Smart homes. Should you be terrified of them? Are they amazing? Are they dangerous? Stay with me for the next few minutes and I’m going to talk to you about the invasion of privacy conveniences and what to expect in your smart home. In a smart world, fully automating a room is no longer a thing of the future. We might not just have flying cars quite yet, but walking into a room and dimming the lights was just. Your voice is super simple. You can do it with smart light bulbs. We have smart plugs and the Amazon Echo dot is probably found in most American households. Now it can be very cost-effective, which makes it so convenient for everybody to have it in the household. Or you can have a very expensive setup ranging to hundreds of thousands of dollars. And I want to talk to you a little bit about the conveniences and dangers that might come with this. Isn’t it remarkable how far we’ve come with technology? Now, let’s talk about an example.
You leak into your home and you call a plumber. Now you are at work and can’t open the door for the plumber. You have a smart device such as an August lock. Unlock the door after the plumber identifies himself over that ring doorbell with a badge and an I.D. You can let them in the house. They can finish their job, which you have monitored with video controls in your home. They leave, and you get home from work. The leaks were fixed, and you didn’t lose any time. And everything that’s done sounds like a dream, right? It is possible. But what I want to talk to you about next is the privacy concerns that come with it. Having your accounts is something that opens you up for liability of data breaches, lost Social Security numbers, and any other info you might give out on those account creations.
Services such as Amazon and Google are definitely at a higher risk simply because you have servers that are shared among a lot of people. Having private security companies will offer you a greater reassurance as they have their server and they are not shared by as many people. So definitely something to consider when you are looking into an alarm system that is one produced for the masses. Also, you want to consider the number of conversations that are recorded inside your home with every smart device you’re bringing in. Isn’t it funny that sometimes the things that you talk about in your home are showing up in your news feed?
Now, I’m not going to go into theories of what people think is happening, but just be aware that whenever you have some sort of device that can hear your voice, you might open yourself up to a potential risk right there. So what’s the takeaway? Our world is evolving, and it’s just important that we make smart decisions, educated decisions, and make sure that we as a person, as well as our family members, are protected in the best possible way. Do your research, ask the questions, and look a little bit further than just the next sale hitting the shelves. Make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel like me on Facebook, follow me on Instagram and I can’t wait to talk more about real estate, home safety, and everything else related to your home soon. My name is Janine Sasso. I am a local realtor in the Chicagoland area, servicing Schaumburg, Hoffman, Barrington, and the surrounding northwest suburbs. I’m here for all your real estate needs, and I hope that you have a fantastic day.
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