What a smart home can do
The range of devices and solutions that make life easier continues to grow. Typical devices include:
- Lighting systems
- Heating controls, either centralized or through dedicated thermostats
- Controls for home systems, such as window shades
- Smart door locks that can be operated without a key
- Security sensors that alert you to broken glass, smoke, or flooding
- Indoor and outdoor security cameras
The different solutions can often be connected with one another. For example, the heating and lights can turn on automatically when someone approaches the home. Or the temperature in the rooms can be lowered in winter when the last person leaves the apartment.
Avoid these vulnerabilities
Don't take smart device connectivity lightly. Many solutions do without wired connections and instead use encrypted wireless protocols or the wireless network set up in your home (WLAN). But if you want to control a light remotely using an app, a connection to your home network also needs to be available from outside. One weak point may be a Router that hasn't been properly secured. If criminals use this route to gain access to internal cameras, for example, residents could be monitored without their knowledge.
"Typical" threat scenarios can arise from, among other things:
- insufficiently secured wireless networks (WLAN)
- software errors and security vulnerabilities in the control software
How to improve security in your smart home
- Before choosing a solution, review security test reports for smart home devices.
- Read the provider's privacy policy. How do they ensure that only you can access your data?
- Choose products from well-known providers, and look for test seals or certificates from specialized testing organizations such as AV-Test, the VDE Testing Institute, or TÜV.
- If the device has a default password or PIN, change it as soon as you set it up. If connection encryption is available, enable it.
- Enable automatic updates if this option is available. Otherwise, check your devices regularly for updates. This is especially important for all security-related devices, such as cameras and door locks.
- Change your router's default password if you have not already done so. Its software also needs regular updates. The same applies to your Smart Home hub, if you use one.
- Always protect cloud connections with a secure password .
- For many solutions, your smartphone is the control center. If it falls into the wrong hands, a thief or someone who finds it could use it to view images from your security camera, unlock your front door, or remotely control other components. That is why you need to secure your smartphone. Lock access, for example with a PIN code, and protect your device from viruses and other malware .
