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Is There a Security Concern With W-Fi- Thermostats

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Wendy

PCHF Member
Jul 12, 2017
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As usual, I don't know whether I'm posting this in the right forum and apologize if it's not.

I'm considering having a wi-fi thermostat installed. I've been doing some research and found that some people have raised issues with this. Connecting the thermostat requires giving it the password to my wi-fi through the company's software. A connection is then established with thethermostat, or more likely with the company, which apparently is actually controlling the wi-fi through its software. I learned that all the data and communications used with the software and thermostat is stored by the company. The company stores its data in a number of places - the data is only nominally secure from being breached. And from what I read someone being able to hack through the wi-fi could have access to my computers and/or financial site passwords that are entered.

Having been careful to use security/virus/malware software for my computers/LAN - to the best of my admittedly non-expert knowledge - I'm concerned about possibly undoing this and reducing the level of my security by opening a back-door that a hacker looking for anything he could exploit might find and use.

After what I've read I'm frankly becoming a bit uncomfortable with using this wi-fi setup. But I'll ask whether anyone is familiar with this and knows whether this would compromise my security? Or if there is a "safer way" to do this?
 
It all comes down to convenience versus risk, and what level you can live with having those two set at.
at work, we have about half a dozen coldroom temp sensors that are on our wifi network.
the network has a good pass phrase so we are happy with that, as the threat of food going off is much higher than someone doing a drive-by attack on our IoT devices.

also, the wifi passcode is stored on the device, not with the manufacture of the device on their servers.
 
Why not just get a prorgamble thermostat that can be configured for mupital time and days.

One can control botht the heat and cooling. They do exactly the same things as the smart ones do just with out the Wi Fi.

 
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