Review: APC Biometric Password Manager peripheral

It’s hardly surprising that people are concerned about security when the Government can lose the personal details of 25 million people in the post.

For those similarly concerned about their PC's security it might be worth taking a a look at APC’s Biometric Password Manager.

The Password Manager consists of a ‘biopod’ – a small fingerprint reader that plugs into a USB port on the PC – and a piece of software called Omnipass that can record and manage multiple passwords on the computer.

The installation process is a little untidy, as it doesn't come with a neat installation program. It's necessary instead to use the Add New Hardware wizard to install the basic driver software that controls the reader and then run a second installation program from the CD in order to install the Omnipass software. This isn’t a major problem, though, and the Password Manager worked surprisingly well once we got through the initial installation.

The OmniPass software then asks the user to create an account by scanning and recording a fingerprint, which is a simple matter of placing a finger on the reader when told to by the software. Once that’s done, OmniPass runs in the background and automatically pops into action whenever it sees that the user is being asked to enter a password, in any program or website. It can also be used to lock specific files or folders so that they can only be opened by the person whose print is stored.

The Password Manager works particularly well with websites. The first time you visit a website that requires a user name and password, OmniPass prompt you to type them in as normal. However, the software then remembers those details and the next time you go visit that site the program will prompt for your fingerprint and automatically enter the password.

We doubt that the Password Manager would keep out a really determined hacker, but it should certainly be secure enough to keep passwords and sensitive files safe in the home or office. At just over £40 it’s not a bad investment if you’re concerned about privacy on your PC.

Vista compatible: NO