Is Your Smart Home Secure?

7 Things Every Homeowner Should Do to Protect Their Connected Home

From video doorbells and smart thermostats to security cameras, appliances, speakers, and even garage doors, our homes are more connected than ever. Smart technology can make homeownership easier, safer, and more efficient, but every connected device also introduces another potential entry point into your home network.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, making it a great time to give your home’s digital security a checkup.

You don’t have to be a technology expert to make your smart home more secure. Start with these seven simple steps.

1. Secure Your Home Wi-Fi Network

Your Wi-Fi network is the foundation of your connected home. Start by making sure your router is protected with a strong, unique password rather than the manufacturer’s default login credentials.

If your router supports it, consider creating a separate guest network for smart-home devices. This can help keep devices such as cameras, speakers, thermostats, and appliances separate from computers or phones containing more sensitive information.

2. Change Default Passwords

When you install a new smart device, don’t leave the manufacturer’s default username or password in place. Create a unique password for each account associated with your connected devices.

Avoid reusing the same password across multiple accounts. If one account is compromised, reused passwords can make it easier for someone to access others.

3. Turn On Multi-Factor Authentication

Whenever it’s available, enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for your smart-home accounts.

MFA adds another layer of protection by requiring an additional verification step beyond your password. This is especially important for devices that control or monitor access to your home, such as security cameras, smart locks, garage doors, and alarm systems.

4. Keep Devices and Apps Updated

Those software update notifications are easy to ignore, but updates frequently include important security fixes.

Check that the apps associated with your smart-home devices are up to date, and enable automatic updates when available. Don’t forget about your router, either. Router firmware should also be kept current.

5. Know What’s Connected to Your Home

Could you list every device currently connected to your home’s Wi-Fi?

For many homeowners, the answer is no.

Take a quick inventory of your connected devices. Think beyond computers and phones to include televisions, cameras, thermostats, doorbells, speakers, appliances, garage-door openers, security systems, baby monitors, lighting systems, and other smart devices.

If you discover something you no longer use, disconnect it from your network.

6. Keep Records of Your Smart-Home Devices

Smart devices are part of your home, so consider documenting them just as you would your major appliances.

Keep track of important information such as the manufacturer, model and serial number, purchase date, receipt, warranty, user manual, and installation information.

Having these records readily available can make troubleshooting, warranty claims, replacement, insurance documentation, and eventually selling your home much easier.

7. Don’t Forget About Devices When You Move or Upgrade

Replacing a smart device isn’t always as simple as unplugging it.

Before selling, donating, or disposing of a connected device, remove it from your accounts and perform a factory reset when appropriate. If you’re moving, review which devices are staying with the house and remove your personal accounts and access.

The same applies when purchasing a home with existing smart technology. Make sure ownership and account access are properly transferred and previous users no longer have access.

Give Your Smart Home a Digital Checkup

We often think about home maintenance in terms of cleaning gutters, changing HVAC filters, or checking smoke detectors. But as our homes become more connected, digital maintenance deserves a spot on the list, too.

Take a few minutes this October to review your Wi-Fi security, update passwords, install software updates, and take inventory of the technology throughout your home.

And while you’re at it, make sure you have a record of what you own.

PorchFile can help you keep receipts, warranties, manuals, appliance information, home improvement records, and other important home documents organized in one convenient place. Keeping a digital history of your home means you’ll spend less time searching for information when you need it and more time enjoying the technology that’s supposed to make homeownership easier.

A smarter home should also be a safer, more organized home.