Smart & Wired: Home Safe
May 1, 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."
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