If there was ever any question about how accepted biometrics could be by consumers, then the question may have just been answered.
Lock maker Kwikset, known for its off-the-shelf DIY locks for residential applications, announced today the availability of a lockset with biometric functionality.
The company's SmartScan units take a simple, easy-to-use approach to residential security, adding fingerprint sensor and memory of up to 50 approved users to a powered Powerbolt Kwikset lock.
The system is designed for use with both internal and external residential doors, and is battery powered. The SmartScan fingerprint biometric addition places the fingerprint sensor at the base of the otherwise ordinary Powerbolt deadbolt (which can still be operated by key, if preferred). The system is said to use only one battery a year if you're accessing the door 20 times per day.
In a statement about the new product, Eric Lundquist, director of brand marketing for Kwikset, said that Kwikset recognized a changing consumer sentiment about biometric technology.
"Consumer acceptance of biometric technology is accelerating," said Lundquist, who noted that the unit was more compatible with residential design than the commercial-like systems that had preceded it from other vendors.
