Are we getting lazier or smarter day-by-day?
Today’s topic is about Smart Home and how it can go a bit wrong at times. (or every time?)
Are Smart Home Apps Safe and Secure to Use?
Recalling one of the excellent stories I came across, shared by Michael Schrage for the Los Angeles Time. Here the protagonist is the guy who loves technology a lot, and he willingly spends his energy for the Smart Home concept.
However, things went really bad for him.
In his home, all the gadgets were being controlled using the same remote. This mean, TV, computer, refrigerator and every gadget were in one control.
One malware did it all. It hit the PC first, and later on, traveled through all the systems including the piping! You can imagine the level of damage it can cause.
Drawing inspiration through the story:
Awareness is something that people lack. Smart Home users must know how a particular gadget or app works. Not only that, you should be aware of the risks of using a gadget and the preventive measures to avoid any such mishaps.
I would like to mention about Peter, the tech guy at the electronic store who made me understand the value of digital knowledge. He told, “People are in a rush, and just don’t want to know the things that they are using.”
So, what are the things you need to re-check for a Smart Home setup?
- Platform support: Not all the systems work for every platform. Make sure you do a check on the compatibility before you buy or gift it.
- Different app, different support: Smart Home Gadgets may require the user to install a smartphone app or any other service registration. This could be changing for different smartphones.
- Old house concept: Even though most of the latest upgrades only involve a plug-play thing, the other setups like smoke detectors and doorbell videos will require some infrastructure upgrades for the installation.
- The unexpected solution: Once my Amazon Echo was showing an orange light, which was really unusual for it. I thought that the device was undergoing some update, and so left it for an hour. The light was still showing up. At that point, I just unplugged the device and plugged it back. This solved the problem.
There’s nothing like a smart gadget IRL. You got to do the settings, keep a check on the automation settings, and take care of the functioning.