When people hear about “RGB + IR” in palm vein recognition, one common question is:
“Why not just use IR? What does RGB add?”
Let’s break down what RGB really means—and why X-Telcom insists on using RGB + IR dual-mode imaging in all of our Palm Vein Scanner products.
🔍 What is RGB?
RGB stands for Red, Green, and Blue—the three primary colors of visible light.
Every digital photo or video is a combination of these three channels.
In biometrics, an RGB camera captures surface-level skin details, such as:
- Palmprint patterns (lines and creases)
- Skin tone and texture
- Light reflection used for liveness detection
🔬 What is IR?
IR means Infrared—invisible light used to detect subcutaneous vein structures beneath the skin.
Palm vein recognition uses IR light to extract the vascular map of a hand.
🤝 Why Combine RGB + IR?
While IR gives us internal vein data, it has two major limitations:
- IR-only systems are vulnerable to photo spoofing (e.g., printed hand images)
- IR cannot verify skin texture or surface liveness
By adding RGB, X-Telcom enables:
- Dual-layer verification: surface + vein
- Advanced anti-spoofing & liveness detection
- Much higher recognition accuracy and security
With RGB + IR, our system achieves:
- False Acceptance Rate (FAR) as low as 1 in 1,000,000 (1e-6)
- Matching speed of 0.35 seconds, even at 5M+ ID scale
- Feature string + image upload for enhanced matching precision
📷 Bonus: RGB Enables QR Code Scanning
X-Telcom’s Palm Vein Scanner includes a fixed-focus RGB camera, which also supports:
- QR code scanning (3–20 cm range)
- Referral code reading during onboarding
- Future optional facial assistance or image-based tasks
This means you don’t need a separate QR scanner module—just one device does it all.
✅ Why Choose X-Telcom’s RGB + IR Palm Vein Devices?
Key advantages:
- RGB + IR dual-mode camera system
- Compatible with Windows / Linux / Android
- Supports QR scanning + palm authentication
- MDM-ready for remote control and geo-restriction
- Built-in waterproof groove; durable metal housing
⚠️ Critical Warning: IR-only Modules Are Not Safe for Payments
| Module Type | Security Grade | QR Support | Suitable Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| IR-only Palm Module | ❌ Low | ❌ No | Time clock / access control |
| X-Telcom RGB + IR | ✅ Finance-grade | ✅ Yes | Payments / eKYC / National ID |
For real-world secure use—especially in Palm Pay, government ID, or financial onboarding—RGB + IR is the minimum standard.
🧠 Summary
- RGB sees what your eyes see
- IR sees under the skin
- Together, they enable true secure biometric identity
X-Telcom’s Palm Vein Recognition Technology is built with the future of identity in mind.
Want to test our SDK, devices, or partner with our engineering team?
Contact X-Telcom today.
