Smart home privacy: how to use cameras, speakers and smart devices safely

Breach / exposure. Updated 2026-09-13. About 5 minutes to read.

Protect every smart home app account with a unique password and two-factor authentication, and review who else has shared access to your devices.

Smart devices know when you are home, when you sleep, what you say near a speaker and who comes to your door. That data lives in the manufacturer's cloud and in an app account, and the app account is the real key: whoever can sign in can usually watch your cameras and unlock your smart lock.

This guide covers what to check before you buy, how to set devices up safely, how to limit voice and video recording, and what to do if someone you no longer trust, such as a former partner, still has access.

What smart devices collect about your household

  • Voice assistants: the recordings sent after the wake word, and the history of your requests.
  • Cameras and doorbells: video and often audio of your family, visitors, neighbours and the street.
  • Locks, alarms and motion sensors: a record of when the house is empty.
  • Smart TVs: what you watch, sometimes identified by scanning what is on screen.
  • All of them: your Wi-Fi details, your location and the account email linked to your identity.

Before you buy: four checks

  • Support period: since 29 April 2024, UK law requires smart devices to state how long they will get security updates and bans easy-to-guess default passwords. Buy a model with years of support left.
  • Account security: the app should offer two-factor authentication. If it does not, choose another brand.
  • Encryption: for cameras, look for optional end-to-end encryption so the company cannot view your footage.
  • Local control: devices that keep working when the internet is down send less data to the cloud.

Set up every device securely

  1. Create the app account with a unique password from your password manager and turn on two-factor authentication straight away.
  2. If the device has its own default password or PIN, change it during setup.
  3. Update the firmware and turn on automatic updates.
  4. Connect cheaper devices, such as plugs and bulbs, to your router's guest network so they are kept apart from your computers and phones.
  5. Turn off features you do not use, such as remote access, voice purchasing, drop-in calling or sharing with neighbourhood apps.
  6. Give the app location access only while in use, unless a feature such as automatic arming genuinely needs it.

Voice assistants: limit what is recorded and kept

On 28 March 2025 Amazon removed the setting that let some Echo models process Alexa requests on the device, so what you say after the wake word now goes to Amazon's cloud. You can still control how long it is kept.

  1. In the Alexa app, open Alexa Privacy, then Review Voice History, and delete past recordings.
  2. In Alexa Privacy, open Manage Your Alexa Data, choose how long to save recordings and pick the option not to save them.
  3. Turn off voice purchasing, or require a voice code, in the Alexa app's account settings.
  4. For Google devices, open myactivity.google.com, set auto-delete to 3 months and turn off saving voice and audio activity.
  5. Press the microphone off button during private conversations. The light shows when it is muted.

Cameras and doorbells

  1. Point cameras at your own entrances, not into bedrooms, bathrooms or your neighbour's garden. In the UK, the ICO says data protection law applies if your camera captures images beyond your property boundary.
  2. Turn off audio recording unless you need it, since audio laws are stricter than video in many places.
  3. Turn on end-to-end encryption if your camera supports it. On Ring, open the menu, then Control Center, Video Encryption and End-to-End Encryption.
  4. Check the trade-offs first. Ring says encrypted devices lose shared user access to videos, viewing on Ring.com, viewing on Echo Show and some search and 24/7 recording features.
  5. Review Shared Users or household members in the app every few months and remove anyone who no longer lives with you.

If a former partner or housemate still has access

  1. Change the password on every smart home app account from a device they have never used.
  2. Remove shared users and sign out all other sessions in each app's security settings.
  3. Change the Wi-Fi password and the router admin password, since they may have both.
  4. Change smart lock codes and alarm PINs.
  5. Get specialist help if you are worried about your safety: eSafety in Australia, Refuge's tech safety service in the UK, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline in the US.

Changing settings can alert an abusive person that you have noticed. If you are in danger, contact a support service first and plan the changes with them.

Selling or disposing of a device

Remove the device from your app account first, then do a factory reset, which the NCSC says should remove your personal data. Finally, delete it from your router's device list. A camera or speaker that is sold still linked to your account can keep sending footage or requests to you, or let the buyer see your history.

Frequently asked questions

Is Alexa always listening?

The speaker listens for the wake word on the device. After it hears the wake word, the request is sent to Amazon's cloud. Since March 2025 the Echo models that offered local processing no longer do.

Can my smart TV track what I watch?

Many can, using content recognition that identifies what is on screen. Look in the TV's privacy settings for viewing information or content recognition and turn it off, for example Viewing Information Services on Samsung or Live Plus on LG.

Should smart devices go on a guest network?

Cheap plugs, bulbs and cameras usually can. Devices you cast to or control directly from your phone may need to stay on the main network. Test each one.

Do I need antivirus for my smart home?

No. Smart devices cannot run antivirus. Updates, strong account security and a well-configured router do the job.

Is it safe to have cameras inside my home?

It can be, with care. Put indoor cameras in shared living spaces rather than bedrooms or bathrooms, use a privacy shutter or schedule so they are off when people are home, and tell guests and anyone who lives or works in the house that they are there.

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