How secure is your smart home?
From vacuum cleaners and loudspeakers to light bulbs – smart devices make life easier. But what if we told you your networked devices were a potential security risk? Let us show you how to protect yourself and your smart home.
Switching the light on with a clap, controlling the heating from your office or getting the smart robot to vacuum your home: smart home devices simplify daily life but also carry risks. Our tips will keep your home network safe from digital intruders.
**1. Keep on top of updates**
Ensure that your devices are always running the most recent software version. That way, you will benefit from the latest functions and security features, as well as fixes for any software bugs. You are advised to set up your devices to update automatically.
2. Train your voice assistant
Do you control your devices using a voice assistant such as Siri or Google Assistant? Specify which voice the smart assistant should recognise. That way, only you can give the commands. With some devices, you can set up several voice profiles with different permissions.
3. Use different networks
Don’t connect all your devices to the same network. This will reduce the damage that potential intruders can inflict. Set up a separate guest WLAN with restricted access and connect your devices to that.
**4. Choose a strong WLAN password
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Digital security starts and ends with a secure password. This applies to your WLAN password in particular. Always change the router’s name and password from the factory default setting. You should also use secure, unique passwords for your smart devices, ideally linked to an e-mail address different to the one you use for social media.
Have you already been a victim of smart home hacking? Share your experience with the Community so that other people can learn from it.
