For any smarthome, its vital that the homeowner is able to control and view all the information that goes in or out via the internet. Even using Alexa leverages the internet and/or WiFi within that home, so having both secured is very important to reduce the chances of being hacked. Traditional WiFi passwords (WEP) are no longer strong enough. In order for security to be effective, it should be layered. What I mean by "layered" is that there should be several different security measures put in place to address a specific type of hack. For example, thieves are able to copy your car key fob by using a device that can take an image of your key fob that is inside your home while outside in your driveway. By disabling your car key fob from sending out signals or storing it in the back of your home in a container that blocks signals from going out will deter car thieves. This is just one example of securing your home without the use of technology. Having motion sensing camera's that trigger the lights and send you an SMS alert when triggered can also help to minimize physical intrusion. A new trend that is catching on is the use of mesh wifi networks. Several vendors offer mesh Wifi (Google, Linksys, Ubiquiti, etc.) Most of these are similar in nature as they allow you to control and see what devices are being used within the home and who is using those devices. Some also allow the user through the smartphone to restrict access to users or to block specific devices from accessing the internet. These solutions however are not designed to the application level. They are more focused on devices and users. In some cases, its important to know what applications are coming into the house or going out and to determine what devices or users are using that application. The reason is that if an application has malicious intent and has infected a device, you are able to be alerted and can quarantine or take that device or application out of the network before damage can be done. Talk to us about securing your home and how we maybe able to assist you in ensuring your home is safe.
