Whether you’re just looking at home automation devices, or you’re looking to up your home security with a few smart devices, there’s no denying that we’re looking at a vast variety of options that can significantly help us live in a more secure home.
However, when you mention smart, you have a lot of people that think that smart devices aren’t all that secure and that someone else could gain access to them. Why? Because they’ve had a pesky neighbor use their Wi-Fi once or twice and they think anything that’s connected to it is vulnerable.
So, with that in mind, just how much of an impact does your home’s Wi-Fi network have on your security system? To answer that, let’s take a look at how your system uses your network, and then we’ll discuss the network’s security itself.
How Do You Make Use of It?
The first thing you’ll want to take a look at is how smart home security devices actually work. While regular ones just record video in the case of cameras, for example, you have smart devices that will make that video available at all times.
You also have smart locks that let you control them from wherever you are or video doorbells that send you a notification on your phone when someone rings them.
To be able to do this, your smart devices connect to your home Wi-Fi network. They then use that network to connect to the internet and give you access to them from pretty much wherever you are. So, to conclude, without your home’s Wi-Fi network, your smart home security system isn’t all that smart.
Can You Up the Security?
By now you should have figured out that your home’s Wi-Fi network is basically the one thing that all components of your smart home security system have in common. From there, it’s not difficult to conclude that the more secure it is, the fewer the chances of someone causing problems you have.
So, how can you increase the security of your home’s Wi-Fi network? Well, the first thing you’ll want to do is change the default password that your router came with. This is the one you use to connect to the network, so set it up to something unique.
We would recommend you not to use words or numbers that people can guess, and instead make it a combination of lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers, and maybe a symbol or two for good measure. Make it as difficult to guess as possible, but still, make sure you can remember it. All of your home security devices will use that same password to connect.
You should also change the username and password for your router. If someone does gain access to your Wi-Fi network, they could change the password themselves, essentially locking you out of your own network.
To add to this, don’t let just about anyone connect to the same Wi-Fi network that you use for your home security devices. If you have the option to create multiple networks from your router, take advantage of that and create a separate network for your smart home security system.
This way, you can have guests that are over connect to a network that has nothing to do with your home security system and keep it safe. Most Wi-Fi routers also have an option to create a guest network, so you could give info for that to your visitors instead of creating a separate network for the security system – it’s just as safe.
How Much of a Threat Is This?
Even the best home security systems won’t protect you too much if they’re compromised. And since your home network is the thing that ties together all the hardware devices, you should have it as secure as possible. On the other hand, Wi-Fi security protocols have advanced quite a bit, so someone gaining access to your network without you wanting them to is close to impossible. There are encryption protocols in place to keep it secure, and they actually work really well.
At the end of the day, your Wi-Fi network has a really massive impact on the overall security of your home when you’re using a smart system. But considering just how secure they are, you can weigh the benefits with the dangers, and you’ll find that those really, really slim chances of someone gaining access to your security system are basically nothing compared to the benefits you get.
You’ll have a complete overview of your home, and you’ll know everything that happens within the moment of it happening. It’s very much worth it, and if you’re thinking about investing in a security system, go for it.