Smart & Wired: Home Safe
05/01/2008
Upon walking into the show house built by Los Angeles–based Strategically Armored and Fortified Environments (SAFE), one does not immediately notice the myriad of safety features, and that’s just what its creators intended. Though it is chock-full of the most cutting-edge security technology, it only scratches the surface of what is currently available to homeowners seeking the ultimate in protection.One such offering is perimeter detection—an invisible 10-foot-wide, six-foot-high magnetic field—that, combined with cameras, microphones and television screens, lets viewers see, speak and deal with intruders. Any home’s exterior and doors can be reinforced to stop bullets. SAFE cores lock down entire areas when an intrusion is detected, and there are also ways to completely disable intruders who get past these highly fortified areas, says Al V. Corbi, the company’s president who was once a lead designer for the U.S. Department of Justice.
All of these systems respond without human intervention, but a new addition to the arsenal changes this paradigm. SAFE recommends new biometric technology from security manufacturer Privaris that ultimately puts control of the home into an owner’s hands—literally.
Biometric technology uses physical traits such as fingerprints, faces, retinas and voices to establish identity. The Privaris plusID uses fingerprints as a "key" that can open windows and gates, and allow entry into secure areas, such as a computer or server. This small handheld device has four buttons and a fingerprint reader. The fingerprint data is stored on the wireless device—not a database. As the user walks around the home, he or she can press specific buttons to activate any door reader.
"For the first time ever, if you lose your access device, who cares? No one else can use it," says Corbi. "Not to mention that you don’t need 20 keys anymore, and you can set it up for multiple fingers for different homes or areas."
Another benefit: There’s a panic setting, so if someone grabs you and tells you to open a door, you can push an alternate button—which will open the door and set off a silent alarm and a tactical system that can take the perpetrator down once you walk through a doorway. "The bad guy will be miserable for about 24 hours, and he will be in a lot of trouble," notes Corbi.
Despite the fact that it is a relatively new security phenomenon, biometrics has been around for years. Working technology has been available for decades, but it hasn’t taken off as expected for a variety of reasons, says Corbi. Most important, it has lacked the reliability necessary for a security product. For example, a 2005 study from the United Kingdom found that the technology often faltered if environmental conditions weren’t perfect, results that have been duplicated in the real world, says Corbi. "Retinal detection and facial scans don’t like colds or pregnancy," he explains. Fingerprint technology, in the distant past, had problems when moisture or direct sunlight was introduced. "False positives are unacceptable in the world of security," adds Corbi.
Then, there has been the form factor issue. Utilizing traditional wall-mounted biometric readers has typically required the installation of power and networking, which involves drilling and mounting labor. And they called attention to themselves, says John Petze, chief executive officer of Privaris. "The fixed, mounted readers didn’t work well in the outdoor environment and if your entry has beautiful marble, oops, sorry, we have to drill a bit, OK?," he says. "The new biometric technology has nothing to install. It works with standard systems that are already in place."Furthermore, home networking and other technology simply wasn’t there to support biometrics, says Bill Spence of Albuquerque-based biometrics supplier Lumidigm. "Now, in high-end homes, you’re finally looking at more robust access control situated throughout the buildings. In the past, companies have tried to focus on lowering costs, but by doing so they sacrificed quality," says Spence, who provides biometric technology to "a large Orlando-based theme park."
The final piece of the puzzle is the fact that homeowners are feeling comfortable with biometrics and are requesting it. Previously, consumers worried about having their fingerprints or faces squirreled away in a large database that could, theoretically, be accessed by anyone. The newer technologies that store fingerprints locally do away with this worry. In fact, a recent study by fingerprint biometrics supplier AuthenTec showed that more than 77 percent of Americans are ready and willing to use fingerprint sensors as part of their day-to-day activities; 68 percent say they trust fingerprint biometrics more than traditional passwords.
Indeed, says Spence, this is why many biometrics companies are working with Microsoft, for example, and making it possible for their authentication devices to create a cryptographic certificate. By doing so, they remove the need for passwords, which can be written down and lost (then possibly found by the wrong person) or simply forgotten. You can purchase biometric access equipment specifically for computers and storage devices, even if you don’t want to overhaul your entire home. Companies such as Fujitsu, DigitalPersona and BioCert have products you can install or take with you from computer to computer.
"Remember, there’s more than just your front door to protect," says Spence. "Biometrics will keep growing to log into all kinds of applications, including high-end banking transactions."
Adds Corbi: "In today’s world, the safety of one’s family is no longer an assurance, but rather a proactive pursuit that can only be attained through careful planning."
SAFE, 323.822.9520, www.safenvironments.com
Privaris, 866.213.8252,
www.privaris.com
Lumidigm, 505.272.7084, www.lumidigm.com
AuthenTec,
www.authentec.com