Not so strange bedfellows: WiFi and Biometrics. Silex technology america is releasing its Bio-NetGuard, an industry-first fingerprint-based access control system for WLANs. More and more governments and corporations use biometric information for identity authentication and access control, and we should thus not be surprised that technology is being brought to control access to wireless networks. "Today's workforce is becoming increasingly more dependent on mobility, which increases the need for access to wireless networks to conduct business," says silex's Gary Bradt. "Bio-NetGuard takes the concern out of controlling a WiFi local area network by fully containing it through a biometric authentication device that works with any access point."

WiFi networks offer all kinds of safety features, but there is no reliable way to authenticate those who connect to the wireless system. Bio-NetGuard allows an IT Manager to secure the network against unauthorized users by requiring biometric fingerprint authentication before employees gain access to the network, either through their desktop or personal computers, laptops or PDAs. Bio-NetGuard uses a Fujitsu MBF200 sensor and is 802.11a/b/g and 802.11i compliant. Bio-NetGuard is DSP-based, and it works with any WPA-compliant AP. Note that it is a plug-and-play device and requires no more than a few minutes to install and configure. It supports up to 500 users and has a fingerprint match time of 400 milliseconds.

For more on Bio-NetGuard:
- see this press release