C# - Fingerprint Biometrics

Question

We are wanting to add support for fingerprint authentication in a .Net 3.5 application.

We currently are only using the sdk from Griaule. But this only supports like 5 usb plug-and-play devices. We are wanting to support most readers included with laptops, tablets, etc.

Is there a universal way to support many devices? I know there is a new standard starting with Windows 7, but we want to support XP and higher.

Is there even a .Net SDK out there for UPEK or Authentec devices?

Any ideas or help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

I am going to say there is no such SDK for universal fingerprint reading.

After a week or so of researching, it looks like the only thing with promise is Windows 7's WBF (Windows Biometric Framework).

It will be a couple of years before this is a viable option.

Answer 2

I think its best if you develop for WBF, also if you want UPEK has an API called BSAPI that you can interop in C#.

Answer 3

There is no universal way to support all biometric devices. This a relatively new technology and all vendors are fighting for market space any one with their own API/SDK. New modalities of biometric are been developing and no have any retro compatibility with another biometric modalities. One of these is finger and palm vein. Another it is multispectral fingerprint capture that is a patented technology.

An initiative that tried to do that universal API was BioAPI, created by BioAPI Consortium. This standard becomes an ISO standard: ISO 19784-2. Therefore didn`t have participation of biggest vendors of biometric devices. And if you read the specification you will see how complicated is to use it...

Another initiative are been taken by NIST with webservices where any biometric device will have an internal webservice to supply biometric data and images and another system will be in charge of matching and decision process.

Anything different this is commercial tools like Griaule, Neurotechnology and Aware that tries to be a universal way to access biometric devices...

Answer 4

http://www.digitalpersona.com/

This company offers a great SDk that gives you actual fingerprint data. I'm not sure if it's for just the device they offer or if it's standard for other devices, however, there biometrics are very, very nice.

Answer 5

Griaule supports a great number of readers, including UPEK and Authentec readers. Their SDK is great and very simple to use. You can check here the readers they support http://www.griaulebiometrics.com/page/en-us/fingerprint_sdk/supported_readers