Biometric Deadbolts
What was once a staple of futuristic and top secret companies movies has been entered for sale on the public market. Biometric locks were always apart of those sci-fi compounds and high-class government buildings in the films and television shows we watch, now you can own one for you own home. They range from the moderately priced to the fancy and expensive. But as usual, it is assumed that you get what you pay for. The better the quality of lock, the better it will be able to scan your fingerprint.
Most of the units do still employ standard keys as a backup, because these are electronic devices, which do fail from time to time. And they run on batteries, so you don’t want to be locked out because the lock’s batteries are dead. Some of the locks feature keypad lock codes as well, but again these rely on there being power to the lock. Depending on which lock you get will determine the number of fingerprints that you can store on it. In addition some locks let you configure levels of access for those prints from full access for you and your family, a one time entry for service technicians, or certain days of the week for scheduled cleaning staff and the like. Overall it is a pretty neat device.
Security may be at risk, since someone just needs your finger. And since many of the locks still employ keys, they can potentially be picked. At this point the pros outweigh the cons, and this is a viable new form of home locks.
Here is a clip demonstration a fingerprint scanning deadbolt lock.