Why this matters
If your DVR or cameras can be watched on a phone from outside the house, then a stranger who guesses the password could watch too. Many devices come with a common starting password, and people often leave it unchanged. Changing it takes a few minutes.
Simple steps
- Change the starting password of the DVR, the cameras and the router. Use a long password that is not a name, phone number or birth date, and don't use the same one everywhere.
- Share the viewing login only with people who need it, and change the password when someone leaves, such as a driver or guard.
- Keep the DVR in a locked place, not on a table by the front door, because someone could copy or erase recordings.
- Ask the installer to show how remote viewing is set up and to keep it to what you need. If you do not use it on your phone, ask for it to be switched off.
- Ask for software updates for the DVR and cameras when the maker offers them.
Respect other people's privacy
Point cameras at your own gate, yard and entrances. Don't point them into a neighbour's window, a bathroom or a changing room, and don't record places where people expect privacy. If a camera sees a shared street or a neighbour's door, tell the neighbour and adjust the angle. Many people feel safer when they are told, and arguments are avoided.