What are biometric safes? Biometric safes use some form of physical attribute that is unique to the individual to grant access to the safe. The most common type uses a person’s fingerprint as that physical attribute. We all know fingerprints are unique, so a safe equipped with a fingerprint scanner will only grant access to those people whose fingerprints have been scanned into its database.
Another type of biometric device is a scanner that scans the retina of the eye. This is also unique to every individual. Retinal scanners have not seen widespread use on safes, however, as they are not as convenient as fingerprint scanners. Can you imagine trying to place your eye in front of a floor safe?
Biometric safes are extremely convenient. They can be opened more quickly than any other type of safe, and there are no keys to lose or combinations or PIN numbers to remember. They have other advantages besides their convenience, too. They are also quite versatile. A biometric safe, since it has a small processing unit in it to keep track of the people who have access to it, can perform other functions.
For example, it can give you what is referred to as an audit trail — a list of all the people who have accessed the safe and the time that they accessed it. This can be useful if something turns up missing, or your employees are required to make scheduled deposits. Depending on the safe, this list can either be viewed on a built-in display, or printed out by connecting the safe to a personal computer.
If you are in the market for a biometric safe, make sure you check whether it is burglary and fire rated to provide the most security for your valuables. A typical burglary rating would be, for example, a UL TL 30 rating. This rating means that a professional locksmith, with common locksmithing tools (including power tools like electric drills), was unable to open the safe in a period of 30 minutes or less. That makes for a pretty secure safe, as most burglars are not going to spend that amount of time in your home or business — they rely on a quick in and out.
Fire ratings are usually expressed as an amount of time as well. For example, a 1 hour fireproof rating means that the safe has been tested to withstand the effects of a 1700 degree F fire, for a period of 1 hour, and that the temperature inside the safe did not rise above 350 degrees F. This is a low enough temperature to keep from permanently damaging the contents of the safe. In addition, water and chemicals were used to put out the fire while the humidity inside the safe was being measured. The test makes certain that the humidity does not rise to a high enough value that there would be water damage to the contents.
Fire and burglary rated safes are specially constructed to obtain these ratings. They have thicker steel in the walls, use insulating materials to keep the temperature inside the safe low, and have special heavy-duty locking bolts. They also use hardened drill-resistant steel over the locking plates, and special seals around the doors that expand when heated to keep moisture out.
If you’re looking for a biometric safe, be sure and do business with a reputable dealer. And ask them which would be the safe most suited to your purposes. For more information about biometric safes, visit the Vault and Safe website.