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January 19, 2012 20:31 
New Page 1
Over the past few years, one has often heard about the advantages of
Biometric systems and the predicted death of the RFID card based systems.
Suppliers and installers alike will go on about the virtues of fingerprint
readers, and will list a bunch of reasons as why one shouldn’t use card
readers.
Certainly, card based systems do have their faults. When discussing RFID
systems, one will hear comments like : “Cards can be lost or stolen” or
“Cards can be copied” or “cards can be giving to a colleague to allow him to
clock in for you” or “RFID is an old technology” . While these statements
are all true, the card reader still has its place.
It is certainly interesting to note that even as fingerprint readers have
become cheaper and more popular, the RFID systems are still selling
extremely well, and are often the system of choice in new installations
around the world. Why, in light of the acknowledged weaknesses, would card
systems still be so popular? There are a number of very valid reasons to
consider RFID:
Maturity : RFID systems have been around for few decades now. These are
systems that have been developed and refined over time as manufacturers
strive to keep ahead of the competition. At the same time people are
familiar with the use of the cards, and are generally satisfied with the
operation, speed and reliability of these systems.
Cost : In the past few years, card readers have become cheaper and more
prolific as the manufacturers in Asia flood our markets with various
options. The price of readers and of cards/tags has dropped over the past
few years, making affordable systems easily attainable.
Legacy : Many large card systems have been installed. In many cases it is
cheaper and easier to upgrade or expand these systems, rather than throwing
out a working system. These systems may be fulfilling the client’s needs
adequately, and the users are familiar with the use and operation of the
system. Retraining can also be a costly and time-consuming exercise that the
client may want to avoid!
Environment : Even with the rapid advances that are taking place in
Biometric technologies, there are still environments where they may not
work. In most cases RFID will work well in these situations. Fingerprint
readers often struggle to identify people in harsh industrial and mining
environments. In many factories and engineering business, people always have
dirty or greasy hands – this makes fingerprint identification very
difficult, with a high rate of false rejection. The same applies to the
mining and the building industries, where constant handling of abrasive
materials, may wear-down the fingerprint and, coupled with fine dust that
gets embedded in the remaining fingerprint ridges, identification may become
impossible!
Enrolment : Many people struggle to get a good, initial enrolment on a
fingerprint reader. The enrolment is a critical part of the operation of the
system. If you can’t be enrolled properly, then it is highly unlikely that
the fingerprint reader will recognise you. If one person cannot be enrolled
successfully, then the whole system is compromised. In an RFID system, card
enrolment is simple and reliable every time! This means that people can move
through the doors almost unimpeded. False card reads are almost zero! Also,
cards can be enrolled on an RFID system, without having to take the person
away from his work.
So, while RFID may be older technology, and while biometrics may well
dominate the future, there are still a lot of reasons to consider an RFID
system. Speak to your client and get a good understanding of his
requirements now and for the future. RFID may just be the option for you! |
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