Tips From The Top

Connected smart home devices are amazing tools for better living. They improve our quality of life by offering more ease and comfort in our daily routines. They help us better manage our energy and resources. They give us incredible access to outstanding entertainment. Connectivity within our homes means we can live in a more simplified, streamlined way. But connectivity also opens our devices to an increased threat to our home’s security. When we talk about security, it’s more than making sure your physical property is safe; we’re talking about cyber security, too.  

It's a topic we take seriously.

With our clients, we talk about cybersecurity up front. It’s a top priority of any every project we do, from a lighting project to media room to an entire home automation platform. Every connected device in a home is a potential way for an outside to break and enter without the owner never even knowing. Smart TVs, streaming devices, IP cameras and routers are the most targeted, but literally anything with an IP address can be vulnerable. 

Which is why we take it so seriously, and prioritize cybersecurity with every project.

ADI | Snap One, one of our top smart home platforms, takes what their Cybersecurity Director calls “a layered approach to connected-home cybersecurity.” They incorporate security touchpoints at every stage of the development lifecycle. Their threat modeling, secure software design, and security testing are designed to provide us and our clients with the confidence that your connected devices and your homes are safe, resilient, and still easy and intuitive to use. 

Luckily for our clients, we worry about that for them.

Federal regulatory efforts are also looking to raise baseline standards for smart home cybersecurity. Still in development, the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark is a new government-backed certification program, similar to ENERGY STAR, that would allow smart home device manufacturers to label products that meet cybersecurity criteria. 

As a company, we also follow the Smart Home Cybersecurity Checklist from the Consumer Technology Association’s core practices.

• We only source products only from trusted, proven vendors (off-brand products have been linked to security issues).
• We change all default logins and encourage our clients to use secure password managers.
• We use VLANs to separate devices such as A/V systems, smart devices, and guest access.
• We replace ISP-issued routers and modems with secure equipment that we manage.
• We always isolate IoT and AV devices if they lack login protections.
• We ensure that phones and tablets running control apps are patched and protected.
• We practice routine update protocol, making sure firmware and software patches are updated as soon as they are available. 

To learn more about your home’s cybersecurity, call us at Jackson Hole AV. We’d love to discuss the possibilities.

(Image credit: CEPro.)