Smart IoT devices are a thing of the future. People are continuously moving towards a smarter future with devices that can be controlled with your voice so you won’t have to do an action for, say, switching off the light, turning on the speaker, locking your door, and the list keeps going on.
While convenience is a major perk for smart homes, the other side of the coin here is the security breaches that steal away your privacy. For example, if you have a smart camera at your home that is continuously monitoring your house, it is also uploading the footage on some server which could be hackable.
Such hackers steal away your information first, and the rest is in their hands regarding what to do with the information they have about you. So what can you do to secure your smart home? Here are some tips.
Different Password for every account
To start off, a basic tip is to have a different password for every account you have to which the smart devices are linked to within an app. While it might be convenient to have the same password for every account, it can be compared to you serving the information in a platter to the hacker.
Wi-Fi Security
Securing your WiFi router is another essential tip. Most of the smart devices these days connect to your device through the same Wifi network your phone is connected to. Making your wifi password stronger with a number, or maybe some special characters. It should be something which is not easily guessable and definitely something that is not related to you in any way, certainly not your phone number.
Enabling Two Factor Authentication
Two Factor Authentication is the process of adding an extra layer of security for your account besides the password you already have. With Two Factor Authentication, you will always get an OTP on your mobile number which you’ll have to put in before you can login to your account. While many services might not have the functionality, you should definitely enable it wherever you have the option.
Firewalls
Firewalls act as an antivirus for the network. With Firewall enabled, only authorized users can gain access to the network and it makes it harder for the hackers to break into your network.
Guest Mode
Most of the smart routers have an option to enable the guest mode. With guest mode, you can control which guests have access to how much content. You can even set the Bandwidth and data limit which the guest will be able to use.
Keep an eye on the App permissions
A smart home app always asks you for permissions on your phone regarding what it can access. You should definitely look into what the app is accessing and disable those permissions which make you suspicious or things which you don’t use.
Choose wisely
Choose the smart home devices wisely. You should buy the smart home devices from brands which are well-known and have a good reputation in the market. Cheaper products always attract customers but lower prices can also mean zero privacy. Even if a product from a major brand is expensive, the brand ensures that your privacy is the priority.
Keep your devices up to date
Keeping your devices up to date with the latest software version available is one of the most important things to keep in mind because brands often release new security patches with the latest code that will prevent hackers from hacking your devices.