With a new facial recognition security system in place at campus dorms, Beijing Normal University students will now have to identify themselves before being granted access to residential buildings. If an intruder tries to get in, the system will trigger an alarm.

At the No. 13 female student dormitory, two facial recognition machines have been installed inside and outside the gate. Each one is white, measures 1.7 meter tall and is equipped with a student card scanner and illuminated keyboard. When someone stands in front of the camera, his or her face appears on the screen. The system then identifies that person with the image it has stored.

There are three ways to use the system. Students can scan their student ID cards, enter their ID numbers or speak their names into the machine. Once the system identifies their faces, the gate opens immediately.

Students are so far divided on the system. Some said that the machine has made it easier to get in and out of the dormitory.

"It works well. Even after I had my hair cut, the machine still recognized me,” one student shared. “There is a 3-D face model database, so even if you wear makeup or gain weight, the machine recognizes you anyway.”

Meanwhile, other students have complained about slow response times.

"Sometimes you have to try two or three times, or change the angle of your face being shown to the camera. It’s not very convenient,” another student complained.