(WFLA) – Internet protocol or IP cameras are becoming a popular safety equipment to help protect your house, your family and your pets. But without the proper security features on the camera itself and on its video feed it can rob you of your privacy and make you vulnerable to digital snooping.
The Federal Trade Commission has several safety tips you should consider while using the IP camera.BEFORE YOU BUY
- Look for a camera that supports wireless security protocols, like WPA2. It helps secure your video feed when it travels from the camera to your home wireless router.
- If you need to access your video feed remotely via the internet, look for a camera that encrypts your information, like your username, your password and your feed. If your camera uses SSL/TLS or some other industry standard to encrypt your information, the URL page for the remote access will have ‘https’ in it.
- If several members of your family will have access to the video feed, consider a camera that allows for different levels of access to different users. This will come in handy if you want a friend to check on the feed when you are on vacation and not being able to access it when you are in town.
USING SAFETY FEATURES
- Keep the camera software up to date – make sure you register your camera and sign up for the updates to keep its software current.
- Check the camera password settings and make sure the camera password requirement is turned on.
- Pick strong passwords rather than using the default settings.
- Turn on the data encryption and make sure the remote access page’s URL has ‘https’ in it and asks for a username and password.
ACCESSING VIDEO FROM YOUR SMARTPHONE
- Make sure your camera app is up to date and check back with the app marketplace to get all the updates.
- Use a strong access and log out every time you are done with the app.
- Use a password on your smartphone to protect your device,
- Use a secure Wi-Fi connection to access the feed, don’t check it on the public Wi-Fi hot spot or any other non-secure connection.
