How Secure Are Smart Home Devices During Home Renovation

danialcarter
danialcarter Posts: 1 New Member
in General Discussion

Most homeowners focus on the physical side of a renovation materials, timelines, costs but very few think about what happens to their smart home security during the process. It's actually one of the most overlooked risks in any major home project.
When you're going through a home renovation, multiple contractors, workers, and visitors are coming in and out of your space for days or even weeks. During this time your smart home devices security cameras, smart locks, smart thermostats, connected appliances are sitting on the same network that strangers now have physical access to.
Here are a few things I've personally learned going through this:

  1. Create a Guest Network for Contractors
    Never give contractors access to your main Wi-Fi. Set up a separate guest network so their devices stay isolated from your smart home ecosystem. Most modern routers support this easily.
  2. Change Your Passwords Before and After
    Before work begins, update your router and smart device passwords. Once the renovation is complete, change them again. This is especially important if workers needed temporary network access.
  3. Disable Smart Locks During Work Hours
    If you have a smart lock, consider switching to a temporary code that expires after the renovation is done. Permanent access codes given to contractors should always be removed immediately after.
  4. Check Your Camera Footage Regularly
    Keep an eye on your security camera recordings throughout the renovation period. It's not about distrust it's just good practice when your home is open to multiple people daily.
  5. Update All Firmware After Renovation
    Once everything is done, update the firmware on all your smart devices. Physical access to devices means someone could have tampered with settings without you knowing.
    I went through a full home renovation in Baltimore recently and honestly the cybersecurity side of it was something I had to figure out on my own there's very little guidance out there on this specific topic. F-Secure's network protection tools actually helped a lot with monitoring unusual activity during the process.
    Would love to hear if anyone else has dealt with this how did you handle your smart home security during a major renovation
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