[Uncle Skeleton]

I'm considering getting my condo a biometric door lock/deadbolt. Half because I think my lock might have been picked a few weeks ago (nothing lost but pride), and half so I won't have to carry a key, and half just to stick it to the condo board for wanting everyone's doors to look the same. And half because it would look cool. I figure I should change the locks anyway (I haven't since moving in), and the cost of that might as well offset something to satisfy my inner geek. Anyway, google turns up about 4 acceptable products, but no first hand accounts of people who've actually used them. Any thoughts?

Here are the links I've found, just to save you about 4 seconds:
http://www.smarthome.com/5161.html <-- looks the cleanest I think
http://www.axxisbiometrics.com/products/TS370A.cfm <-- lowest price
http://www.fingerprintdoorlocks.com/...L250/DL250.php <-- most ugly, but seems to have pin+print option
http://lock-depot.com/Scripts/prodVi...?idproduct=219 <-- mechanical key override + latch
http://www.biometricsdirect.com/Products/FA/FS-100.htm <-- ditto

Others I found seemed overpriced or underfeatured.

[nonhuman]

Half... half... half... half...

Wow, you really want that door lock.

[alligator]

I've wanted one too, but I've heard bad things about a few of them. I'm not sure which ones are bad though - I guess I'm holding off because I'd like them to prove themselves first. Get one with a roller print reader, not one with a fingerprint pad. The pad ones can sometimes be faked with a gummy bear and residual oil on the pad.

[ManOfSteal]

I always leave my door open for security reasons.

[budster101]

Double-take. Right. In case anyone wants to get out right?

[Captain Obvious]

why not just get a number lock with a 5 digit code?
I will stick to my keys and having a doorman downstairs though. Biometric doesn't look reliable at this stage and at those price points. I am sure a good one would run you thousands. Not worth the cost.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by ManOfSteal

I always leave my door open for security reasons.

Elaine: Your...door was open
Crazy Joe Davola: I like to encourage intruders

Get one with a roller print reader, not one with a fingerprint pad. The pad ones can sometimes be faked with a gummy bear and residual oil on the pad.

Really? Cause I thought that gummi bear story was about lifting someone's print from somewhere else and then using gelatin (what gummi bears are made from, not actual gummi bears) to mold a copy onto a fake finger, then use that. I figure if someone is going to target me from their bat cave they can just as easily break a window. Plus I can keep a wet nap dispensor near the reader, if the danger is really the way you describe it. Anyway, got a link?

I really wish my condo allowed pets...big mean ones with teeth and something to prove....

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by Captain Obvious

why not just get a number lock with a 5 digit code?

I would if it was a house, but in the condo they require the manager to be able to open it in case of emergency, and I'm not having some old person writing down my code all over the place just so they can remember it, then anyone who comes to visit them can see it and copy it without anyone knowing it was leaked... at least with a key you usually know when it's been compromised.

Some of the units do have the option to require both a print and a code. I can't remember which ones though.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by nonhuman

Half... half... half... half...

Wow, you really want that door lock.

One of my ongoing projects is to establish the word "half" as a replacement for "partly," which I don't care for. I encourage everyone to join me. Also it's from another seinfeld episode (but I'm not a seinfeld fanatic, I'm really not)

[moonmonkey]

Thumbprints can be faked, i used to have a with a fingerprint scanner.

It worked well, but you can copy prints with rubber cement.

[budster101]

I'll do it if everyone will do it, but only expect a half-hearted effort...

[mitchell_pgh]

I wouldn't mind a keypad... but the thumb thing is dumb.

[budster101]

I want a retinal scanner thingy that comes out of the door grabs your head like in "Charlie's Angels II"...
Plus a full hand print scanner, and that breath scanner in "ALIEN RESSURECTION".

http://www.foxhome.com/alienlegacy/h...es_frames.html

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by budster101

breath scanner

One that won't let you in if you're too drunk, or not drunk enough?

If they make a lip scanner like the one Zapp Brannigan has to kiss to activate, I'll get one of those.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh

I wouldn't mind a keypad... but the thumb thing is dumb.

Is that assessment based on security, fashion or convenience?

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by moonmonkey

It worked well, but you can copy prints with rubber cement.

Care to elaborate? Copy them off your finger, or off the device, or off anything you touch?

[Uncle Skeleton]

Damn, well I found one that allows requiring both PIN and print, but it has no deadbolt (and doesn't seem to be available yet anyway)

http://www.biolockman.com/brass_fing...t_lock_la9.php

[JoshuaZ]

OVERKILL. Seriously.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ

OVERKILL. Seriously.

Thanks for your input, but the same is often said about buying a Mac, when you could get a "good enough" PC for a third of the price. But somehow, we all went with the mac... it is a puzzlement.

[JoshuaZ]

I've always been one to say that while I love high tech stuff, technology is to make your life easier. Sometimes you can make something too high tech. Overkill. if you can make something much easier by going low tech, why not.

Such as the power seat adjustment in my parents new car. Its slow, and I can't wait for the little motors to go out. The few times I've driven it I keep thinking how my 1988 Honda can change its seat to any position in 2 seconds thanks to a couple of leavers and the power of my legs.

Thats the point I was getting at.

[Uncle Skeleton]

So how would this be harder than keys? (I hate carrying keys around. also I believe my current lock has already been picked after only living here 2 months)

And if you're referring to keypads, how do you suggest I prevent my code from getting out, given that I have to have the condo manager know it, and she's sure as heck not going to commit it to memory?

[JoshuaZ]

Nothing is thief proof. if someone really wants in your place, they can always kick down the door.

[Uncle Skeleton]

But that doesn't mean I have to leave the proverbial keys in the lock. And the question remains, what about this option is harder than keys? Basically, what does your analogy suggest I do instead?

[JoshuaZ]

Really, do what ever makes you feel safe. Thats what really matters in the long run.

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ

Nothing is thief proof. if someone really wants in your place, they can always kick down the door.

Josh is exactly right. You can have the best lock in the world on your door, but if your door frame consists of weak, worn wood, that expensive lock can be as ineffective as a piece of tape.

[iLikebeer]

I've always thought it would be really cool to make your own lock that maybe can't even be seen from outside the door. There was a MacGuyver episode where a bunch of college geniuses had a competition where they competed to pick each other's locks quicker. Maybe you could use a garage door opener connected to a motor, or a keyless entry system adapted from cars, or a magnet that would lift a cotter pin out of a deadbolt so you could slide it. You could give your apt. manager the extra remote or show him how to do the magnet.

Besides, building a one of a kind like that would surely satisfy your inner geek more as well as being safer than a commercially available product that thieves know how to bypass.

[milhous]

doors like the ones in star trek next generation would be nice. two half doors fully recessed into the door jam while making the airlock sound would be phenomenal. if the door is forced open, a force field would be erected.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by iLikebeer

I've always thought it would be really cool to make your own lock that maybe can't even be seen from outside the door.... a keyless entry system adapted from cars, or a magnet that would lift a cotter pin out of a deadbolt so you could slide it. You could give your apt. manager the extra remote or show him how to do the magnet.

This is interesting, but I can't think of a way to make it more than simple security-by-obscurity. I think it would still require a (hidden) keypad or other sensor, and I can't think of a good way to hide it. Also, one of the main selling points for me is the keyless part, and that excludes having a remote to carry around and remember, plus I'm not too keen on the security of remote, couldn't they be cracked pretty quickly with an RF blaster or whatever they're called? Anyway, I'm targetting keycode/fingerprint so you can't get locked out, so if you have a good method for stealthifying one of those it would be most welcome.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Ok so I went ahead and bought the one from my 3rd link, after confirming with sales that the 30 day return option was legit, and after about 15 minutes with it it became clear to me that the deadbolt is not designed to be locked from the outside. You can UNlock it from the outside with your fingerprint (the mechanism is such that when unlocked the handle opens both latch and deadbolt, and when locked it won't turn), and you can lock or unlock from the inside, but that's it.

So my curiosity is killing me: who would ever want a deadbolt but only want it locked when they are on the inside?

[TubaMuffins]

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton

So my curiosity is killing me: who would ever want a deadbolt but only want it locked when they are on the inside?

turn it around