Biometric technology is built into pretty much all aspects of our lives these days with most of us using fingerprint or facial recognition to unlock our phones multiple times per day.

The technology has become so common that it is easy to overlook quick how remarkable it is, or the number of different uses it can have.

One area in which biometrics are becoming more and more important is in the security industry in the form of biometric access control providing a far more secure and reliable alternative to traditional lock and key, key card, or keypad entry systems.

The term biometric access control probably isn’t one you come across every day but you have almost certainly used it in the past, especially if you have been on holiday in recent times and travelled through airport security.

In this guide we will look not only at when biometric access control can do, but also how it works and the benefits of installing such a system on your property.

How does biometric access control work?

Biometric access control systems use the unique features of our appearance to identify us and trigger a certain pre-set response. Basically, it will automatically decide whether to grant or deny access to a certain door, system, or device based on things such as our fingerprints, faces, or retina.

Biometric systems were developed to provide a more secure alternative to existing access control where ID cards or a keycode would be used to gain access. These systems have their place and were cutting edge in their time but were far from fool proof.

Key cards could be stolen, keycodes could be guessed or revealed without permission and neither truly confirmed the identity of the person using them to gain access.

The true benefit of biometrics is that they can’t be replicated and are truly unique to one single individual. Faking biometrics is incredible difficult and pretty much mission impossible, whatever the latest spy film might tell you.

What are the benefits of biometric access control?

There are plenty, and it is no fluke that these systems now dominate the security industry and are considered the go-to choice for companies serious about protecting their assets.

Just a few of the biggest benefits of biometric access control include:

Unique characteristics

Biometric characteristics are some of the very few things you can say are turly unique about the people attempting to access your property and one of the only ways to confirm their identity beyond doubt.

Eliminate human error

No matter how effective your human security guards may be they can never be 100% accurate when manually checking ID cards. A fake ID doesn’t work on a biometric scanner, eliminating that margin for error no matter how small that margin may be.

Keep certain areas secure

The beauty of biometric access control systems is that you can programme them to allow certain individuals access to certain areas, but not others. This gives you complete control over who can be where and when and adds additional security to key areas.