SECURITY

Let ChatGPT Help You Secure Smart Home Devices

Better safe than sorry

Screenshot by author.

Belkin has announced that it is abandoning support for most of its popular Wemo devices — switches, dimmers, and much more. Many will continue to work with Homekit on Apple devices, but not with Google or Alexa. So, good if you use HomeKit, yeah?

No, not good. Working isn’t enough — these things may need security updates. They won’t get any new firmware and you won’t be able to get support if you need it.

I only had two Weemo switches left in my network, so I ordered two little Meross Smart Plugs to replace them. These are HomeKit compatible and inexpensive. So, good, yeah?

Nope. Whenever you put any new devices onto your network, you need to consider security. Do they have open ports? Is their firmware current? This could be difficult at times, but now I just asked ChatGPT what I will need to do when they arrive. They apparently used to have some open admin ports that a recent firmware update has fixed, but ChatGPT advised checking to be sure, telling me how, what to check, and how to secure it.

I figured I might as well ask about our motion sensors while I was in the mood. They are okay for now.

Affiliate link:

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Disclosure: The above is an Amazon affiliate link. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. However, if you don’t like that, here’s a non-affiliate Amazon link you can use instead: https://a.co/d/as7zPYL And if you don’t trust even that, look up meross Smart Plug Mini and go elsewhere.

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