Eikon Digital Privacy Manager - USB fingerprint reader

Bought this for my iMac at the advertised price at about $105. Then, I discovered that Fulcrum Biometrics is selling this item for less than $50! I could use one for my MacBook so out of curiosity I ordered one since their picture looked the same. Same exact product! Works well but if your MacBook Pro is encrypted like mine, you have to enter the password on initial logon; afterwards you may use the reader for various system actions such as log on from a log off, restart, shut down, etc. as well as bringing up applications. Does not work with Firefox 19.02 at all. Works well on a Mac for logging on and accessing locked system settings - in other words, it handles anything that requires a system password. It would not work on Firefox 19.0 at all in spite of the plug-in. It did work somewhat on Safari for fundamental log ins such as newspapers but it would not work on financial sites with complex log ins - the FF passwords won't do that either. Considering the limited utility, I did like the opportunity to use mile long alphanumeric passwords granting system access that would be pretty hard to break. Still, I was very disappointed that it did not live up to the hype as far as web logins. It doesn't marry up with 1Password either - they have declined to modify their software for it. Although the price is a little steep for the limited use, I'll keep it for system purposes. That's all it does.

Descriptions and docs say this works with Win 7 64-bit, but it does not. Too bad, it seems like a good quality scanner and the scanner seems to work fine but the software is not compatible with my Win 7 64-bit SP-1 system. I installed the 2009 software from the CD and the then the scanner as instructed. The software loaded and scanned my fingerprints. It seemed to be working fine. Logged off and back on, all fine. Then I rebooted the system and even before windows started the screen gets all messed up with lines and weird characters all over the place. Then windows crashes while trying to boot. Thankfully windows recovery restored my system and removed the scanner software but it looked bad for a while. This does not appear to be a new problem. Looking at the support site there are several others with similar problems. AuthenTec, the software vendor, has a newer 2011 version of the software and drivers specifically for Win 7. I tried installing these as well and had the same results. It is really unfortunate that poor software is going to kill what appears to be a good quality product. When it was working it seemed to be exactly what I was looking for to make the password issues for my users easier. I have contacted support but they have not responded yet. You can see their support forum here:[...]

I am paranoid about passsword security, partly because I am a programmer and I know too well how easy it is to defeat any secure system simply because people are too lazy to use strong passwords. Whenever possible I tried to use long tedious passwords, which meant a lot of copying and pasting to and from an encrypted file, which was simply too much a pain. I was told about KeePass, which is basically an encrypted passwords vault and password generator with very rudimentary browser integration, and it has some mirror/remote features that outweigh the rudimentary controls. I was happy wit KeePass until I learned that Windows 7 allows the use of fingerprint scanners to log in, and that this particular fingerprint scanner came with a password vault and generator that more or less mimics the way KeePass works. I should have bought this at least six months ago. Installing it was simple and did not give me any 64-bit driver drama. The packaging doesn't explain very well that it has a license to the full version of the passwords vault (Protector Suite 2009) but it only meant an extra minute looking around. The only real hassle is having to register the dozens of credentials that I use. Setup: Install applications off the CD, reboot, plug in the device, then register your fingerprints. Registering the fingerprints takes less than one minute per finger. The good: It allows you to use very long passwords, basically as long as the login form can take, since all you need to login is a finger swipe. Even if the device malfunctions, you have a password that can be used to access the passwords vault manually. This means that if your machine is not set to remember passwords, and somebody manages to access your machine, they will not be able to access your websites and secured applications since they will need either your fingerprints or your master password. It is much easier to remember one long password than a few dozen. It also allows you to log into Windows, which is nice but it is not as impressive as the ability to deal with all of those online credentials. Setup for this feature was pretty much automatic. The not so good: The settings menus for the Protector Suite could help from a usability review. Nothing major here, for example I couldn't figure out how to move the location of the data files, which makes it harder to make it play nice with dropbox or other online folder sync services. Swipes are not instantaneous, but the one second delay for the swipe and the login operation are a lot less of a hassle than having to remember which account and password goes with which challenge. After about a day I stopped minding the delay. A mounting bracket would be nice, but it is nothing I can't fix with a strip of velcro. Overall I am extremely pleased. This is the last time that I order a laptop without a built-in fingerprint scanner and I will probably buy a couple more Eikon fingerprint units for my wife's Windows laptop and my son's iMac. Update: 10/7/2010 The shift to using the fingerprint scanner for everything was pretty much painless and very natural. Now I instinctively reach for the scanner whenever a password is requested. The Protector Suite flashes a red outline in pages that have a login box and are already registered, so it becomes a reflex to see the red outline and immediately reach for the scanner. It also works with Windows networking credential challenges in Windows 7, I have been able to use it to authenticate IIS and Remote Desktop access challenges. There are exactly two things I can't use with this scanner: 1. A specific online bank that uses a weird, non conventional sequence to log you into an account. This is not a flaw in the Protector Suite or the scanner, it is simply a really weird website. 2. One or two websites with really weird AJAX overlays for the login, the software can't tell that the page has triggered the login box. Except for these two, it works pretty close to perfectly. And yes, I still notice the delay, but the delay is shorter than the time needed to remember which password to use and to type it.

Software installation and initial training took about 15 minutes. The finger print reader works flawlessly on my Mac Pro with OS 10.5.5 installed. It also works with Windows XP Pro running on the Mac under VMWare (I used a separate software install for the Windows virtual machine). The software for Windows has more capability than does the Mac version, but the Mac version handles log in as well as the Keychain access, the most important things. UPDATE 22 May 09--After several months of trouble free performance, the sensor unit presented an error message at the log in screen. I requested support on the Upek web site and received a reply within a couple of hours. They provided me with a utility to recalibrate the sensor but I had to report that was unsuccessful. Upek support then promptly sent me a replacement sensor that arrived in a few days. I'm very impressed with the proficiency and professionalism of Upek's support staff--I'm a happy camper again. UPDATE 12 Dec 09--Snow Leopard is still not supported several months and 2 OS updates later!! UPDATE 4 Feb 11--It's now 2 years since I purchased this device and while it still operates OK, the Mac software is still in beta and the long promised support for password management has yet to materialize. The company is apparently not capable of supporting the Mac OS. BEFORE YOU BUY FOR A MAC: Consider that, without associated password managment software, the unit essentially only performs the same function as typing in your account login password--it's hardly worth it.

This works great. Until a new version of Firefox comes out. Then you need a new Firefox extension to make the fingerprint reader work. Does UPEK provide this for free? Nope: they make you pay. So keep in mind that UPEK treats purchasers of this product as a continuing revenue stream.

I am using Windows Vista Home Premium with Internet Explorer 8. My Omnipass fingertip reader was too ancient to do anything but sign me on to Windows. I needed something more up to date. Eikon is wonderful. It was easy to set up, although downloading the updated software took quite a long time. I don't know how long, because after awhile, I just left and let it continue. Once it was installed, adding my fingerprints was easy. I just swipe, and I can add all ten fingers, if I wanted to. Once I had that done, I just visited my usual sites and changed all the passwords to the strongly encrypted passwords that Eikon generated for me. I did that because my passwords weren't all that great, but they are now! Of course, I could have left them alone and just have Eikon remember whatever I want. Registering the new passwords into my Eikon was a cinch. Now, I just visit my websites and they populate with a swipe of the finger. My old Omnipass used to be very particular about how I placed my finger, but Eikon seems to be able to read my fingers quickly and easily. The Eikon automatically works with Internet Explorer, but it doesn't work when I run Firefox, Safari or Chrome. I'm sure there might be some workaround, but it's not something that would happen out of the box. As for websites, Eikon has been compatible with all the password protected sites I've visited. I've had no problems whatsoever. I am very happy with this unit. PROS: + easy setup + reads fingertips with a quick swipe - no problems whatsoever + automatically works with Internet Explorer + strong password generator + compatible with all password protected websites I've visited CONS: - took too long to download updated software - doesn't work with Firefox, Safari or Chrome _______________________________ UPDATE: I am happy to report that I went to Eikon's website and was able to download an update so that my Eikon now works with Firefox. ______________________________ UPDATE 2/7/13: I am now using Windows 7 and different biometric software: Authentec TrueSuite. It doesn't work at all with Firefox 18, but it's great with Internet Explorer 9. The problem with TrueSuite is it doesn't store passwords and other information not associated with a site, whereas ProtectorSuite (the original software) would store credit card numbers, addresses, etc. Otherwise, I like its simplicity.

This review, and star rating, is for the product I bought, which was unfortunately right before the AuthenTec buyout and killing of the Upek line. In the plastic container was only the fingerprint reader and outdated software (from 2009). Hardware The fingerprint reader is fine, good even. I like the look of it and it reads data accurately. I need to point out, however, that this is not really a security device. Its a convenience device which saves you from having to enter passwords without totally giving up the security passwords give. However, a photocopy of my fingerprint allows full access to everything. Software At first I was ticked. The software that came in the package was from 2009 and offers no support for modern Firefox versions. So I contacted support and complained. After a bit of back and forth, they sent me a key to the 2011 version. If I buy a product in 2011, I should not have to jump through hoops to get the current version of the software. Maybe that is me, but this turned me off to this product so 2 stars off. Note I don't know if anyone is still reading (or buying) this product, but if you are, don't buy it. It has been killed off by AuthenTec. They have their own software and different hardware. I do not expect to see a Protector suite 2012 or updated drivers in the future.

I've been using this device for over two years, and I have to say, if you're not someone who has physical problems performing the swipe, then this is an awesome product. HOWEVER, this review receives 1 star for the simple fact that they are selling this for $150, while you can get the EXACT SAME DEVICE for less than $40, either from Amazon ( EIKON DIGITAL PRIVACY MANAGER FEATURING TRUESUITE PREMIUM ) or directly from the AuthenTec website! AuthenTec is the company that bought UPEK, so the UPEK and AuthenTec devices are the same. However, AuthenTec offers two different software suites to use with the device. UPEK's devices only came with Protector Suite. AuthenTec's come with both Protector Suite and TrueSuite. TrueSuite is easier to use, Protector Suite has more features. If you want to use Protector Suite, don't use the autorun on the DVD. Instead, go to the \Data directory on the disc and install either the 64-bit or 32-bit version. Regardless of which you choose, do yourself a favor and save the $100!!! EDIT: I've seen a number of people complaining that you have to pay $20 to upgrade to Protector Suite 2011! This is ONLY because this is an older package!!! The listing I linked to above is for the newest packaging, that includes FULL versions of both TrueSuite and Protector Suite 2011. SO, assuming you want the latest, FULL version of Protector Suite 2011, this listing will cost $120 more than you should be paying! DON'T GET GOUGED!!! Save $120 and get: EIKON DIGITAL PRIVACY MANAGER FEATURING TRUESUITE PREMIUM