FINGERPRINT SENSOR LOCKS— THE NEW TECHNOLOGY IS BETTER
I found the old optical fingerprint lock technology to be unreliable, slow and inconvenient. It made me steer clear of the technology. So, when I saw the fingerprint sensors on the latest latches, dead bolts and padlocks, I was wary. They claimed speed, reliability and security, but it seemed too good to be true. So, I got my hands on a Lockly Secure Pro ($329) and a couple of Tapp padlocks ($39 to $99) to see how well they worked. Here’s what I found.
A LOCK THAT SENSES ELECTRICAL CURRENT
Some fingerprint locks use optical sensors that take an image of your fingerprint. The locks I tested, however, use capacitive fingerprint sensors that collect data about the ridges and valleys of your fingerprint with electrical current.
DOESN'T WORK WITH WATER
All three locks failed to open when wet. The Lockly Secure Pro and the Tapplock Lite wouldn’t open with my hands wet. The Tapplock One+ has an IP67 waterproof rating, meaning it’s temporarily protected when immersed in water. So, I dunked it in water and tested to see if it would open. It did not. Needless to say, opening these locks on rainy days or after a swim would be difficult.
OPENS IN LOW TEMPERATURES
The Lockly Secure Pro and the Tapplock models both opened in freezing temperatures in every test without skipping a beat.
UNLOCKS IN 3 SECONDS OR LESS
These fingerprint scanners are very fast! I did several tests for their speed and consistency, and they passed with flying colors. They usually unlock in about three seconds. It’s satisfying to open a lock without dealing with keys or codes.