Chris Pollack hates carrying keys. So during the yearlong gut remodel and expansion of the Greenwich, Conn., home he bought for $1.825 million in 2012, Mr. Pollack built a new entryway with a biometric access system: a wall-mounted Suprema BioLite fingerprint reader with a glowing scanner that cost about $2,500 to install.
“It’s almost instantaneous—you put your finger on the sensor and within a second it triggers the lock,” said Mr. Pollack, 49, managing partner of Pollack+Partners, which builds and oversees high-end residential projects. “It’s much easier than using a key. And I don’t like to have things in my pockets.”
Biometric technologies such as fingerprint locks and facial-recognition systems have made the leap from spy movies and high-security institutions to the home. Beyond the sci-fi cool, biometric design features offer the promise of a frictionless lifestyle where you need never fumble for house keys or even a smartphone app.
More sophisticated biometric access systems are being integrated into new builds, said Chris Falkenberg, president of Insite Risk Management, which provides advanced security services for private clients. Commercial-grade systems—which can cost as much as $30,000 to install—have the capability to track, log and regulate the visits of anyone whose fingerprints give them access to the home, such as a housekeeper or nanny. “You can disable their biometric access outside of work hours,” Mr. Falkenberg said.
Article by Amy Gammerman is excerpted from The Wall Street Journal
Photo: Kelly Marshall for The Wall Street Journal.