Archives - Smart Home


Unplug smart home devices when you’re not using them

If you’re leaving town and won’t be using your smart TV or other devices for several days, disconnect them. This will help not only save energy, but also keep hackers away.

If you work from home, create a separate Wi-Fi network

Remember, when one IoT device becomes compromised in a digital home, all the other devices on that network are also at risk. So if you deal with confidential information for your job, make sure your network is secure and not too crowded. In most cases, you’ll be able to set up a secondary network with […]

Disable the camera and mic on your smart TV

When a hacker gains access to your smart TV, they can spy on you through the camera and listen to your conversations through the microphone. Some hackers might do this to find out when you’re not home so they can rob you or to capture information that can be used for blackmail. Protect yourself against […]

Enable auto-updates for your smart TV

Like mobile devices and laptops, smart TVs are more at-risk of being compromised by hackers if they contain older firmware and applications. That’s why you need to make sure new versions are always installed when they’re available. But it’s hard to remember to do this every time, so enabling auto-updates can be helpful. This option […]

Frequently delete the history on your Google Assistant

Smart speakers like Google Assistant capture your voice recordings and store them in a database, which is referenced by development teams to make product improvements. But what if hackers infiltrate that database? If you’re not comfortable allowing anyone access to these records, you can go into the settings for your Google Assistant and click “Delete […]

What is a smart home?

More and more of our home devices— including thermostats, door locks, coffee machines, and smoke alarms—are now connected to the Internet (IoT). This enables us to control our devices or our smartphones, no matter our location, which in turn can save us time and money while providing convenience and even safety. These advances in technology […]