Adding smart technologies to your home has increasingly grown in popularity in recent years, and so have the mounting security-related issues that follow. Whether you use a home monitoring system, a smart thermostat, high-tech baby monitors, or something else, the need to secure your technology is crucial. Our IT expert, Jeff Groby, joined the crew at The Big 550 KTRS to talk about smart home security for Tech Talk on the Guy Phillips Show last week. This technology can make life easier, but it's only as good as the security you have set up around it.
We live in a world where we want everything to be instant. One of the biggest mistakes that people can make when adding a smart device to their home is just taking it out of the box, plugging it in, and walking away. Smart devices are definitely something that you want to read the instructions on before thinking you're done. Not reading the proper setup instructions could leave your home vulnerable when it comes to securing your new device.
Take the steps you need to do in order to secure your wireless network before you begin adding new devices. Anything that will be running off of your wireless network needs to be secured. Jeff offered a few tips to homeowners on how to ensure that your wireless connection is secured:
1.) Add WPA2 Encryption - Adding this encryption to your network will increase the security of your connection. WPA2 is more secure than its predecessor WPA. You should be able to find out how to select this level of encryption when reading the instructions for your wireless network.
2.) Give your wireless network a unique name - Don't give your home network a name that could easily identify you or your family. For instance, Jeff told Guy that he shouldn't name his network "Guy's House" or anything like that. By giving your connection a name that can be tied to you, you are leaving yourself vulnerable. Jeff suggested even giving the network a funny name that only you and the people in your home will be able to recognize.
3.) Password protection - One of the best things you can do to protect your network is to have a strong password to connect. "Password123" isn't creative and it isn't secure. Password management is one of the best ways to ensure the security of your wireless network. When setting up your network, Jeff even suggests changing your password from the obscure out of the box default password too.
Cyber security is a growing threat in the technology-driven world that we live in. National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) is observed each October and brought to you by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance. This month, SumnerOne will be doing our part in helping to spread awareness through education, social media, and our weekly Tech Talk segment!
If you would like to learn more about SumnerOne and our sevices, give us a call. Be sure to tune in on Friday afternoon at 4:20 for Tech Talk on The Big 550 KTRS. This week we will be live in the studio during the Guy Phillips Show to talk about the threats of Ransomware. In case you missed it, catch the full video from last week down below.
Originally published October 4, 2018, updated February 12, 2019