Are You Smarter Than a House?

The smart home is the rage at this year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show). Devices, gadgets, appliances and cars are generating a lot of buzz – along with TVs you can’t buy and drones that you probably can’t fly. Here’s what got our attention.

Apple’s HomeKit platform is ready to install. If you ever marveled at the X-10 or the Clapper, this will have you doing backflips. With Siri-control of Wi-Fi connected to home automation accessories, you can control ceiling fans and window blinds. Very soon, you should be able to control electrical outlets, switches, thermostats and door lock options. HomeKit is matched to products come from some notable companies such as Honeywell, Lutron, Kwikset, iHome and others.

With Apple getting heavily involved, you can expect to have a lot of capabilities all tied to a single app, and using Siri’s voice capability will make it a snap to turn appliances and systems on and off or lock your doors with a simple spoken command.

We’ve already had a preview of how you can keep tabs on everything going on at home even if you’re nowhere near your house. We installed an Internet-accessible doorbell monitor a few years ago that uses a camera and two-way sound system to talk to anyone who rings the bell. It came in really handy soon after we installed it when we were able to accept the delivery of equipment needed for a client installation. Without the system, there would have been no delivery, and the project would have been delayed.

One system at CES takes our old one a step farther by also enabling you to unlock the door to let people into your house. For some families, that can add a totally new dimension to what used to be called “latch-key kids.”

Inside the house, a smart refrigerator is generating some cool news. Expected to hit the market later this year, the deluxe models take pictures of what’s inside your fridge after you close the door – or doors. You can use the pictures for your trip to the supermarket on your way home – unless, of course, you order your groceries online and use a credit card app to pay for them. It’s a combo play from Samsung and MasterCard. Oh, and just to give a good-old warm and fuzzy feeling, the refrigerator has a screen for leaving messages and notes or displaying (scanned) artwork from your kids.

Ford got a lot of attention with its Sync 3 and its compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but it’s not alone. Many auto manufacturers are jumping into the game. Systems will feature a lot of infotainment applications, but they will tie more closely to smart-home systems.

To be prepared for all the smart-home systems coming to the market, you need to be a smart homeowner by making sure your Wi-Fi network is secure. We’ve discussed network security many times before, but now more is at stake. Smart-home systems will require more passwords and stronger passwords, and you’ll need to make sure you only use secure networks to access your home remotely. If not, it will be just like telling the world the key to your front door is under the mat or in the mailbox.

All of this new technology is both exciting and overwhelming. We can help you eliminate the anxiety by helping you understand how the systems work to make smart selections, and we can make sure your home Wi-Fi network can handle all the technology you install. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us. We can help

Protect Your Networks as IoT Grows

What can’t we do over the Internet? Pretty soon, the answer will be: Practically nothing. We may not live like the Jetsons, but in the expanding age of IoT (the Internet of Things), we can do all sorts of things, from turning lights on and off to connecting with life-saving healthcare information and equipment systems. While the future is bright, you need your “shades” in form of network protection.

Here’s why it’s critical: Every device and every app that you use over the Internet exposes you to hackers who can get into your network and computer system and those of other people and businesses. Your network router or gateway is your first line of defense. There’s nothing magic about what you need to do to protect it.

The first thing is to turn on your router’s or gateway’s firewall. It sounds so basic, but we’re always amazed at the number of people who simply neglect it. You’ll need a password for it, and our advice is to make it long and to include at least of the four following characteristics: a lower case letter, an upper case letter, a numeral and a special character. If your computer has a firewall, turn it on, too, and make sure you have anti-virus and malware protection installed, updated and activated.

But network security is more vital than ever because the devices you use for a smart home, for example, may not have built-in security or a strong security system. Every time you turn lights on and off, lock and unlock a door or change your thermostat over the Internet, you can be vulnerable to a hack. If you are on a secure network, and if your network in your smart home is secure, you’ll be much better able to protect your system (and all of the data).

Network security can be even more critical for businesses. Some types of businesses depend on remote access to sensitive files than others, and those files could contain information on your business or your customers’ businesses that a hacker can use to monetize in any number of ways.

If you are buying and activating more smart systems as you expand your Internet of Things, we urge you to talk to us. We can help you understand the security risks you need to manage and help you select the security systems that can best manage those risks. No system is foolproof or perfect, but making yours as strong as possible will minimize your risk of getting hacked. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to strengthen your existing security system or find a new one.