Smart home devices

A smart plug, doorbell or camera is a small computer on your home network, and like any computer it needs updates.

The difference is that nobody thinks of it that way, so it sits there for years after the maker stopped supporting it. UK rules have improved things: manufacturers can no longer ship devices with the same default password for everyone, and they now have to tell you how long updates will continue. That last piece of information is the one worth reading before you buy. A cheap camera with a twelve month support window is a camera you are still running long after anybody is fixing it.