DIY Security Systems
Present-day security makes use of biometric technology more and more. Even our smartphones can be secured using biometrics. A gun safe is one of the most important things you can own to practice gun safety. For home security products, is a biometric gun safer than a combination lock gun safe? How do biometric gun safes work? I will help you answer these questions and more in this article.
How Biometric Technology Works
To understand how do biometric gun safes work, you need to know how biometric technology works.
Biometrics makes use of the biological or physical characteristics of a person. Biometrics cover fingerprint scanning and retina scanning. Fingerprint scanning is more common and is used by all types of safes, including gun safes.
When you place your finger on the fingerprint scanner, the scanner will take something that is similar to a digital photograph. However, it is much more complex than that. The scanner analyzes the hollows and ridges on the pattern of your finger. Then, a digital record is kept. If the print you provide matches the one your registered, then you can unlock the safe.
We all have different fingerprints, which makes fingerprint scanning such a popular and convenient form of security nowadays.
Why Should You Use a Biometric Gun Safe
If you are still unsure how do biometric gun safes work, then read these benefits of using a biometric gun safe.
- You do not need to remember a combination. With combination locks, you need to remember a number code to unlock the safe. Combinations can be forgotten, which you could resolve by writing the code somewhere. But you may misplace your note or carelessly display the code to others. But, with your fingerprint, people would have to try a little harder to get into your safe.
- You never have to worry about losing a key. If you have a simple lock and key safe, then you have to make sure you have your key at all times and that you are the only one with a copy. Keys can get lost or stolen. With a biometric gun safe, you can be sure that anytime, anywhere, you are the only one with access because nobody else has your fingerprint.
- You get faster access to the inside of your safe. This is especially important for gun safes when you need to get the contents of your safe right away. If you are in an emergency, you may forget a combination or drop your key, which can cost you precious time. With a biometric gun safe, however, the scanner can read your fingerprint in less than a second to give you access to the contents of your gun safe.
- A biometric gun safe allows you to register more than one fingerprint. This means you can use several of your own fingerprints. Even better, you can share access to the safe without having to copy a key or for other people to memorize a combination. If you trust one or two other persons access to your gun safe, you can get them to register their fingerprints any time, and they will have instant access to the contents of the safe.
Overall, a biometric gun safe has plenty of benefits. Practicing gun safety is the most important part of owning a gun. You do not want your weapon to fall into the wrong hands. A child could find or guess the combination or find the key if you use a traditional safe. But with a biometric gun safe, you can rest easy.
There are some disadvantages to a biometric safe you need to consider.
- A biometric safe needs power to work. Biometric safes use electronic scanners to scan fingerprints. Biometric gun safes are usually powered, so you have to monitor the battery power of your gun safe regularly. If the batteries die, then the scanner will not work.
- Like all other forms of technology, fingerprint scanners can come across errors as well. A false scan can occur when the scanner fails to record a fingerprint. This means if an unregistered print is used, the safe will still open. Or, your registered print will somehow not trigger the safe to grant you access.
How to Register Your Biometrics on a Gun Safe
Now that you know how do biometric gun safes work, you can test it out for yourself with your own biometric gun safe. These steps are applicable to Barska brand safes.
Follow these steps to register your fingerprint on your biometric safe:
- Make sure the batteries are installed. If not, insert four functioning AA batteries into the battery compartment.
- When you first use the biometric safe, it is in factory default mode. This means any fingerprint can open the safe.
- Keep the safe door open. Press and release the initialization button.
- Immediately place your finger on the fingerprint scanner. Keep your finger still. You will hear one beep, which means the print has been recognized. Do not remove your finger until you hear two more consecutive beeps.
- You will know if your registration was successful if you heard those three beeps. If you want to register more than one fingerprint, simply repeat the same steps.
Test your fingerprint to double-check the registration was a success. Follow these steps:
- Turn the handle counterclockwise to lock the safe.
- Press and release the wake-up button.
- Place a finger whose print you did not register onto the scanner.
- Turn the handle clockwise. You should not be able to open the vault.
- Press and release the wake-up button.
- Place a finger whose print you did register on the scanner.
- Turn the handle clockwise. The door vault should now be open!
Conclusion
If you store guns in your home, you definitely should keep them in a safe to protect yourself and other people from accidents and mishandling of guns. Traditional safes are fine, but biometric technology these days is more affordable and easy to use for regular homeowners. This article should have answered your question of “how do biometric gun safes work?” and now you are more confident about using a biometric gun safe. Find out more about Biometric Gun Safes