Had to choose between a biometric lock and a simple keypad for my home office door last month, picked the fingerprint scanner and now I'm locked out because my thumb is sweaty from watering plants.

The sensor reads my wet thumb as a completely different person and I've been sleeping on the couch for three nights waiting for the backup code to reset - has anyone else had their smart lock reject them over something dumb like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim.stella10d ago

You picked the fingerprint scanner and now you're locked out because your thumb is sweaty." That's exactly the kind of thing people warned you about, right? I don't get the appeal of biometric locks for most people. They look cool in ads, but real life is sticky fingers, wet hands, and smudged sensors. A keypad has its own issues, sure, but at least you can wipe it off and try again. Now you're stuck on the couch for three nights because a sensor decided your thumb is a stranger. That's not a smart lock, that's a dumb one. Maybe rethink the whole thing.

the_evan10d ago

Friend of mine had the exact same thing happen... he got one of those fancy fingerprint locks for his back door and it worked great for about a week. Then he came home from the gym with sweaty hands and the thing just refused to read his thumb, even after he dried it off on his shirt. @kim.stella hit the nail on the head about real life being sticky fingers and smudged sensors. He ended up having to climb through a bathroom window and broke the latch, which cost him more than the lock itself. Keypads might have their quirks but at least you can wipe them clean and punch in the code again.

hayes.elliot10d ago

Read somewhere that even the police have trouble with those fingerprint scanners on their phones half the time. Seems like a lot of faith to put in a sweaty thumb working every single time.