5 ways tech can help you feel safer at home

When I host a national radio show and podcast about all things tech, digital security is always in every program. Take your home’s router, for instance. 

An outdated model can put your entire network, files and anything connected to it at risk for hackers. Tap or click for five reasons you need to replace that old router.

Other ways of protecting your digital life don’t require spending a dime.

Then there are those security tips a little closer to home. Whether you have a full house or live alone, there’s a lot you can do to feel safer where you live.

STUDY SUGGESTS POSTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA MAKES USERS OVERCONFIDENT

1. Connect with your community

Getting to know your neighbors can be one of the best ways to feel more secure. If you haven’t, introduce yourself. You’ll feel better knowing the neighborhood has your back. 

You can get to know the broader neighborhood, too, through NextDoor. Create an account to connect with people who live nearby. Just get ready for a healthy dose of drama. I’ll never forget when I saw a post about someone driving too fast. Ahem, it was me.

A more fun way to get to your community is to join a buy nothing group. This is where neighbors pass around items they no longer use. Let’s say you’re upgrading your TV and need to get rid of the old one. Rather than go through the trouble of selling it, ask if anyone nearby would like to come and get it.

Closeup of man using 3D-generated mobile smartphone with emergency call on the screen. 
(iStock)

2. Set up your phone for emergencies

Your phone is always with you and can be a lifeline in an emergency. A smart step is to activate your phone’s emergency SOS feature. When triggered, this will call emergency services and send notifications and updates to your chosen personal emergency contacts. 

Set up emergency contacts for your iPhone

• Open the Health app and tap your profile picture > Medical ID.
• Select Edit, then scroll to Emergency Contacts.
• Tap the Add emergency contact button, then select a contact. Add their relationship.
• Hit Done to confirm your changes.

To call emergency services:

• Press the side button and one of the volume buttons until the Emergency SOS slider pops up.
• To call emergency services, drag the slider.
• You can also continue holding the side and volume buttons to contact emergency services automatically.

Once the countdown ends, your phone will contact emergency services.

Set up emergency contacts and SOS on your…