For the tech lovers among us, the rapid advancements in smart home technology are exciting developments. It won’t be long until most homes have touchscreen hubs on their refrigerators, smart lighting, and various other voice controlled devices to make their lives easier.
Perhaps the most profound changes have happened within the realm of home security. The advent of smart home security devices has meant that our homes can become physically impenetrable fortresses. However, due to these devices being connected to your home Internet, it is important to acknowledge that proper installation and set-up of these devices is essential to ensure that your home is secured from an online perspective.
Smart home security devices are networked together and integrated with the Internet over a home Wi-Fi network. That means not only can these devices communicate with the outside world, but the world can also communicate with them; however, with careful selection and installation of your devices, you can ensure that your home is properly protected.
Choose and Install the Right Video Doorbell
A video doorbell can provide a homeowner with a lot of comfort knowing that they can view and interact with anyone at their door no matter where they are in the world. These handy devices need to be connected to your Wi-Fi network to do this and are required to be configured properly to ensure that the owner — and ONLY the owner — have access to the video stream.
When tested by security experts, some devices have been found to have security loopholes which could put your home network and other connected devices at risk, which is why I highly recommend reputable manufacturers such as Ring, who have been extremely proactive in updating their security protocols for both its software and hardware.
Quite often it is due to human error that leaves the device open to vulnerabilities (not changing the default password, setting up VPNs and firewalls incorrectly).
Consult with your installation company to identify other network secure video doorbells and to ensure that your home and family are adequately protected online.
The Importance of Network Firewalls
Most of us wouldn’t dream of leaving our front doors unlocked these days – even if we live in a quite rural area. In many cases, we even employ extra deadlocks for security. This is just common sense.
The problem is we don’t always employ the same level of common sense when it comes to securing our home networks. Even those that have employed a network firewall aren’t necessarily taking their security seriously.
To be truly secure, a home network firewall has to have a strong password in place and it has to secure all of your devices. If your laptop is secure but your tablets aren’t, you’ve exposed yourself to a world of hackers looking to take advantage. A router with a built-in firewall is your best option as it secures all of your devices when communicating with the internet.
What Can I Do To Protect My Home
There are actually three main things you can do to protect such devices from being taken over by hackers.
The first thing you may want to consider is purchasing a new router with the latest security features. Some newer models allow you to restrict access to all of the connected devices in your home to just family members with permission.
You should also make sure to install any firmware updates that may come out – these are often issued to correct a potential security loophole.
Lastly, it’s important to make sure each device has its own password. Don’t use one generic password for everything as this makes it too easy for a hacker to get in and gain control.
Professional Installation Is A Must
Home security is not an issue that should be taken lightly and ensuring that it is set-up properly is a must to ensure that your smart security devices are optimized for both physical and online threats. If you are not confident in setting up and connecting smart devices to your home network you should consider hiring a professional.
Wayne Hogan from HomeSmartz, a smart home installation company, highlighted this challenge when he said, “it’s great that smart home devices are being tested by security experts and that leading manufacturers are responding quickly with added security measures. With newer and better cameras, locks & alarms we can be safe in knowing that our home and families are better protected than ever before. Just as you would hire a professional for your furnace, plumbing or electrical…a trusted smart home installer can answer all your questions, provide a reliable solution and give you peace of mind.”
Credit to our friends at: Video Cloud Surveillance Platform – Arcules – Get a demo today!
