Smart home security tips for personal and cyber protection

August 25, 2022 / 9:53 AM EDT / CBS News

Smart home technology is more popular than ever. The U.S. smart home market is expected to be worth nearly $50 billion by 2026, according to Mordor Intelligence. Smart light bulbs, assistants, and thermostats can make life more convenient and save on energy bills, although the upfront costs can be more than quadruple their non-web-connected counterparts. Installing and maintaining smart security systems can also save consumers money by cutting up to 13% from homeowners insurance premiums, according to NerdWallet.

Smart home security systems are designed to be easy to set up right out of the box, even if you're not a tech expert.

"There are many companies, many products, and it really has been a race to make them very easy for the average consumer to pick them up, go home, plug them in, and have them connected," says Jason Hiner, editor-in-chief of ZDNet.

But there are a few important security tips to keep in mind:

Change any default device passwords, and make sure email or commerce accounts that control the devices are strong, too.

"A lot of times the password to log into the router will be like admin and…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/