How to Secure Smart Home Devices: 7 Simple Steps Anyone Can Follow
Smart cameras, speakers and hubs are now ordinary household items, and new ones keep arriving. Each one connects to your home Wi-Fi, so each one deserves basic protection. The good news is that the most important steps are simple and mostly free. Here is how to secure smart home devices, using guidance from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) plus a few extra habits.
1. Change Every Default Password
The NCSC explains that some cameras ship with a default password that is well known or easy to guess, such as “admin” or “00000”. Criminals can use those passwords to view live video from inside a home.
Replace any default with a strong one. The NCSC suggests joining three random words that you will remember. You can usually change it in the app that manages the device.
2. Turn On Automatic Updates
Updates fix security flaws, and they often add features too. The NCSC recommends updating regularly and switching on automatic installs if your device offers them.
The software that runs a device is often called firmware. Look for the words update, firmware or software in the app’s settings.
3. Switch Off Remote Viewing You Do Not Use
If you never watch your camera from outside the house, the NCSC recommends disabling that feature. The trade-off is real. Doing so may stop motion alerts, and it could stop the camera working with smart home devices such as Alexa, Google Home or Siri.
4. Check Your Router Settings
Many routers use UPnP and port forwarding to help devices find each other. The NCSC warns that criminals can exploit these technologies to reach devices on your network, such as cameras, and advises you to consider turning them off.
Some routers have UPnP disabled already. Turning it off can break online gaming and media servers, so decide based on what you actually use.
Keep the router itself updated too. In April 2026, the NCSC published an advisory titled APT28 exploit routers to enable DNS hijacking operations, which describes attackers abusing vulnerable routers.
5. Protect the Account Behind the Device
Most smart devices are controlled through an app account, and that account is another way in. Give it a unique password and turn on two-factor authentication if it is offered.
The NCSC also promotes password managers and passkeys. Its guide on trusting the tech explains how they simplify logins. For more on account safety, read our guide to securing your AI accounts.
6. Give Smart Devices Their Own Network
This step is our own advice, not NCSC guidance. Many routers let you create a guest network. Putting smart plugs, cameras and speakers there keeps them apart from your laptop and phone, so a weak device is less likely to expose your personal files.
7. Buy Carefully and Retire Devices Properly
Before you buy, research the brand. In a NCSC release carried by WiredGov, consumer group Which? urged shoppers to research smart device purchases carefully. The same release says planned UK laws would require makers to state how long a device will get security updates. Treat that as a useful question to ask any seller.
When you sell or recycle a device, our own advice is to remove it from your account and factory reset it first. Otherwise a stranger could inherit your camera feed or settings.
Keep It in Perspective
The NCSC published its camera guidance in March 2020, and it describes the risk as rare. The steps are still sound methods to secure smart home devices, because they close the most common doors. For related habits, see our guides on protecting your digital privacy and why you should never use public Wi-Fi without a VPN, and our list of the best smart home gadgets of 2026.
