Making Your Home “Smarter”
Making Your Home “Smarter”Like many people over the past year-and-a-half, we have been working on home improvements since the early weeks of quarantine. During most of our planning and research, I have been looking into additional Smart home items.
In our home, we have a thermostat that can be changed and programmed extensively through an app. We also have various voice-connected audio devices around our home, plus a web-enabled doorbell.
Sounds fancy, but this is the “grandparent-level” of automation. Meaning that, so far, I have only ventured into the popular items that even a tech-unsavvy grandparent can run.
As we move to larger projects though, I am looking into expanding what I have. We recently finished our bathroom remodel and have installed temperature-sensitive LED indicators for the sink and shower, as well as a Bluetooth-connected speaker/ceiling fan. Going forward, we have plans for the kitchen sink and more ideas for the front door, like an NFC-enabled lock that we can access with our phones or watches.
Having A Smart Home Is Cool, But Don’t Forget Security
When it comes to Smart home upgrades, the sky’s the limit as you can see. If you can dream it, you just might be able to do it.
While all these additions are nice, it is important to keep security in mind as you add devices to your Smart home. All these gadgets can be easy to add and configure, but people often pick simple passwords or leave the default one in place. Remember, these devices are part of your home network; while a faucet may not seem like a security risk, it can still poke holes in your network security.
With any device, you should be worried about security. Even if you think you wouldn’t be targeted, don’t become complacent. Change the passwords, make them complex, and use two-factor authentication wherever possible. Installations like these are backdoors to your network, and cybercriminals are just looking for the doors that are “unlocked.”
There are a lot of features and components that can make a Smart home work for you, but don’t dumb it down by leaving your home open to unseen threats.
(Image Source: iCLIPART)