Why it matters to you
If you want to drop the password for your PC in favor of facial recognition, this camera is the cheapest way to do so.
Windows Hello, introduced as part of Windows 10, is a great way to secure your PC with biometrics, but purchasing the necessary hardware to take advantage of its functionality can be expensive. However, Japanese manufacturer Mouse Computers offers a camera that can do the job without breaking the bank.
The company is fielding the Mouse facial recognition camera for Windows Hello, a cost-effective peripheral that is available on Amazon. The camera only costs $70, which is substantially cheaper than other devices that offer the same support for logging in via a facial scan.
Windows Hello allows users to log into their PC using biometric credentials, eliminating the need for a conventional password. The functionality supports fingerprint scanning, but in this case, a small camera would be attached to the monitor in order to carry out a scan of the user’s facial features.
More: Microsoft’s Windows Hello makes headway, with almost 100 supported devices
Mouse’s camera apparently supports all the same features as Microsoft’s proprietary Windows Hello camera, according to a report from MS Power User. This includes one-second hands-free login, support for multiple users logging into the same system, and the ability to distinguish between a real user and a photograph of their face.
We all know the importance of keeping our devices secure and Windows Hello could help many users do just that. While passwords can be guessed or stolen, it’s much more difficult to falsify someone’s biometrics, so fingerprint scans and facial recognition could prove to be very popular going forward — if the necessary hardware isn’t prohibitively expensive.
It seems that Windows 10 users are already jumping on Mouse’s camera, as Amazon is listing the device as out of stock until later this week at the time of writing. If this particular camera strikes a chord with consumers, expect to see plenty more manufacturers release their own inexpensive peripherals for use with Windows Hello.