AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE SECURITY CHALLENGES AND IMPLICATIONS SURROUNDING SMART HOME TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

A smart home is typically a new home that has uniquely structured wiring or wireless that allows residents to remotely control or program a variety of mechanised home electronic gadgets by inputting a single command (Jiang 2004). For instance, a property owner out of town can make use of a Touchtone phone to set up a home security system, switch gadgets on or off, control temperature gauges, program an entertainment system or home theatre, control lighting and carry out many other tasks. The field of home computerisation is growing quickly as electronic advances unite, however, the increased use of Smart Home technologies has raised many new security concerns for users. This dissertation uses both qualitative and quantitative data to better understand the security issues around smart home technologies. An interpretative research philosophy is adopted involving an inductive research strategy for gathering qualitative data. Questionnaires (survey) and interviews are used to collect primary data and were developed from the analysis of current literature within this domain. From the quantitative and qualitative analysis conducted it is identified that there are security concerns and threats available for the end users of the smart home technologies. Also, this report provides some valuable recommendations not just for the end users but also for the manufacturers of the technology to reduce the security concerns.