Smart Home technology has made tremendous advancements in recent years. These devices do much more than beef up security around your property. Automated services can also provide homeowners with additional comfort, convenience, and cost savings.
Planning For Optimal Smart Home Safety
Careful planning can help ensure you receive maximum benefits from your smart home system. You may be of the opinion that the more security devices you have connected the safer you will be, but that is not necessarily always the case. Too many devices may become easy targets for cybercriminals if not properly set up and configured. In some situations, the more smart devices included in the network, the more points of access that may be vulnerable to hackers.
However, with the right preparations and assistance from a TELUS professional technician, steps can be taken to prevent unauthorized and access to your system and reduce security risks.
Install Only the Devices You Need
Consider which smart home devices are essential to your improved safety and reduced utility expenses. Think about which devices would be most beneficial to your home arrangement with regard to home automation, sensors, hazard detection, and security cameras. Network safety can be enhanced by turning off or disconnecting other devices in your network when they are not being used to reduce potential access points for cybercriminals. Consulting with a TELUS professional when designing your strategy can be extremely helpful.
Securing Your Network
A good place to start when securing your home network is with your router or home gateway. Since the router works as a hub to connect multiple devices to the internet, it is often the initial target for network hackers.
Some effective ways to enhance your network security are:
- Strong passwords
- Limit network access
- Establish a separate network
- Firewalls & encryption
- Use a VPN
- Updates & malware protection
Strong Passwords
As recommended with any device, protecting your router with a strong password is the first line of defence against potential hackers. The first step is to change the default name and password on your device. This type of information is often readily available on the internet with a simple search on the brand of the router. Multi-Factor Authentication is a highly recommended approach.
Limit Network Access
The fewer people that have access to your network login credentials, the lesser the risk of this crucial data falling into the wrong hands. Always avoid connecting unknown devices to your network and only share the SSID and password when absolutely necessary.
Establish a Separate Network
Most wireless routers offer an option to create a separate “guest” network. This is an effective way to ensure all your smart home devices are installed on a separate network where the login credentials will never be shared with anyone outside your home. The guest network will have a different SSID and password which provides limited access to the router features.
Firewalls & Encryption
Many people are not aware of this, but the firewall settings on most routers are not turned on by default. The router firewall can be activated in your router settings using your IP address to help prevent unwanted traffic from accessing your network.
It is also a good idea to turn on Wi-Fi encryption under your router’s Wi-Fi settings. This encrypts all data sent to and from your network devices flowing through the wireless network channel.
Use a VPN
If you are looking for even stronger encryption and the ability to hide your location, using a VPN server can achieve this. A VPN server will encrypt and scramble data passed through the Wi-Fi network, hide your IP address, and conceal your online activity.
Updates & Malware Protection
Installing antivirus and malware protection on your router is another recommended practice for securing your network. This offers multi-layer security options to keep your network and connected devices protected. Staying up to date with software updates for your router and smart home devices keeps you current on recent issues and security fixes.
TELUS Smart Home Security
A diverse range of features and services are available with TELUS home security. Protect your home, property, and personal information while improving energy efficiency and reducing expenses.
Security Benefits with TELUS
Improve safety and security around the home with:
- Smart locks
- Smart garage door openers
- Wide range of available camera systems
Enjoy extra convenience and cost savings with:
- Smart thermostat
- Smart lights
- Smart plugs
Even avoid unforeseen accidents and prevent disaster with hazard detection options like:
- Smart smoke sensors
- Carbon monoxide detectors
- Flood sensors
- Glass break sensors