Simple question for any techies
 

Why is is so damn hard to keep an INSPass machine in working order?

Because all the tax money stuffed into it jams up the gears inside.

Hmmm, is it running Windows? :D

I'm guessing that the biometric "reader" is the culprit - at my previous job, the hourly workers were using a timeclock that used a fingerprint pad to verify the employee's identity. It was so tempermental (broken more often than working) that the HR people finally did away with it and installed a barcode system.

I've been using the Dutch Privium system (similar concept) for some time now, and it works a treat. This works on an iris scan (so the scanner is non-contact, which helps), and I've only once seen a machine out of order (the one next to it was open).

You do have to pay a subscription fee, but the beauty of it is that the only record of the iris scan is on the chip on your Privium card, so there are no privacy concerns.

I would be extremely happy for this system to be rolled out elsewhere.

Actually, the problem was with the card reader. It tends to always spit out the cards before even asking for biometrics. If it accepts the card, I've never had the biometrics fail on me.

Sad, too - because when I land somewhere and ask for the machine, I get "oh, it's not working," without so much as a cursory glance - i.e., they expect it to be out of order.

Sigh.

The one bonus though, is that when it doesn't work, it tells me to see the agent next to the machine - so I still manage to bypass the lines. But annoying - to say the least.

Actually, the hand geometry technology used in INSPass is about the most rugged and reliable type available. It's been used at SFO for access to airside and restricted areas for many years, and works great. The problem is that it has to be connected to a mainframe, and the mainframe connection (often just a telephone line) is down. Or, the local INS turns off the machine (creates longer lines, justifies more people).

My guess is that the final step in building an INSPass machine at the factory is to screw on the "Out of Order" sign.

Leo