Smart homes use smart devices (from lightbulbs to alarms and more) that connect to a network over Wi-Fi. These devices can then be controlled from anywhere, anytime using an app on your phone.

There are many devices and home components that are compatible with Alexa including Amazon Smart Plug, Philips’ Hue bulbs, the Ecobee Smart Thermostat, Ring Video Doorbell and more.

For the most part, no. Most smart appliances plug in just like your regular ones. If you replace a light switch with a smart one, the wiring will be similar to replacing it with a basic switch.

This is an important question to ask when looking to purchase a specific device. Some smart home technology has offline functionality, but others will offer app controls without Internet. For example, the Arlo Q cameras have an SD card, so they can continue recording footage even if the Internet isn’t working. There are also devices with battery backup in case your power is out.

If your smart home technology has no SD card or battery backup, you are likely looking at gadgets that will not work in the app if the Internet or power are out. Note that the gadgets will still work manually, but you just might not be able to control them with your phone. Rachio will still turn the sprinklers on, LIFX will still light up, Schlage Connect will still open with the code, and Haiku can still be controlled with a remote.

Internet and power outages are usually more rare, but it’s important to point this out as a potential drawback for using devices connected to the Internet.

This is (understandably) a big concern for many customers. The most important step for securing your smart home is the same thing you do for a router or printer: set up strong, unique passwords. Some devices come with default usernames and passwords installed; it typically has a username of admin and a password of something like password123. We recommend avoiding these devices altogether, because if anything it shows that the gadget is not that concerned with cybersecurity. But if you end up with one of these, at the very least change the password immediately.

To determine if a smart home device is secure, look for security measures like AES 128-bit encryption, Transport Layer Security, https access, and encryption. You will also want to know where exactly your videos are stored if they are in the company’s cloud storage, since that could mean Amazon Web Services or some other data center. Recognized brands with a strong reputation are also a good bet.

A quick hint: if you can’t find any information at all about security, then it’s probably insecure and easily hackable.