Smart devices may bring more convenience and comfort to your home, but they also have increased the number of potential vulnerabilities.

To help protect your home and safeguard your personal information, here are six essential tips for securing your home’s smart devices.

Secure your Wi-Fi network

A strong and secure Wi-Fi network is the foundation of a safe smart home. To start, any time you get a new router, you should change the default login credentials to a unique username and a strong password. You can also make your router more secure by using Wi-Fi Protected Access like WPA2 or WPA3, a level of encryption which ensures that even if someone intercepts the data, they cannot decipher it without the encryption key.

Use strong passwords

In addition to your router, it’s important that you create complex, unique passwords for each of your smart devices. Instead of sticking with default or easily guessable passwords, like “admin” or “12345,” choose a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Also, try not to use the same passwords across your accounts. To make sure you remember each login, consider utilizing a password management tool that will keep them safely stored in one space.

Update firmware and software

Regularly updating the firmware and software of your smart devices is crucial for maintaining your home’s security. Manufacturers often release updates that address vulnerabilities and strengthen devices’ defense against potential threats. Enable automatic updates whenever possible, and manually check for updates periodically to ensure you have the latest security patches installed.

Implement two-factor authentication

If it’s offered, enable two-factor authentication on your smart devices, which creates an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification, such as a code sent to your smartphone, in addition to your password. This can help to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access even if your password becomes compromised.

Segment your network

If you have many different smart devices, you may want to consider segmenting your network—essentially, creating a second Wi-Fi network—to isolate them from other devices like computers and smartphones. Not all routers support this, but if yours does, such a separation can help prevent potential attackers from accessing sensitive data or other devices in case one of your smart devices is compromised.

Disable unnecessary features and permissions

Every smart device has a variety of features, some of which aren’t entirely essential. If you find that you don’t use certain functions, you can disable them, such as by turning off voice control or blocking a device’s camera. By doing this, you minimize potential vulnerabilities and weak points that hackers could exploit. You can also remove any permissions that aren’t vital for the device’s intended purpose or how you are using the device. Some apps may request access to more data than necessary, so it’s crucial to limit their privileges to better protect your privacy.

As smart home devices become more prevalent, securing them should be a top priority. It’s an ongoing process, so stay proactive and continue implementing security measures to protect your home and your loved ones.