Guest Post by Neil Cumins from PropertyWorkshop.com
As 2021 dawns, many of us are beginning to embrace the benefits of the Internet of Things. After years of ‘next big thing’ proclamations, our homes are slowly beginning to fill up with devices which transmit and receive information across WiFi connections.
In theory, an app-controlled heating system or a cloud-based home security setup is a great idea. But there’s a catch. Because while the internet is dependable, domestic internet connectivity isn’t.
Although we now rely on connectivity to work, rest and play, internet connections have a frustrating habit of failing us.
Out for the Count?
Internet service providers do their best to maintain service, but they don’t offer the sort of 99.9999 per cent service level agreements that commercial hosting and bandwidth providers tend to give their clients.
Outages can be caused by Distributed Denial of Service attacks or systems failures. Last December, both Amazon and Google services were offline for hours as a result of mass outages.
Many broadband outages are domestic in nature – a faulty microfilter in a master phone socket, a disconnected Ethernet cable, or a single device not connecting which leads us to mistakenly assume the entire home network is offline.
Even a momentary router reboot or brief bout of network congestion can knock out WiFi – in turn knocking out any smart devices and IoT tech connected to it.
That’s inconvenient if your Roomba starts wandering off-course, as happened during December’s Amazon Web Services outage.
It’s positively dangerous if your Ring doorbell stops recording while a burglar is looking through your front window, or if your live-upload baby monitor isn’t showing your toddler heading towards an open stair gate.
There’s no legal clarity on whether any insurance claim for fire, flood, theft or other such occurrences would be valid if smart tech designed to prevent or mitigate that occurrence was temporarily out of action – even for reasons beyond the victim’s control.
So what can be done to protect IoT technology and domestic smart devices against sudden broadband outages?
Stay Smart
Firstly, it’s important not to overload your broadband router and WiFi connection with too many devices. Some wireless routers can only support ten connections, but others can maintain 64 simultaneous device connections.
Your current ISP might be able to offer a superior router to the one you currently have since technology is constantly evolving. You can also buy a more powerful third-party router with external aerials or mesh extending technology, or even look for an ISP delivering superior connection speeds.
Even if your router can cope with an array of Hives, Rings and Alexas, don’t place the bandwidth under too much strain. Not every device is capable of reporting bandwidth error messages like an Amazon Prime Video stick – they may simply stop functioning, especially if total upload speeds are limited to 1Mbps over an ADSL broadband connection.
Next, ensure that your infrastructure is well looked after. Don’t plug one adaptor or extension lead into another, ensure microfilters aren’t being stretched in their sockets (they’re notoriously fragile), and invest in high-quality Cat 6 Ethernet cables.
Choose with Care
Another key step in keeping domestic smart devices safe from broadband outages is to buy hardware with cellular connectivity. Many devices can connect either using WiFi or over a 4G/5G mobile network, providing a dependable backup in the event of a broadband outage.
They will automatically switch to one connection if the other drops out. Mobile networks can have outages as well, but the chances of both WiFi and a mobile network being simultaneously unavailable are negligible.
It’s also worth doing your homework on the manufacturers of desirable smart tech. Study consumer reviews to establish if they have a reputation for reliability – devices which are reported to keep losing connectivity and requiring manual rebooting should be avoided.
The same is true of your home broadband as well. If your router is constantly dropping out, or your ISP struggles to deliver a dependable signal at your home, it may be safer to avoid smart tech entirely until you can switch provider or find a resolution to these unreliable connections.
Safer by Design
Finally, ensure your WiFi network is robustly protected against hackers and criminals.
Change the supplied WiFi password for your wireless broadband network, and also change the router’s default password, so people can’t hack into your router and then take control of it, locking you out.
If your ISP doesn’t provide a firewall, look into installing one. Don’t give your WiFi details to anyone you don’t completely trust, and ensure the router can’t be viewed by tradespeople or one-time visitors.
A home with smart gadgets (especially one with IoT security solutions) needs its internet connection to be as heavily protected as possible.