So you ran out and bought the I Phone 6 because you needed even more smartness. Then you bought every gadget that you can program through your phone to make your life easier and more manageable. Apple is releasing their new wristwatch but I’m not buying it. I got used to telling time on my phone and it is one less thing to have to suit up in the morning. Keep it Apple. We are all getting more high-teck living but is it worth the potential risks?

So with the smart phone you went out and bought stuff to have a smart home. Now almost everything in your house can be rigged with just a simple touch screen. The biggest worry is if your passwords are too easy to figure out and then you are hacked. Your phone can be the remote control to activate any programmable device in the home. With voice recognition you can feel close to the Jetson’s family cartoon I grew up watching about the future where the mom barked out orders to devices and they operated. All the devices can be connected together and to the Internet so that you can do things in your home from remote locations.

Tell the voice activated machine to turn on music and it can. AT&T calls it Digital life. Shut on or off lights, turn appliances on or off, adjust heating and cooling all from your phone. Sales of smart gadgets are expected to exceed 36 million units. Within the next 2 years. With cameras you will also be able to see inside your home or outside. Say you are already at work and see that you left the garage door open. You can close that and lock the doors from your phone. However with convenience can bring with them   problems. Always check that everything is programed properly.  

Can you outsmart a criminal? With anything on the Internet can bring hackers who are good at their criminality. Directional antennas can be bought on the Internet and be pointed at any home. A malicious hacker can park just outside your home point the thing and get into your WI-fi. Amir Etematien is a Research Scientist for Accivant who works for the company to be one step ahead of hackers. He says that once a hacker can get into your wireless network it is easy for them to access your files, e-mails, conversations. Whatever is on your computer is potentially accessible.  Meanwhile you are sitting on your couch playing with your blender, locks, lights, stereo all from your phone.

Hacking is a 2 step process. First getting into your Internet connection and then they can run a decoding program to find your passwords.  Here is where you can stay ahead of the hacker. It can take weeks to find your password or never. Use a unique password using all kinds of characters. The best password is one that is over 15 characters and then only you will be able to lock your doors, make your blinds go up and down from your smart phone. The future is here and now and yes, most people think the benefits of high-teck is worth the risks.