Sometimes I feed my neighbor’s cat and water his plants when he’s away. As an added incentive to keep his lovely feline company, he lets me use his Wi-Fi, watch his smart TV and play music through his wireless home audio system. After he comes back from vacation, I can still access his TV, internet and sound system through my smartphone. Unless I change the settings, sometimes my phone automatically connects to his Wi-Fi as my home is within range. If I wasn’t such a good neighbor, I could easily give him a fright by blasting music through his speakers (perhaps the seasonal Monster Mash?) turning the volume down when he’s watching a loud movie, or using his Wi-Fi to torrent. As our homes become increasingly dependent on wireless technology, they are also more susceptible to unauthorized access. One source of potential vulnerability can be the previous tenants, which is why the Online Trust Alliance worked with the U.S. National Association of Realtors to create a checklist for anyone moving in or out of a connected home. 

“The Smart Home Checklist” is a valuable resource for homeowners managing the privacy and security of their homes and devices. In addition to Wi-Fi and home entertainment systems, more homeowners are utilizing smart apps and connected devices to monitor the security, temperature and light settings of their homes. The checklist covers topics such as “Prior to Occupancy/Closing,” “Modems, Gateways, & Hubs,” “Security Alarms, Keyless Entry, Gate Systems, Etc.” and “Home Thermostats, HVAC Systems, Smart TVs, Lighting…” In addition to exchanging keys and garage remotes, home buyers and renters need to ensure that the previous tenants and any unauthorized persons do not have access to their new home's networked devices, including critical systems that may compromise security and privacy. 

The checklist does a good job of considering potential sources of vulnerability from all angles and reducing them to a concise, single-page document. Moving to and from a new property is typically a stressful, busy time and this checklist may help you remember such important task as submitting change of ownership requests to device manufacturers, updating software for network devices and reviewing data sharing settings among other tasks. Chris Polychron, the president of the National Association of Realtors, says the checklist “takes a common-sense approach to protecting sensitive information and offers sound advice for anyone who uses smart technology in their day-to-day lives.”