Extra security smarts now on offer for your HomeKit tech
Eero, the Wi-Fi mesh specialist owned by Amazon, added HomeKit compatibility to its systems back in February, but there was a big omission: the new Eero 6 system.
But that hole has now been filled as Amazon has rolled out a firmware update for the Eero 6 system that adds compatibility with Apple HomeKit.
Like the earlier Eero HomeKit rollout, it adds an extra layer of security for your smart home devices as you can essentially protect your tech with a firewall.
The theory is that, as you add smart home devices to your home Wi-Fi network, you give these devices the chance to exploit vulnerabilities with unrestricted access.
Most of the smart home devices we have in our homes only need access to a limited set of internet services in order to function but they can, in theory, access any other device in your home once you add them to your home Wi-Fi, as well as potentially accessing any website or service on the internet, without your permission or knowledge.
With the HomeKit integration with Eero, you can manage what your HomeKit-enabled accessories are allowed to do, with three levels of permissions…
- Automatic: allows an accessory to communicate to the devices and services approved by its manufacturer, preventing access by unauthorized services.
- Restrict to Home: allows an accessory to communicate only to HomeKit on your Apple devices. You will be able to manage your accessories through the Home app, but this may reduce some functionality, such as firmware updates.
- No restrictions: allows an accessory to communicate with every device in your home, and any website or service on the internet, much like other devices on your home network.
HomeKit stuff is already pretty secure – Apple is a lot stricter than its big tech rivals when it comes to letting brands make their connected devices compatible with its smart home platform. Until 2017, it even demanded that brands install a physical custom chip – an encryption processor – into their products.
With the launch of iOS 11, Apple changed the process. Rather than a chip, device makers could certify their products using a HomeKit software tool. According to many companies we’ve spoken to though, the current HomeKit certification program is still much more stringent than either Amazon or Google’s..
To add HomeKit to your Eero 6 kit, just fire up the Eero app and tap on the Discover tab to get started.
