Are Wireless Home Security Systems Safe?

Everyone is entitled to feel safe and secure in their homes. The fast and quickest way to improve your home security is by installing wireless security systems. Not only are wireless home security systems easy to use, but their installation is also straightforward. Even so, just how safe are wireless home security systems?

As a whole, wireless home security systems are safe since they’re designed around a customized cellular network unique to your home. The closed-loop security system keeps out unauthorized access to the system, hence limiting interference.  However, bugs within the system and frequency interference might occur.

That’s not all, as you still need to know whether the wireless security system can be hacked and whether the cameras require an internet connection to function, which you will learn if you read on. 

Are Wireless Security Systems Safe?

As a general rule, a wireless security system runs on a unique frequency that is only known to the user. As a result, only the user and those they choose will have access to the login details and possibly interact with the control and monitoring panel. 

Besides improving your home’s security, the wireless security system has many benefits, which, when utilized, provide you total control over how you want the system to function. Such benefits include:

• Wireless security – You won’t have to worry about someone cutting the wires to disarm the security system since there are no wires to cut. 
• Remote monitoring – A majority of wireless security systems allow you to monitor your home through a smartphone app, text notifications, and email alerts. They also come with backup batteries for additional power supply. 
• Unique serial numbers – Wireless security systems rely on a serialized technology that allows the components of the system to work with a specific control panel. This ensures a closed loop to keep any intruder out of your system. 
• Regular and continuous updates – The wireless security system is designed to download and install any updates in a similar way to smartphones. This ensures you receive any improved changes or fixed bugs that might have interfered with the system’s operation. 
• Complete customization – The wireless security system allows you to dismantle and assemble it quickly. You can also remove and replace the components easily without interfering with the entire system.

Are There Any Concerns with Wireless Security Systems?

As much as the wireless security system might appear invincible to any attack, there are still some concerns to address. Most of these concerns are not severe and can be remedied by taking the time to check if your wireless security system is working correctly. Common concerns with wireless security systems include:

• Battery life – Since the wireless system relies on batteries for power supply, components such as cameras might drain their batteries fast. If they’re not replaced on time, there might be an interference with the system.
• Problems with network connectivity – This problem is not common but only experienced when you don’t have a reliable internet connection. 

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Can Wireless Home Security Systems Be Hacked?

As a whole, anything connected to the internet can be hacked, including wireless security systems. However, these scenarios are rare, especially if you implement digital security best practices with your wireless security system. 

While it’s rare for wireless security systems to be hacked, it’s equally important to know what might lead to such a scenario taking place. While some factors are inevitable, some are still within the user’s control. They include:

Poor Passwords

Setting up a long and complicated password reduces the risks of your wireless security system getting hacked. The only problem is that many people in America set passwords that are eight characters or less and don’t have any special characters or digits within. Such passwords are easy to guess, leaving the door wide open for hackers. 

Losing your Devices 

Even though losing or misplacing your device, such as a smartphone connected to your security system, is out of your control, it would be best if you can secure all your devices with strong passwords. This will make it hard for anyone who comes across them to access or even log into them without proper credentials. Any lost device that is not secured with a password can act as a breach of your security system.  

No Authentication

While a strong password might keep potential hackers away from your wireless security system, you still need to reinforce it with a two-step authentication process. Whenever someone logs into your system, they still need to enter the secret One Time Password (OTP) sent as a text or an email. The password usually has an expiry time, and every password generated is unique, making it hard to guess. The two-step authentication has been very effective in keeping wireless security systems secure and safe. 

Poor or Lack of Encryption

End-to-end encryption helps to keep any login details safe and invincible to a third party. Encrypted information cannot leak or be accessed by anyone, which helps to reduce any chances of your wireless security system getting hacked. End-to-end encryption has become sophisticated in that you can encrypt components such as security cameras to keep anyone from accessing them. 

There is nothing a user can do regarding encryption, as this is mainly the fault of the security company in charge of the security system. 

Data Breaches

Data breaches occur when a security company is targeted by hackers who gain access to their system. If this happens, the hackers can access your credentials from their hacked database, which they can use to log into your security system. However, security companies are investing heavily to make sure this doesn’t happen, so there is no need to panic. 

Security experts have advised people to keep changing their passwords regularly to prevent any attacks from taking place. It’s best to know that data breaches are often out of anyone’s control as hackers try to exploit any weaknesses within the system. They also rarely occur since the security companies have focused on testing their systems regularly to expose and address any weaknesses. 

Are Wireless Security Cameras Connected to the Internet?

As a general rule, any wireless security camera requires an internet connection to record and upload any footage to the cloud, which can be accessed remotely. Poor or interrupted internet connection might interfere with how the entire system works. 

However, connecting your wireless security cameras to the internet might make them vulnerable to hacking unless you have taken proper precautions, such as encrypting the entire system. While you cannot access the live footage remotely without connecting the cameras to the internet, it doesn’t mean the cameras are not functional. 

A wireless security camera will keep recording and storing the footage on an SD card or any centralized system of your choosing. The wireless camera will also stay functional and provide monitoring services even with the absence of the internet. Since they come equipped with an independent power source, you don’t have to worry about “plugging” them the same way you would do with the wired ones. 

When connected to the internet, these wireless cameras use other functions, such as backing up the data to the cloud, which can be accessed later on. This feature is helpful if you’re not always around to back up the footage physically. 

Conclusion

A wireless home security system offers the quickest and most flexible security option to your residence. It’s easy to install and maintain, allowing anyone capable of following instructions to have it up and running within a few minutes. It’s hard to disable since there are no wires to cut. A strong password and two-step authentication method make it hard to hack. It can run with or without an internet connection.