Security measures such as a burglar alarm and CCTV are great ways to safeguard your home however, ensuring that the security for your security is up to the job is vital otherwise it could potentially be a cause for risk rather than a solution for it. That may seem like a contradiction in terms but it can certainly be true for systems that connect to the internet.
Take, for example, a CCTV system that allows you to login via an internet connection. While these types of systems have the capacity to be completely secure, that does depend on them being correctly set up and managed. One of the key things is to set your own secure login details. This is a simple thing but is surprisingly often overlooked. If you don’t set your own login, it will use the default settings which is often the same across all products made by that manufacturer. This leaves the system extremely vulnerable to being hacked and would effectively have access to your home CCTV system. (We covered this in a blog right back in December 2014).
The same could be done to your burglar alarm, potentially even allowing someone to unset your alarm remotely (if your system has that capability).
Another thing to think about is the devices that you use to access your CCTV or your alarm. Is your phone, tablet or PC secure? If someone were to get into your device, they could technically access your systems. Ensure these are secure by setting strong passwords/passcodes on your devices and on any apps or systems you access through it. Ensure that you don’t allow the device to ‘remember’ your login details, however inconvenient that may be to input them each time.
Being suitably security conscious to invest in an alarm or CCTV but then compromise them by not setting them up properly or being slack about security in other areas would be a great irony. Professional set up plus secure management of your own devices will maintain the integrity of your security measures.
Are you confident that your systems are set up correctly and secure? A service by a security engineer could check set up details and ensure that the system is fully safeguarded and is definitely worth doing if you have any doubts.
You can call us for advice on 0345 833 5543 or send us a message.