{"id":1743,"date":"2017-03-23T13:23:15","date_gmt":"2017-03-23T20:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/?p=1743"},"modified":"2017-08-17T15:14:26","modified_gmt":"2017-08-17T22:14:26","slug":"how-to-secure-smart-home-devices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/how-to-secure-smart-home-devices","title":{"rendered":"How to secure your smart home devices"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"smart<\/a><\/p>\n

Smart home devices are quickly becoming the norm, with IT research firm Gartner<\/a> predicting consumers will have 5.2 billion internet-connected products in 2017 \u2013 an average of four devices per household.<\/p>\n

“The connected home is coming to fruition and it’s coming now,” says Yonomi co-founder and CEO Kent Dickson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re using smart devices to control the lighting, temperature and ambiance of our homes, to lock our doors and watch for intruders, to feed and play with our pets. There seems to be a smart device for every conceivable home need, but how secure are these devices?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest issue with smart devices in the home is that many can be accessed directly from the internet,\u201d says Bruce Snell, Cybersecurity and Privacy Director at Intel Security<\/a>, adding, \u201cSecuring the smart home requires that you think a little more about security than you may have in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

What can you do to secure your smart home tech?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Secure your devices<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the first things you should do when setting up devices is change the factory-default password to something unique. \u201cWe have seen many attacks against smart devices that succeed because the owner of the device never changed the password,\u201d explains Snell.<\/p>\n

Make sure this is security feature you\u2019ll be able to control when you\u2019re shopping for devices. If not, consider upgrading to a device that won\u2019t leave a hole in your home security.<\/p>\n

Family safety tips to consider when your home is for sale<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Turn off the broadcast feature so your smart home devices aren\u2019t discoverable to anybody but you. This could interfere with the functionality of hub devices like Amazon Echo Dot or Google Home, so be sure to check their specs.<\/p>\n

And when you\u2019re setting up, consider hard-wiring your devices to the internet through your router, rather than via a wireless connection. This will make it even more difficult to get to your devices without authorization.<\/p>\n

There are also smart home security devices that take into account the limitations of your individual devices and operate as a shield, securing and monitoring interactions with them in real-time.<\/p>\n

Secure your networks <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to take advantage of the security features of your home internet router to help keep the bad guys out,\u201d suggests Snell.<\/p>\n

These may include\u00a0the latest wireless\u00a0encryption (WPA2<\/a>), a firewall<\/a>, and Virtual Private Network<\/a> (VPN), amongst other features. Look up your router to see built-in security features it has, and turn them on if you aren\u2019t already using them. At the very least, if you use a wireless network, ensuring that it\u2019s password protected is key.<\/p>\n