Kensington’s New Fingerprint Reader Adds Windows Hello to Any Desktop PC

Tired of typing your login information every time you wake up your PC? Kensington’s new VeriMark fingerprint sensor adds Windows Hello verification to any desktop PC for $80. Just plug it into a USB port for secure tap-and-go access to your computer, your email, and any other software compatible with Windows Hello or biometric verification.

With a small form factor and a 3.9-foot USB cable, the VeriMark fingerprint sensor should fit at any workstation, even if your PC is hidden away from your desk. It supports up to 10 fingerprints, sports Windows Hello Certification for Windows software and login, and exceeds the industry standard false-rejection and false-acceptance rates for enterprise biometric scanners. (More specifically, it has a 2% FRR and 0.001% FAR.)

The VeriMark fingerprint sensor also supports single-factor verification and multifactor verification. With multifactor verification, enterprise users and business can actually increase the security of their PCs by requiring a typed password and a fingerprint scan. Of course, multifactor verification is less convenient than the scan-and-go approach, and people more likely to opt for single-factor verification at home.

But this isn’t Kensington’s first enterprise-grade fingerprint reader. The company also sells a cordless VeriMark fingerprint dongle for laptops. The smaller dongle costs half the price of Kensington’s new VeriMark scanner, and it’ll work just fine with any desktop computer—though you might need a USB hub or extension cable to set it in a convenient location on your desk.