Fingerprint Reader - Silly Question

Hi all,

I just ordered a T420 w/o the fingerprint reader. However, as soon as I placed my order, I had a buyer's remorse about not ordering it.

I had a fingerprint reader on my T61 and rarely used it because it was unreliable. Should I call the rep to add it or it's not worth it.

My head tells me it's useless but my heart wants it. I need your help!

 

Trust your rational head.

The T420 is interesting and useful enough without the fingerprint toy, er, reader.

 

I have it on my W520 and haven't bothered to add it. The set up showed me that it didn't read the fingerprint well enough for me to consider it reliable.

The last thing I want is to be locked out of my own laptop. Interestingly enough it appears to me that the FP reader and the code both will open the laptop. So tell me why we use the reader?

Why not just the code?

Perry

 

This X220 is the first laptop I have owned with a fingerprint reader. I am a little leery of the technology too, so to date I have not enabled it. I might try it later.

 

I got one on the T420, it works great, I use it every day.

 

My T61 and T400 both have it. While both have been reliable, I got slower read times after upgrading (clean install) to Windows 7 on my T400. I decided to ditch it for my T420.

Using a secure pass-phrase on Windows really isn't any less secure IMHO. It's not like it isn't possible to break through a Windows account password; countless programs, including open-source ones, exist. It's also possible to wipe a hard drive and start fresh, or (if gaining access to data is the priority) remove the hard drive from a system and read it with another.

I can make it a bit more difficult for someone, but it can't be made impossible short of a fully-encrypted HDD. The reader looks geek-chic, but my $20 was better spent on other features of the laptop I'm getting, like upgrading the wireless card.

 

The fingerprint reader, in my perspective, is just a luxury. It quickly allows you to login without much hassle. For example, you can just swipe your finger to turn your computer on and go get coffee, come back with the computer logging in and finish loading your programs.

You can always input your computer if the fingerprint reader fails. On that note, for the short week I owned the w510, the finger print reader worked really well. I believe it only failed once because my finger was at an angle.

I personally use the FP reader for convenience. I am too lazy to keep typing in my long password.

However, I believe it could potentially be much more trouble than it is worth to change your order now.

 

i'm wondering if the finger print reader bothers your palm while typing?

I too would only use it to log on my computer.

 

This is exactly how I am using it. As soon as the novelty wears off, I will remove it because I am not sure it will remain reliable in the long run. It would be interesting to hear from folks who have used this for a while. Any problems?

 

I have it enabled on my T420, took 5 reads to get reliable first settings, and it has never missed a login scan once.
Use it every day at least 4 or 5 times per day to login.

 

Thanks. But there is also the fact that your T420 is brand new so one would hope it works without any hitch. Has anyone used a FPR for say over 12 months continously?

 

Yep. My T400 was ordered May of 2009. I've been using it regularly with no problems.

My T61 was ordered approximately June-July of 2008; I used it the first year, my SO has used it ever since. No issues for her either. I have two of her fingerprints enrolled, and one of mine in case I ever need to log in to update it for her.

Note --depending on model of ThinkPad, there can be more than one vendor for FP readers. I believe my T61 had a UPEK reader. Some early T400's have a UPEK reader as well, though I believe most (mine included) use one from Authentec.

 

the fp reader on my x201 is much more accurate than the one on my dell, so i actually do use it on the x201, but not on the dell.

i dont have a problem with passwords, its just that when i turn on my computer to demo something to someone its nicer to swipe my finger than do the whole awkward err is that person looking away or should i just type really quick and hope they dont notice my password situation

 

Is it necessary? No. But it's a cool feature to have in my opinion. I love it how I can turn on my laptop just scanning my finger and it bypasses the whole password deal.

 

T420 is UPEK.

dan is right, turning on the computer from a cold boot with just your finger swipe is pretty awesome, not necessary, but awesome. Even my friends who are enamored with iDevices were taken with that feature.

 

I'd say it's not worth going through the trouble for. Personally, I find it a useless feature--it takes me all of 2 seconds to hammer out my password, so it really isn't all that much slower than a fingerprint reader.

Plus, it's not all that secure and can be fooled. Besides, think of this analogy: a house with one door is more secure than an identical house with an extra back door. Adding another way into your computer doesn't make it any more secure.

 

Does Lenovo systems have a BIOS password as well one can activate ? Giving the system even more security if stolen

 

Yes, all Thinkpads have a BIOS supervisor password.

 

How does one find/activate it MidnightSun ?

 

You lost me. How is one door more secure than two?

 

I don't feel like rebooting just yet as I'm in the middle of something, but I believe it's under some security settings in the BIOS Setup Utility (press F1 on boot).

Well, since there's another potential way in
Perhaps I should have said "bank vault" instead of "house."

 

I didn't think the Fingerprint reader on these systems were for "Security" per say bur rather convenience. Using the software you can save all your passwords for banks or whatever there then when you are on the website you just swipe your finger and passwords and put in, keyloggers and over the shoulder spies are instantly defeated.

As for me, there's plenty of times i have food in my hand or my hands are dirty so i don't want to type with those but in most cases my pinky or maybe just my left hand is free so I use that to log in while I continue drinking my coffee or whatever with my right hand.

 

I agree with the people that said the Fingerprint Reader is more of a convenience than added security.

I LOVE my fingerprint reader on my T61, and my X301. I use it everyday. When my friends first saw me use it they thought it was the coolest thing since they saw KITT drive through a brick wall

My next Thinkpad will definitely be ordered with a Fingerprint Reader !

 

"Has anyone used a FPR for say over 12 months continously?"

I have. I have an FPR on a T61 and an FPR is all I've ever used to logon and the T61 is nearly 4 years old. It rarely logs me in when the system is freshly booted the first time. Usually it takes a maximum of about two swipes to log me in.

Renee

 

Using FPR on X301 and it never failed on me.