Square Enix Security Token...no date registered?

[wildsprite]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this but, why is there no date on the SE Account system for when your Square Enix Security Token was registered? I know the digipass site says it has a life of up to 7 years but how can we know when to buy a new one if there is no date?

please feel free to move this if there is a more appropriate spot for it

[SpankWustler]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this but, why is there no date on the SE Account system for when your Square Enix Security Token was registered? I know the digipass site says it has a life of up to 7 years but how can we know when to buy a new one if there is no date?

I'm 95% sure that "seven years" is referring to the battery life of the token. So, you'll know to buy a new when it no longer turns on because the battery is dead.

[Alhanelem]

The token itself will warn you when the battery is low. The date of purchase doesn't help you much because you don't know when it was manufactured.

[Dsherman]

Manufacturing date will have some influence on when the battery will wear out. But it's probably not that much.

The much larger effect on battery life will be how often the button gets pushed.

People who just leave themselves logged in all the time will not use the button as often since they don't need to log in and thus don't need to use the button when they walk up to the console or computer.

People who log out and log in again every day, or even multiple times every day will use the button much more and the battery will wear out faster.

Also, people who carry the token in a purse or pocket where things might be pushing the button by accident (and keeping it pushed for a while too) will also wear the battery out very fast.

In addition, some batteries just wear out much faster than most. That's just a piece of bad luck, but it does happen.

BTW, the date the security token was activated is available under "Confirm Service History". Selecting "Account Basic Service" and clicking "Display" will limit the list enough to make it easy to see the item with the date in it for the Security Token.

[Alhanelem]

The much larger effect on battery life will be how often the button gets pushed.

It is part of it, but batteries have a shelf life and the battery in the token is continually drained very very slowly, button press or no.

[Frankbrodie]

So the next question is.. Is the battery easily changeable? Or indeed changeable at all?

I'm not seeing any screws on the back of the thing.
And I am one of those people who uses it many many many times a day.
Two accounts linked to it for starters. So I'm already pressing it twice as often as most people.
And I log in/out/in usually 3-4 times a day at least..

I got a spare token when I purchased the limited edition of FFXIV though.
So another question - would it be possible to switch over to that one when this first one finally buys the farm?

[Alhanelem]

the battery cannot be changed. the clock inside it would be off and it would no longer work, because it's synced with a server's time (otherwise your token and the server would not come up with the same password).

You have to replace it if it's dying. You'll need to remove it from your account before it's completely dead.

If you already have another token (e.g. from collectors edition xiv) then yes, you can use that. just register it and start using it instead.