How to get fingerprint reader working on linux for sfg14-41ryzen ? Libfprint doesn't support it?

Ainux
Ainux Member Posts: 41 Devotee WiFi Icon
edited January 23 in Swift and Spin Series

my fingerprint reader does not work in linux

libfprint does not support this

swift go 14 ryzen7

[Edited the thread to add model name and issue detail to the title]

Answers

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 36,353 Trailblazer

    What model do you have specifically. There have been a bunch of different Swift Go 14s, both Intel and AMD. Your full model number is usually on the same sticker as your serial number, it should look something like SFG14-xxx-xxxx. I'd guess yours is one of the 4x or 6x series, I believe all the 7x are Intel based. Ryzen 7 doesn't tell us much, the first Ryzen 7 CPUs are from 2017…

    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • Ainux
    Ainux Member Posts: 41 Devotee WiFi Icon

    sfg14-41 is the model

  • Axxo
    Axxo Member, Ally Posts: 2,270

    Hi Ainux,

    Please check the below steps on how to get fingerprint reader working on linux

    https://www.malibal.com/guides/how-to-enable-fingerprint-login-on-ubuntu/

  • Ainux
    Ainux Member Posts: 41 Devotee WiFi Icon

    but libfprint does not support that you need to give support first

  • Species8472
    Species8472 Member Posts: 36 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1322284#Comment_1322284

    The way to make something work that currently doesn't work via libfprint is to install Windows and reverse-engineer all the data. With that information you can write a Linux driver. It's conceptually not very difficult, but you need to like doing such things or perhaps be able to amortize the costs by planning to mentioning it on your CV, because being able to accomplish such a tasks shows competence.

    For a completely working driver, you need to figure out:

    • code for registering fingerprints
    • code for deleting fingerprints
    • code for receiving data from the device
    • code for sending data to the device
    • whether the device uses any kind of encryption to obfuscate and if so to figure out the key

    All of these things can be done, but the most effective method is probably to tell everyone that it is completely impossible to reverse-engineer it, because then someone will have their ego hurt and show that they are still the best hacker in the universe and as a result you then have a working driver.

    I too have a device without a working fingerprint reader driver, and while it would be nice if it were to work, it's not like it's a must have feature. The real thing we should demand is documentation for programming such devices, because then writing a driver is easy. Having said that, if it were really important, you could have bought a https://shop.mntre.com/products/mnt-reform . Reverse-engineering a driver is much more time consuming than writing a new one.

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