Smart homes are becoming more and more popular throughout new neighborhoods and when upgrading a home. These features allow homeowners to increase efficiencies and feel more safe - while not even being at home! Smart homes have a lot of conveniences and grant a sense of security, but it is important to know how to keep your smart home secure.
Buy reliable products
Because the market for smart home products is on the rise and more people are investing in them, it is important to know which brands and products are the most reliable in the market. Products like smart doorbells and thermostats or other items that connect to the internet have a risk of being hacked by cyber threats.
Be sure to do as much research on the products you are purchasing because it may be cheaper, but it may be susceptible to hacking. It is important to use the internet to see what results other people have had. Read all the reviews to make sure the product you are selecting is reliable and safe. According to smarthomeblog, you want to make sure the devices you are purchasing meet standards like ZigBee, Z-Wave or S2 (Security 2). Most well-known brands will satisfy these qualifications.
Never use public wifi for your smart home products
Smart homes are connected through the internet so it is crucial that your information stays safe. The primary way to do this is by connecting devices to a secure internet network. If you use a public WiFi to set up your smart homes, or access them, it gives access to everyone to your information as well as hackers an easy way into all of your information. Hackers can even set up their own fake free WiFi so that you connect to it and they are able to see what you are doing on the internet. If you were accessing your smart home products this would allow hackers to possibly sneak onto your home network.
Another good practice could be to get a separate router specifically for your smart home devices which is password protected. Giving your computers and other devices a little more room as well as more security to all devices. You can even set up a guest WiFi in your home so that way you are not giving out your WiFi to a lot of people.
Use passwords for your devices
They say that the best offense is a great defense. Passwords are the first line of defense against hackers and should not be taken lightly. It is important that you use passwords for WiFi that is connecting to your smart home devices. Starting with a strong password goes a long way. Strong passwords include capital and lowercase letters and some numbers and symbols as well. The harder the combination the harder it is for a hacker to guess.
It is also important to note that hackers may already know the default passwords that come with your new devices so it is important to start off by making your passwords unique and hard to guess.
How often you should change your password is up for debate, some say it's every 30-90 days some even say you should change it every week. But, the moral of the story on changing passwords is that if you think it is too easy, or your nervous system is being hacked change it. If not, you should be okay. However, the best way to be more secure is using a multi-factor identification.
Use multi-factor identification
Passwords are great, but they don't always get the job done. Introducing a multi-factor identification in order to sign into accounts, devices ...etc. is a way to keep hackers away from your information. According to readwrite.com, the most common form of multi-factor authentication is two-factor authentication (2FA). This is basically an extra layer of security that requires a username/password combo plus a second piece of information. This could be something you know (an additional pin code or security question), something you have (like a smartphone device or email account), or even something you are (like a fingerprint or iris scan). It may seem like a hassle of an extra step but in the end it could save your home and family.
Keep your software up to date
Finally, a great way to keep your smart home devices safe is to update them when needed. Updating all of your devices could seem unnecessary because they still run just fine without the fancy, new update. However, updates are put on technology for a reason, maybe to fix a bug or a small technical issue but maybe it could be a big issue that hackers have found a way to get in the system so they are updating it so that is no longer an issue. Big or small it is important to keep your devices up to date.
At Twin City Security, we care not only about the safety of your home but the safety of your family as well. We aim to provide superior service by having highly trained security specialists for every industry, by adapting to all security concerns that may arise. To learn more about how we can help protect your home contact us today through our website form or at (334) 749-8385.