Are smart speakers always recording?

They listen locally for the wake word and start sending audio only after they hear it, or think they did. You can review and delete what was sent in the app, and use the microphone mute button when you want certainty.

Is a separate IoT network worth the hassle?

For most homes it's a one-time, ten-minute job on the router, and it keeps a compromised cheap device away from your computers.

Does end-to-end encryption stop the camera company from seeing my video?

That's the point of it: only your own enrolled phones or devices hold the keys to unlock the clips. The trade-off is that features which need the company's servers to see your video can stop working.

Can I still stop my Echo from sending recordings to Amazon?

Not any more. Since March 28, 2025, Echo requests are processed in Amazon's cloud. You can choose not to save recordings, delete your history, and use the microphone-off button.

Smart home privacy: 10 settings to change today

Lock down the accounts

Most smart home break-ins aren’t clever hacks. Someone reuses a leaked password. Start here:

1Use a unique password for each smart home app, and for the email account behind them, since that’s where password resets go. A password manager makes this painless.
2Turn on two-factor authentication in every app that offers it, starting with cameras and doorbells. Ring has required it on every account since 2020 (9to5Google); for other brands, look in the app’s account or security settings.
3Check the list of logged-in devices and shared users in each app, and remove anything you don’t recognize: an old phone, a past house sitter, an ex.

Cameras and doorbells

These are the devices that matter most for privacy, because they see and hear in and around your home.

1Use the strongest video encryption your camera brand offers. Apple Home’s secure video encrypts clips end to end for compatible cameras (Apple). Ring’s new TAKE encryption, the default from September 2026, deletes Ring’s copy of the video keys after 24 hours (TechCrunch, gHacks); its older end-to-end option is now labeled ‘legacy’ (Ring). End-to-end options can switch off some cloud features, so check the brand’s list first.
2Set privacy zones to mask neighbors’ windows and shared spaces. Not every brand has them, and activity zones, which Google’s Nest cameras offer, are different: they choose where motion alerts come from but don’t hide part of the picture (Google).
3Use home and away modes so indoor cameras stop recording when you’re home, and keep indoor cameras out of bedrooms and bathrooms.

Voice assistants

Amazon, Google and Apple all let you review voice history and choose how long it’s kept. For Alexa, it’s under Alexa Privacy in the Alexa app (Amazon). For Google, it’s under Web & App Activity in your Google Account’s activity controls. On an iPhone, Siri & Dictation History is in the Siri settings (Macworld).

Echo owners should know one change: since March 28, 2025, Echo devices no longer offer an option to process requests without sending the recording to Amazon (TechCrunch). Every Alexa request now goes to Amazon’s cloud. When you want certainty, press the microphone-off button: the light turns red and the microphones are off (Amazon).

1Set voice recordings to auto-delete, or turn off saving entirely. Alexa offers ‘Don’t save recordings’ alongside time limits. In your Google account’s Web & App Activity, audio is only saved if you’ve turned on the option to include it (Google).
2Opt out of human review of recordings where the setting exists. Alexa’s privacy settings let you stop your recordings being used to help develop Amazon’s services; on an iPhone, leave ‘Improve Siri & Dictation’ off under Privacy & Security, then Analytics & Improvements (Apple).

Network and updates

Two changes protect every device at once. You’ll make the first in your router’s app or admin page; while you’re there, change the router’s own admin password if it’s still the default, and check that Wi-Fi uses WPA2 or WPA3 encryption (FTC).

1Put smart devices on a guest or IoT network, separate from your laptops and phones. Most routers have a guest network option, and some, such as TP-Link’s Deco systems, can create a dedicated IoT network (TP-Link). One catch: features that need your phone and devices on the same network, such as local control in Apple Home and Matter or casting to speakers, may stop working. If something breaks after you move it, move it back; plugs, bulbs and cameras that only talk to their maker’s cloud are the best candidates.
2Turn on automatic firmware updates for your devices and the router itself, and replace devices the maker no longer supports. Support does end: Google stopped software updates and app control for the first two generations of the Nest Learning Thermostat in October 2025 (Google).

Brand switches worth a look

Beyond the ten, a few brand-specific features share more than most people expect:

Amazon Sidewalk. Many Echo speakers and some Ring cameras share a small part of your internet connection with nearby Sidewalk devices. You can turn it off in the Alexa or Ring app (Amazon).
Ring Search Party. Ring switched this on for existing cameras by default (PCWorld): it lets Ring’s AI check your camera footage for lost dogs reported nearby. It can be turned off in the Ring app (Ring).
Drop In. On Echo devices, contacts you’ve allowed can connect to a speaker or display without you answering. Turn it off for any device where you don’t want that (Amazon).
Face recognition. Ring’s Familiar Faces, which recognizes people you’ve tagged, is off unless you turn it on (Ring). Think about everyone who comes to your door before you do.

Before you buy

Privacy starts at the checkout. Favor brands that publish how long they’ll support a device with security updates; an FTC staff review found that most smart-product makers it checked didn’t say (FTC). Look for local control and support for Matter, which keeps most control inside your home network.

The U.S. Cyber Trust Mark is a voluntary FCC label for connected devices that meet set security standards, with a QR code that leads to details such as how long the device will get updates (FCC). It’s a plus when you see it, but plenty of good devices don’t carry it. Our how we choose page explains the checks we apply.

Selling, moving or giving a device away

Your devices hold your Wi-Fi password and links to your accounts. Before one leaves your hands:

1Remove it from your account in its app, so the next owner can set it up.
2Factory-reset it to clear your Wi-Fi details and settings.
3Delete saved clips and voice history you don’t want kept in the cloud.
4Moving into a home that already has smart devices? Ask for them to be reset, and change codes and passwords, as the FTC advises (FTC).

If you think an account’s been accessed

Warning signs include login alerts you don’t recognize, settings that change by themselves, or a camera that moves or talks when nobody at home is using it. Act in this order:

1Change the password, and the password of the email account behind it.
2Sign out all other devices if the app offers it, and remove shared users you don’t recognize.
3Turn on two-factor authentication if it wasn’t on.
4Change the same password anywhere else you used it, and contact the brand’s support.

Where these facts come from

App menus move around, so labels on your phone may differ slightly. These settings come from the makers’ own help pages, US government guidance and reporting on recent changes, checked on September 30, 2026: