Have you finally taken the first step in making your home smart? You’re not the only one.

The smart home market has grown a lot over the past few years. Reports show that there were more than 800 million smart home devices shipped during 2019.

The problem is, the increased popularity of smart homes has made these devices a prime target for hackers.

If you want to know how to secure your smart home, keep reading. Below are five tips that will make your new home safe and secure.

1. Change Your Login Credentials

Most devices you buy aren’t going to have you change your login credentials the first time you log into them. They have default credentials that you use to get in.

The problem is, these credentials are well known on the internet. If you expose these devices, then anybody can find your devices and access your home. Make sure you change all your login credentials before going online.

2. Update Your Firmware

Smart home companies do their best to make secure products. However, nobody knows what security flaws exist out in the wild that have yet to be discovered.

Keep a constant eye on security updates for your devices. If you see a new firmware update, apply it as soon as you can. These updates often contain security patches that will keep you secure.

3. Enable Firewalls

No device that’s connected to the internet should be able to send and receive data as it pleases. You need to control the information flow to your devices.

Installing a firewall will help you do this. It will monitor your internet traffic and block anything that appears suspicious.

4. Put Your IoT Devices on a Separate Network

Even your best efforts may not be enough to protect you from cyberattacks. If one of your devices is compromised, an attacker might gain access to your entire home network.

You can mitigate this problem by putting your IoT devices on a separate network. Doing this means an attacker will have a harder time accessing the information on your personal computers.

5. Use a Monitoring Company

Yes, there is plenty you can do on your own to secure your home network. The problem is that you can’t be on top of things at all times.

A company like ADT Security will be your watchdog for the times you can’t stay on top of things. Their products provide all the privacy and security you need for your smart home.

Now You Know How to Secure Your Smart Home

It can be nerve-wracking to put so many internet-enabled devices on your home network. However, now that you know how to secure your smart home, you can rest a little easier at night. There are more ways you can lock down your network, so make sure you keep researching the best ways to secure your home.

If you’re looking for other ways to bring your home into the future, our blog will help. Read our latest posts to discover our tips for adding value to your house.

Author Bio: Rachael is a content writer at Pearl Lemon Leads who has written on a cold email tips, from colored diamonds to SEO software. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, sketching, cooking, and video games.