Protect your home from AI and hidden tech: a simple checklist
Also in: Nederlands Français
Secure your router first, put smart devices on a guest network, switch off built-in AI you do not use, check apps that use your microphone and camera, and look for unknown small devices. Human Override (free) blocks AI services and has a sensor check on Android.
Your home is full of devices that listen, look or send data: phones, smart speakers, TVs, doorbells, plugs. Most are harmless, but you should decide what they do. These steps take about an hour and cost nothing.
1. The router: your front door
- Change the router's admin password and the Wi-Fi password if they are still the ones on the sticker.
- Turn on automatic updates (or check for updates in the router's settings).
- Look at the list of connected devices. Do not recognise one? Change the Wi-Fi password: everything you trust can join again.
- Turn off WPS and remote management if you do not use them.
2. Smart devices on a separate network
Most routers have a guest network. Put smart plugs, lamps, cameras and TVs there. If one of them is badly made or hacked, it cannot reach your phone or computer.
3. Built-in AI you did not ask for
- Windows: Human Override for Windows, option 3, switches off Copilot, Recall, Click to Do and the AI in Edge and Chrome with official settings.
- Phones: check which apps have an AI assistant and switch it off in the app settings if you do not use it.
- Browsers: the Human Override extension blocks AI websites and Google's AI Mode, with a PIN and a schedule.
4. Microphone and camera
- Android: Settings → Security & privacy → Privacy → Permission manager → Microphone / Camera. Remove what does not need it.
- iPhone: Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone / Camera.
- Windows: Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone / Camera, and check "Recent activity".
- A green or orange dot on your phone means the camera or microphone is in use right now.
5. Hidden sensors and Wi-Fi sensing
Research shows that Wi-Fi signals can reveal movement and even body poses through walls, using small cheap boards. It needs special equipment and is not common, but you can check: the sensor check in the Human Override Android app looks for small ESP boards nearby. A finding is a hint, not proof: many smart plugs use the same chips. Walk around, look for small boxes with a USB cable, and ask housemates or your landlord.
Do not buy or use a Wi-Fi jammer: it is illegal in Belgium, the EU and Morocco and also disturbs your neighbours. Thick walls and shielding paint or curtains help against radio signals, but are only worth it in special cases.
6. Talk about it
Tell your family which rules you use and why. Technology works better when nobody is surprised by it.
Questions
Can someone really see through walls with Wi-Fi?
Research prototypes can detect movement and rough body poses through walls with Wi-Fi signals. It needs special set-up and is rare in homes, but it is a reason to know which devices are around you.
Does the sensor check send my data anywhere?
No. It only runs when you tap it and shows the result on your phone. Nothing is stored or sent.
Is a smart speaker always listening?
It listens for its wake word. You can mute the microphone with its button and delete recordings in its app.