Biometric reader

[AgustusM]

I have been wanting one of these things for a long time, but the one I used years ago did not work very well AND they have been on t expensive side.

Last week I ordered and today I installed this one from APC, and I have to say my initial impressions are extremely good. Installation was a snap and it has been working flawlessly all afternoon – far better then the Norton password manager I was using (which was not biometric, just a password manager)

All that and it is just over $50

http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...ct_code=312088

[Daimyo]

Do you actually use that to log onto your system or is it the type that just manages all your internet passwords for you?

[molson]

I have no idea what that thing does

[Groundhog]

At first I thought this was just a USB drive that needed to be unlocked biometrically to access the data, but it appears it does much more. Can I get a run-down AgustusM?

[AgustusM]

Originally Posted by Daimyo

Do you actually use that to log onto your system or is it the type that just manages all your internet passwords for you?

It does both.

[AgustusM]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

At first I thought this was just a USB drive that needed to be unlocked biometrically to access the data, but it appears it does much more. Can I get a run-down AgustusM?

OK - so biometrically login in isn't really a "new" idea these types of devices have been around for quite awhile. the last time I tested one was maybe 5-7 years ago but it was pricey, I want to say something around $500 - I didn't buy it but I was the IT director at a large company and I was testing them to use for the big wigs as an extra level of security. anyway they never quite worked as advertised and obviously were expensive so in the end we passed and I kind of forget about them for awhile.

2-3 years ago I stumbled upon one and it was cheaper but still over $200 and so I didn't even bother.

last week I stumbled on this one and as it was only $50 I thought I would give it a go.

what I like about it is how simple and easy it is. It has a small little fingerprint reader that connects by cable to USB. the driver loads and then it loads a simple software and makes you take 8 "test" runs to learn your fingerprint and asks for your windows name and password

after that you reboot

at login - instead of entering your info you simply place your finger on the device boom and it logs you in. At its core that is the genesis of these devices and is pretty cool and certainly would have solved my long ago problem.

However what really made this fun was that once I got working anytime I came upon the need for u/n-p/w like on websites - the first time it asked me to touch my finger and provide the info and then every time after that it remembered it for me.

so in one day I went from a locked excel spreadsheet with literally hundreds of u/n-p/w combos to simply touch my finger on a pad - very slick.

one caveat so far - it did not seem to have the ability to enter passwords for my locked excel spreadsheets, but other then that this is a great time saver.

[Groundhog]

Hmm, thanks very much for that. At that price, this may be just what my company is after. We have lots of complaints about the amount of different passwords our staff have to keep (I personally have over 50, the average user about 3 they use frequently, and maybe 1 or 2 not so frequently) and had been looking at a few alternatives. I had assumed something like this would be far more expensive.

[digamma]

I used to put a quarter into the biorhythm machine at the movie theater.

[AgustusM]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Hmm, thanks very much for that. At that price, this may be just what my company is after. We have lots of complaints about the amount of different passwords our staff have to keep (I personally have over 50, the average user about 3 they use frequently, and maybe 1 or 2 not so frequently) and had been looking at a few alternatives. I had assumed something like this would be far more expensive.

I use to use this software for that, but I find this new one much better.
http://www.symantec.com/home_homeoff...s&pvid=npm2004

also, I know for me I still keep my pw protected spreadsheet - there are simply too many passwords to remember and I would hate for this thing to fail or have a problem and not be able to get to my stuff.

[AgustusM]

Originally Posted by digamma

I used to put a quarter into the biorhythm machine at the movie theater.

come on now, you know you saved the quarter for the vibrating beds at cheap motels