Lesson 6 of 720 minutesHands-on

Smart devices without the risk

Cameras, doorbells, speakers, TVs, plugs and bulbs are often the weakest things on a home network: cheap to make, rarely updated, and sometimes abandoned by their makers after a year or two. In 2016 a piece of malware called Mirai took over hundreds of thousands of cameras and routers using little more than a list of default passwords. In this lesson you’ll go through your gadgets one by one and make sure none of them is the easy way in.

In this lesson

  • Move smart devices onto your guest network, and know when not to
  • Update each device and secure the account that controls it
  • Switch off tracking and features you don’t use

You’ll need: your device list from Lesson 1, the guest network from Lesson 3, and the phone apps that control your devices.

Why gadgets need special care

  • Default passwords. Many devices, especially cameras and video recorders, ship with a login that’s the same on every unit. Lists of them are public, which is exactly how Mirai spread. In the UK, these universal default passwords have been banned on new devices since April 2024.
  • Few updates. A phone gets security updates for years. A cheap plug might get none, and when the maker stops supporting a device, its flaws stay open for good.
  • They talk to the internet constantly. Most keep a permanent connection to their maker’s cloud service, so the security of that account matters as much as the device.

Try it yourself · part 1

Move gadgets onto the guest network

  1. Take the devices you labelled guest network in Lesson 1. For each one, open its app and look for Wi-Fi settings or Change network. Many devices need a reset and set-up again to change network; the app usually walks you through it.
  2. Connect it to your guest network, then check it still works from the app.
  3. Leave on the main network anything that genuinely needs to talk to your other devices directly. The usual examples are a TV or speaker you cast to from your phone, and a printer, because guest isolation stops your phone from finding them. That’s a fair trade-off: secure those carefully instead, with the steps below.

Try it yourself · part 2

Update each device and lock its account

  1. In each device’s app, find Firmware, Device software or Updates. Install anything available, and turn on automatic updates if it’s offered.
  2. If a device has its own login, like many cameras and video recorders do, change it from the default to a unique password.
  3. For the account in the maker’s app, use a unique password and turn on two-step sign-in. Whoever gets into that account can watch your cameras or unlock your door, wherever they are.
  4. In the account, look for Shared users or Members and remove anyone who no longer needs access, such as a former housemate.

Try it yourself · part 3

Switch off what you don’t use

  • Smart TVs can identify what’s on screen every few seconds, including from games consoles and cable boxes, to build a viewing profile. Look in the TV’s privacy or terms settings: on Samsung TVs it’s called Viewing Information Services; other brands call it something like viewing data or content recognition. Turn it off, along with interest-based advertising.
  • Cameras and doorbells: point them at your own property, not into bedrooms or neighbours’ windows. If the app offers end-to-end encryption for video, as some, including Ring, do, turn it on, so only your own devices can view recordings.
  • Speakers and voice assistants: use the microphone mute button when you don’t need them, and check the app’s settings for how long voice recordings are kept.
  • Remote access and UPnP on the device itself: if a device has its own settings for these and you don’t use them, turn them off. Fewer features, fewer ways in.

When a device stops getting updates

Every gadget reaches an end. When the app stops offering updates, the maker announces end of support, or the company disappears, the device will never be fixed again. For a smart bulb that’s a small risk; for a camera inside your home it’s a big one. Unplug it, or replace it. When you buy a new one, check how long the maker promises security updates: in the UK, makers must now publish how long each product will get them, and a longer period is worth paying a little more for.

Check your work. Run the Port Scanner again, as in Lesson 4. Gadgets that asked your router to open ports through UPnP will now show up if anything is still open.

Key takeaways

  • Gadgets are often the least-updated devices you own; keep them on the guest network where you can.
  • Devices you cast to, and printers, may need to stay on the main network: secure them carefully instead.
  • Update every device, change default logins, and protect the maker’s account with two-step sign-in.
  • Turn off TV viewing tracking and any feature you don’t use.
  • When a device stops getting updates, unplug or replace it.

Check yourself

Three questions. Pick one answer each and you’ll see why.

1. After moving your TV to the guest network, your phone can’t cast to it any more. Why?

2. What made the Mirai malware so successful in 2016?

3. Your indoor camera’s app hasn’t offered an update in three years, and the maker has stopped supporting it. What should you do?

See what each kind of device actually collects in Are Smart Home Devices Spying on You?, and how to check your computer’s camera in Is Your Webcam Spying on You?

This lesson is part of the free course Secure Your Home Network, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0: you may share and adapt it for non-commercial use, with credit to ExamineIP and a link to the original.

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