Draft — not published. This outline was written in-house as a starting point, not by GTechno. It carries anoindextag and is excluded from the sitemap. Rewrite it in the company’s voice, then set draft: false in src/lib/posts.ts.
Fingerprint, RFID or PIN: which access method suits you
The three common ways into a digital lock, what each is genuinely good at, and where each one becomes a nuisance.
Most digital locks support several access methods at once. That does not make the choice irrelevant — the method you use daily shapes how the lock feels to live with.
Fingerprint
Nothing to carry, nothing to remember. This is why biometric locks dominate residential sales. The trade-off is that enrolment is per person, so it suits a fixed household better than a rotating set of visitors.
Wet or very dry hands can slow recognition, which is worth knowing if the door is exposed to the weather.
RFID cards and fobs
Cards win wherever the number of people is large or changes often. Issuing a card takes seconds, revoking one takes less, and staff are already used to carrying them.
The obvious weakness is the same as a key: a card can be lent, lost or left at home. The difference is that a lost card is cancelled in seconds rather than requiring a locksmith.
PIN codes
PINs need no hardware at all, which makes them the most flexible option for temporary access — a contractor working for one afternoon, or a guest arriving before you get home.
They are also the easiest to share carelessly. Use temporary or time-limited codes for visitors rather than giving out the household PIN.
In practice, most people use two
A typical household ends up using fingerprint daily and keeping a PIN for guests. An office uses cards daily and keeps a PIN for the handful of people who forget theirs. Choosing a lock that supports both is usually wiser than agonising over which single method is best.