Home automation devices we have all kinds available. They serve to make our home smarter, schedule certain tasks and even save energy. Now, it is important to use good equipment, since some can become a danger. In this article we explain why the cheap smart doorbells could become a major problem for the privacy. We tell you how it could affect you and what to take into account when buying them.
Cheap smart doorbells can be a problem
We can say that smart doorbells are very common gadgets today. They began to become popular a few years ago and we see more and more. There are those that have features such as night vision, integrated microphone, are waterproof to put them anywhere, etc. They can work over Wi-Fi or connect via cable.
The problem comes when we acquire a model that can be a danger. We found a very cheap smart doorbell on the Internet, it seems interesting and we decided to buy it. That can be a problem, since like any other IoT device it could become the gateway for attackers when connecting to the Wi-Fi network.
Why is this happening? These inexpensive devices could have unfixed vulnerabilities. They could allow an attacker to gain control of the smart doorbell’s built-in microphone and camera. That, logically, will affect our privacy. It is basically the same as if we bought a poor quality IP camera and it was attacked by a cybercriminal.
But in addition to this, smart doorbells usually come with a default password. Sometimes, especially in cheap models, we can even find that this key cannot be changed. At least not easily. We already know what can happen when we use any device without a password or with a very weak password. That, once again, can put privacy at risk.
What to consider when buying them
So what should you do to avoid hassle when shopping for smart doorbells? We are going to give you some tips to avoid compromising your privacy. The objective is to avoid problems and always maintain adequate protection, so that everything works correctly and without any type of failure.
The first thing to consider is if you are buying a guarantees device or not. You can know that if the website or the store where you are going to buy it are trustworthy. You can always see reviews from other customers, learn about that particular make and model, or view articles discussing that product.
It is also essential that, once you buy it, you make sure that this smart doorbell is well protected. You can check that if you make sure you have the latest firmware version available. In addition, you can change the access code to verify that you are using a guaranteed one, which will not pose any problem.
Likewise, as with any other device that you connect to the network, it is good that you have the Wi-Fi well protected. Making sure you have a local network with a good password, an updated router and correcting any bugs will be essential to avoid having problems with your smart doorbells.
Therefore, as you can see, it is possible that you will come across a dangerous smart doorbell, which could put your privacy at risk. Configuring your home network correctly will also be useful to avoid having problems of this type. It is something that you should always review, whatever device you start using.
