Thinkpads Forum

Getting ready to order a T450s.

Just wondering if I should get the Smart Card Reader option and/or Fingerprint Reader option.

I currently have no need for either one of them.

However, I'm going back to work as a contract programmer in the northern VA/Wash DC area and there's a lot of U.S. Gov't contract work out there, much of which requires security clearances. I'm just wondering if it's not a bad idea to get the Smart Card Reader and/or Fingerprint Reader options in case either or both are required for the government contract work.

Admin edit: Added PIC warning

I've only recently starting playing with the fingerprint reader (FPR) on some of my systems. Have never used the Smart Card reader on my T420. The FPR can provide some limited security with accessing the system but the fallback is to enter your normal Windows password. When it works, it's nice to be able to swipe a finger and have the laptop power up and log into Windows. Like I said, "when it works". In my experience with the Thinkpads, FPR technology is not 100% reliable. Sometimes it recognizes on the first swipe. Other times it refuses to identify my fingers no matter what I do. And now, when my dry skin is acting up, the tips of my registered fingers won't be scanned properly.

If you don't get the built-in Smart Card reader, you can always add an ExpressCard Smart Card reader: http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/itemdetails/41N3043/460

I'd say that both options are meant to secure your laptop from unauthorized use. The Smart Card will probably be the more secure of the two as it would require a specific card / badge be presented before the system could be accessed. Whether or not this would be good enough for government work would probably depend on the security clearance needed for the job. I would think if it's that high-level, you probably would not be able to use your own laptop anyway.

rkawakami wrote: If you don't get the built-in Smart Card reader, you can always add an ExpressCard Smart Card reader: http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/itemdetails/41N3043/460

Whether or not this would be good enough for government work would probably depend on the security clearance needed for the job. I would think if it's that high-level, you probably would not be able to use your own laptop anyway.

Thanks for the reply. It doesn't look like the T450s has an ExpressCard slot.

I guess I could always buy a USB Smart Card Reader for $13 if I needed one later
http://www.amazon.com/DigiScan-Ultra-Sm ... B00PHSZ3S4

The T450s options for the Smart Card Reader are:


Which option makes sense to get?

Ah, sorry, I missed the fact we're talking about a T450s; I got locked into thinking T420. If it were me and I was buying a brand new system and expecting it to last a long time, I'd go for the 3rd M.2 SSD slot. Drives like that are currently fairly pricey but with time, that should ease.

scottkeen wrote:Which option makes sense to get?

Keep in mind that you can only use single-sided M.2 SSDs in the 3rd M.2 slot of the T450s, so I'd choose the SmartCard reader.

rkawakami wrote:Like I said, "when it works". In my experience with the Thinkpads, FPR technology is not 100% reliable. Sometimes it recognizes on the first swipe. Other times it refuses to identify my fingers no matter what I do. And now, when my dry skin is acting up, the tips of my registered fingers won't be scanned properly.

Certainly true for older models like the T420, but with the newer ThinkPads, Lenovo uses a different supplier (Synaptics instead of Authentec, cause they were bought by Apple). These newer fingerprint readers lack the PoA feature (power on authentification), but they are much more accurate and almost never fail to register a swipe.

So I would definitely recommend getting the FP-reader on newer ThinkPads - its a neat feature, eliminates the need to type in passwords.