Setting up a home
theater isn't a chore because there's good times waiting once done. But lost in
today's "Internet of Things" (iOT) is that almost all of the
components making up the home theater are now linked to the "Cloud"
and able to go online. That bodes well for being able to stream video, do
updates in a simple manner and enjoy tons of content, but how good a signal is
being received? And what about the security of that signal? Just because that new 4K Blu-ray player
or that new BIG SCREEN 4K TV isn’t a computer doesn’t mean there
can’t be issues. So while there’s no reason to fear your home theater being
connected to the Internet, there is a need to take simple precautions to ensure
that nothing bad happens through the home network they use. This starts with
getting the most stable and secure signal possible.
Stable and Secure Signal
The single most
important thing for any component of your home theater is that it can receive a strong and
stable signal from the home network. This necessitates noting where the modem
is connected relative to where the home theater is located. In some cases the
easiest results will come from "hard wiring" an Ethernet cable
between the router and the home theater component (for example, an AV Receiver or a media streaming device), but for
most going wireless makes for more convenience. But for some, having the Wi-Fi
enabled router in close proximity to the home theater might not be possible due
to where the modem is located. Should that be the case, the best results will
come from physically moving the router to a closer location so it can service
the home theater better (obviously, there will have to be a cable connected
between the modem and the router). To check signal strength, most home theater components will display the signal
strength as they are set up for using the home networks Wi-F. It’s also just as
easy to use a smartphone to see its Wi-Fi signal strength and proceed
accordingly.
Gateway Security
All your home
theater components that have Internet access (wired or wireless) are connecting
through a home network which uses a router — which itself connects to the
Internet. The router, a.k.a. "Gateway" is the intermediary between
the Internet and the devices and the first wall of defense against intrusions.
Besides having a very hard password unlike anything else that you use for your
home network, be sure that those safeguards built-into the router's software
are activated -- the default settings might be too lax for your tastes and
needn't be left as they are.
Different
Passwords
It may be convenient to have the same password for every
log-in screen, but it's not necessarily the safest thing to do. So if your
login password gets compromised for a website on your smartphone, the same
thing will happen when you go to the site on your TV or other home theater component, with
the possibility of all the
other places you are using that password being affected. One way to avoid this
is by having different password being in effect when going through your home
theater as opposed to your computer or phone (although in some cases this might
necessitate a different user name).
Having a secure
and stable iOT for your home theater might take a bit of effort at first, but
once done you can sit back and enjoy all that it can provide.
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