EIKON DIGITAL PRIVACY MANAGER FEATURING TRUESUITE

I am tired of remembering all the passwords and logging on with long passwords multiple times each day. I have a HP laptop with a finger print scanner so I wanted one for my desktop computer as well. Currently I have installed this on my old computer with Windows XP and I am building a new one with Windows 7 64 bit and will update this review when I have tested it on Windows 7 but this review is for Windows XP 32 bit.Installation of the included Truesuite software was easy and did not have any problems. After installation you reboot and use the utility to enroll which ever fingers you decide. I did three one on the left hand and two on the right. When you boot windows you get a new prompt that allows you to scan your finger print to log on or you can do Ctrl-Alt-Del as usual. The eikon solo device is a little more picky with finger prints than the one on my laptop and needs a little more pressure but works well never the less.When browsing web sites that have log on pages you get a message that you can store the user id and password so next time you can log on by scanning your finger not having to type in the user id or password. This works well enough but not quite as well as the software that came with the laptop as you may have to click a button after scanning your finger to acknowledge you want to proceed. However, I am happy with the device and the way things work and it will work for me as intended. I am also a programmer and will download the SDK and incorporate it into some of my software. It was cheaper than some of the competitors and I do recommend it.Ok, so I installed Windows 7 on my new computer and had some surprising things happen which I asked Authentec about, perhaps the device came with an software installer not optimized for Windows 7.I did get it to work since I am a computer programmer but I bet the average user would need help from tech support, anyway this is what happened and what I had to do to fix it:1. During the install of Windows 7 (64 bit) I had the Eikon Solo plugged in (the device works great now that I am used to it) and windows found a driver by UPEK for it and it shows up in Control Panel under Biometric Devices.2. I ran the setup from the supplied True Suite CD.3. I was able to enroll finger prints and log on to Windows using the device, so far so good I thought.But then I noticed that the feature to log in to websites using the finger print reader did not work like it did on Windows XP. So I wnet to the Authentec support website and found information explaining that Microsoft had introduced a new feature in Windows 7 to support biometric devices but when you use it you can only log on to Windows with it nothing else.I was about to return the Eikon SOlo thinking that it would not work on Windows 7 satisfactory, but then I noticed under downloads socalled Common drivers named TouchChip Drivers for Windows Version 2.20 which are lagacy drivers not using th new Windows 7 format but they are compatible with Windows 7. I got things to work with these drivers, this is what I did:1. Went to control panel Biometric Devices and deleted the windows installed driver.2. Ran the setup.msi from the drivers downloaded from [...]3. Went to the Eikon Solo CD and found in the data folder PS64.msi and right clicked to install (use PS32.msi for 32 bit windows)4. Now instead of True Suite software I had Protector Suite running which supports Windows logon and website logon.As of writing (july 2012) there appeared to be no installer on the CD giving you the option to select the socalled common drivers instead of the Windows driver but perhaps that will change in future.Having got it to work though I am still pleased with the device.

I bought a new HP laptop and it came with a built in fingerprint reader. I found this to be an amazing time saver since I have MANY sites that I log into, so I decided to buy a fingerprint reader for my desktop.I followed the instructions, loaded the software, and then it just became a great big hassle to get everything working. It took multiple, multiple swipes to get the reader to recognize my fingerprint (so many that I almost gave up). I tried to get it to recognize my kid's fingerprints, and it took so long I actually did give up. Since I got at least one of my fingerprints in the system, I was able to use it. The software is clunky and unreliable. Sometimes it prompts for your fingerprint, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it recognizes your fingerprint on the first swipe, sometimes it doesn't. The software interface is rough, very rough. Hard to categorize accounts and passwords.I was about to scrap the entire thing and send it back, until I read another reviewer who said you didn't need to use the included software, and the reader itself worked well with Lastpass. So....I uninstalled the software, and just plugged the reader in, and Windows immediately recognized it and installed the driver. I did not need to download any software. Registering my fingerprints using Windows was a breeze. It recognized them immediately. That means that the reader itself is good, but the software was the problem before.After getting it set up in Windows (without any software), I downloaded Lastpass, and it immediately recognized that I had a fingerprint reader. Now, to log into Lastpass, I just swipe my finger and I'm in. Once I started using Lastpass I realized that the fingerprint reader doesn't really serve a purpose other than to verify my identity when I log into Lastpass. Once I'm logged in, Lastpass fills in all of my passwords automatically. So, essentially I just paid $25 for a fingerprint reader whose only role is to keep hackers from gaining entry to my Lastpass account. I'm actually ok with that, due to the relatively low price point. Without the biometric verification, if a hacker cracks your Lastpass account (or whatever password manager software you might be using), then they have access to all your passwords. The extra level of protection is worth $25 to me.Bottom line, the unit itself is well worth $25. It reads your fingerprint reliably, but just don't use the included software. With Windows 7 it is plug and play, and you can use it with other password manager software. It's not at all how I thought it would go, but I'm ok with it now.By the way, for what it's worth, since many people use Lastpass, I thought I'd pass along that the Lastpass website says that you need to upgrade to the premium version if you use a fingerprint reader. You don't. It works fine with the free version.**Update 7-1-12** Thought I would add that in addition to my comments above, this unit also works well for logging onto Windows when you first turn on the computer or when you switch users. Works well for myself and my 2 kids, as we each have an identity set up on the multiple computers in our home (2 desktops/2 laptops). Having a fingerprint reader makes logging in or switching users simple. Only additional comment I would make is that it does sometimes take 3 or 4 swipes before it recognizes your fingerprint. I'm ok with that for a $25 product. I'm sure there are fingerprint readers that can reliably read your fingerprint on the first swipe every time, but I'm also sure that the cost would be significantly greater. For home use, and for $25, this product is just fine.

Doesnt work with mac except to log-on. Sometimes poor fingerprint recognition and multiple swipes required. My unit was probably defective so returned for exchange. The hardware itself is fine but the software included is not intuitive and takes some time to get used to.I have been using fingerprint readers for yours on my sony laptops and the software by UPEK was excellent and intuitive. I loved the software but UPEK was bought out by eionbox i assume and introduced their own software.The original UPEK software is still available from UPEKs website by going to the support section I believe. But im sure a free version of the original UPEK software is available for download directly from them and not a third party site. I like the original software because of its ease of use but Im a business user and the software seems targetted to consumers so lots of eye candy.Another note is that its very lightweight which is good and bad because its somewhat portable, but at the same time it doesnt always grip the desk well enough while swiping your finger. Of course your desk will be different and it might have better traction on hold better for you.Would recommend at this price point and the fact that the original UPEK Protector Suite is still available for free.