White Paper · Device Selection Guide
FAP20, FAP30 and FAP60: choosing the right device.
A field guide for matching fingerprint capture level, ruggedness, connectivity and enrolment workflow to the right Axon COMET device.
Start with the enrolment objective, not the device.
Fingerprint capture level should follow the programme risk. A bank branch doing assisted KYC, a telecom dealer network enrolling SIM subscribers and a national identity authority running deduplication campaigns all need different balances of capture quality, speed, portability and cost.
Biometric objective
A 1:1 verification workflow can tolerate a smaller capture surface than a 1:N deduplication or national enrolment workflow.
Operating conditions
Dust, rain, heat, drops and long travel days push buyers toward rugged IP-rated hardware and larger batteries.
Connectivity model
Dealer networks and remote enrolment teams need offline-capable apps, secure sync and cellular connectivity.
Software lifecycle
Android version, MDM compatibility, SDK support and OTA update strategy matter as much as the sensor.
FAP levels in practical terms.
FAP — Fingerprint Acquisition Profile — is the FBI classification for how much of the finger a reader captures and to what quality. In procurement terms it is the single specification that most constrains which workflows a device can support.
Compact verification and lightweight enrolment
SIM registration, KYC desks, mobile agent onboarding
Axon fit
COMET-20Best when portability, cost and simple field workflows matter most.
Higher-assurance mobile enrolment
SIM registration with stronger capture quality, national ID mobile teams, field KYC
Axon fit
COMET-30 / COMET-M1A strong default for mobile enrolment where fingerprint quality and ruggedness are both important.
High-throughput civil and border enrolment
National ID, voter registration, border control, refugee registration
Axon fit
COMET-60 / COMET-60HBest for programmes that need faster tenprint capture and stronger operator control.
Recommended default
For mobile enrolment, FAP30 is often the balanced choice.
FAP20 can be enough for compact verification and lower-friction field workflows. FAP60 is the stronger fit for tenprint, civil registry and high-throughput programmes. FAP30 sits between them: portable enough for field teams, but with a larger capture surface and stronger enrolment quality than smaller sensors.
Field ready
8-inch rugged tablet workflow
Capture quality
FAP30 fingerprint module
Day operation
Large battery and 4G connectivity
What to verify before rollout.
Device selection fails more often on the things nobody checked than on the sensor itself. Work through these before committing to a fleet.
Confirm whether the programme is 1:1 verification, 1:N deduplication, or both.
Define the minimum fingerprint capture level required by policy or tender.
Confirm FBI FAP certification evidence for the reader module.
Match the device IP rating to actual field conditions.
Check battery capacity, charging model and expected field runtime.
Validate NFC, smart card, barcode and camera requirements before procurement.
Confirm Android lifecycle, MDM compatibility, SDK access and support model.
Pilot the complete workflow with real operators before national rollout.
Further reading
Not sure which device fits?
Tell us the workflow, we’ll tell you the device.
Send us the enrolment objective, operating conditions and connectivity model, and we will map them to the right capture level and hardware.
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