Fingerprint Reader is a hardware sensor to read a person’s unique fingerprint, to verify a person’s identity. After a sample is taken, access to a computer or other system is granted if the fingerprint matches the stored sample. Laptops increasingly have built-in readers. For more security, a PIN may be used in addition to the fingerprint sample.
The most common type of sensor is a small fingertip-size pad that reads the whole fingerprint at once upon being touched. Some older sensors consisted of a thin strip that the user swiped their finger over.