waves of high frequency to the finger's dermal layer to create an image. As the outer layer of our fingers shows the same print as it is from inside, therefore these sensors do not require much cleaning while taking the fingerprint.

Computer processing of data

When fingerprint data is collected by the sensor, it is then stored on a computer. Normally, a computer program is utilized with the finger reader to recognize the ridges automatically. This program determines how many ridges are there and compares the features of the live print with the recorded one, it also counts the quantity of ridges between each minutiae. Apart from this, a member of staff can also check the fingerprints visually, to make the fingerprint checking more subtle.

The Benefits of a Finger Reader

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How a Fingerprint Reader Works

!±8± How a Fingerprint Reader Works

Has this ever happened to you? You haven't been to a website in a few weeks and you just can't remember the password and now you have to go back through your email and fish it out. Or, do you do this major no no of security? Use the same username and password for every website and application you can.

It's time you tried a password storing finger print reader. Basically all consumer finger print readers work the same; you install the software and connect the fingerprint device. You then install the fingerprint reader into an available USB port, scan your finger (usually the right index finger), and now as you surf the web the software will ask you if you want to store the user id and password associated with that site.

Now the fun part, once you visit that site again in the future all you need to do is place your finger on the reader and it fills in those pesky user id and password fields for you. No need to ever forget or use the same password again.

So how does this all work?

Before we start it's good to know that this technology exists because we all have our own uniquely identifiable piece of information, our finger prints. While our forerunners did not develop this adaptation for password protection, more for gripping and holding, it's a nice side effect. Since each set of fingerprints in developed in its own way through thousands if not millions of environmental factors there is almost no chance that anyone has, has ever had or will ever had the same fingerprint as you; even if you are an identical twin.

So now the fingerprint reader just has to scan your finger and make sure all the ridges match, sounds easy right? Well, it does take a quite of bit of technology to actually make it work. First the scanner uses either an optical or capacitance scanner to take a "picture" of your finger using either light or electricity respectably.

They then "read" if what it's looking at is a ridge or valley and uses your computers processing power to compare the captured fingerprint with the fingerprints on file, from setup, in your system. They do this by using very complex algorithms and focusing in on the very fine parts of your actual fingerprint and comparing specific features called minutiae.

The scanner doesn't take your whole fingerprint into account when making a match; it just has to find some parts that match both the minutiae and the record of your print on file. Once the threshold of matches is reached voila you have access to that password protected page you wanted and you didn't even have to think about it.

How a Fingerprint Reader Works

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