Have you ever been stranded at your door probably after losing key to your house? Trying to figure out how to break the lock but in vain. These agonies are now coming to an end. Thanks to the digital locks that work based on user’s biometrics. Walking with your keys on the key-holder is now outdated. The world is moving pretty fast robbing us off our old habits. There are people who do not feel comfortable without having key-holders in their pockets. They have no option other than adopting new norms. Digital locks are replacing padlocks at an alarming rate. We are going to learn how digital locks work to enhance security of your homestead.
Fingerprint access control lock
Digital locks are designed to open and close doors based on the user’s biometrics fed into its database management system (DBMS). The entire lock system consists of microcontroller, lock, scanners, biometric system and the surveillance system. The microcontroller links the digital lock fixed on the door to other devices such as scanners, biometric system and the surveillance system. It is the central processing unit of the entire system. It receives instructions from the user-end to either lock or open the door. To implement those instructions, it sends signals to the lock to comply with the user’s request. The lock complies by either opening or closing the door. The biometric system collects the biometrics of the user and send them to the database for storage. These biometrics are fingerprints, voice and facial recognition. Iris can also be scanned for unique identification and the data is stored in the database. Passwords are also created and stored in the system. These are the needed gate pass when requesting for an entry. The scanners are normally used for scanning purposes before granting access to the premise. Moreover, the surveillance system incorporated within the system also aids in the overall security. It captures the image of possible intruders and send the notification message to the owner of the house. These messages include the captured videos and images of that intruder.
The owner or the occupant of the house fitted with digital locks is capable of authorizing access using his or her cellphone at any place. For example, when there is a visitor at the door whose biometrics are not in the system, he or she can open the door for that visitor through his or her cellphone. This possible due to the installation of an app interfaced with the lock system. This app communicates with the database management system and the microcontroller. It has a good user-interface that is very friendly. Every time a person whose biometrics have been inserted into the system wants to enter the house, he or she has to provide his or her biometrics. He or she has to press his or her thumbs on the scanner situated close to the lock for fingerprints confirmation. The Scanner sends the signal to the microcontroller, which reacts by accessing the database to find out if those fingerprints match any fingerprint stored in there. If there is a match, the door opens granting access. If there is no match, the door remains closed. The person gets an alert message that he or she is not an authorized user. The person is only given three attempts. In those attempts, he or she can opt to have his or her iris scanned, enter his or her password, have his or her face scanned or provide his or her vocals. The decision squarely rests on him or her. If all these three attempts fail, he or she is barred from entering his or her biometrics. If he or she tries, the surveillance system turns on the security alarm and sends the signal to the occupant on possible security threat. The occupant with security lock app installed on his or her phone is the administrator with the right to add and remove biometrics from the system.
The advantages of using this system are as follows:
1. It improves the security of a house by ensuring that only authorized people are allowed to access the premise. The surveillance system also alerts you when there is an intruder around.
2. It eliminates the risks associated with losing keys. It only accepts biometrics getting rid of keys.
3. It is more efficient. The system is very fast especially if the biometrics match.
4. The system is automated making it more future oriented.
The disadvantages of this system are as follows:
1. The system can fail resulting to unexpected inconveniences.
2. Installation of the entire system is expensive due to all the technicalities involved.
3. The database can be corrupted resulting to loss of biometrics that can cause system failure.
4. Biometrics can be wrongly captured in the system. This can result into access denial.
Digital locks are the best and most secured locks compared to the key and padlock locks. They are widely used in private homes where security is highly needed.
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