Should Smart Home Devices Be on a Separate Network?
Smart TVs, cameras and speakers are some of the least protected devices in a home. Here is how to keep them away from your laptop and phone.
Yes. Put smart home devices on their own network, apart from the laptops and phones that hold your private data. The NSA says home Wi-Fi should, at minimum, be split into primary, guest and IoT networks. The FBI puts it more simply: your fridge and your laptop should not be on the same network.
Why smart devices are a risk
They are attractive targets and hard to protect. CISA says the 2016 Mirai botnet mainly hit home routers, network cameras and digital video recorders.
In 2024, the FBI and NSA reported a botnet of over 260,000 devices as of June 2024, including IoT devices. The NSA adds that many smart devices can record audio or video, and some may not support security software.
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What a separate network does
It limits the damage if one device is hacked. The NSA says segmentation keeps less secure devices from communicating directly with more secure ones.
The FBI warns an unsecured device can give an attacker a path into your router and home network. It advises segmentation so IoT devices pose known, limited and tolerable risks.
Your options
- Guest network. Many routers offer one with its own name and password, per the FTC. It is the simplest option.
- IoT network. Some routers offer a network just for smart devices, matching the NSA’s split.
- VLAN. NIST defines it as a way to split one physical network into several independent ones. It is common on business and advanced home routers.
- Built-in segmentation. Some routers set up separate zones for you, with no manual VLAN setup.
How to move smart devices
- List your smart devices, such as TVs, cameras, doorbells, speakers and thermostats.
- Create the network with its own name and password, using WPA3 or WPA2.
- Reconnect each device, usually in its companion app.
- Change each default password. The FBI says to consider another product if you cannot find out how. CISA says default passwords are easy to find online.
- Turn on automatic updates where offered, as the FBI recommends.
- Keep computers and phones on the main network.
One trade-off: a phone on your main network may not find a TV or speaker on the IoT network to cast to it. Decide which devices need to talk before you move them.
Is segmentation enough?
No. It limits the blast radius but does not stop the router itself from being hacked. The same FBI advisory says to patch devices, replace default passwords, disable UPnP and remote management, and replace end-of-life equipment.
Your router enforces the separation, so it must be trustworthy too. You can check your router’s grade to see whether it still gets updates.
Frequently Asked Questions
For most homes it is a good start. The FTC says a guest network keeps malware on a visitor’s device off your primary network. The NSA goes further and suggests separate guest and IoT networks.
Not exactly. NIST defines a VLAN as splitting one physical network into several independent ones. Many routers build guest or IoT networks this way, but VLAN settings usually give more control.
The NSA lists home monitoring systems, baby monitors, streaming video players, game consoles, security cameras and home appliances, among others.
It helps. The NSA notes that home network security affects work networks during telework. Keeping work devices off the IoT network is a sensible minimum.
Not always. Many routers can run a guest network, according to the FTC. If yours cannot, or it no longer gets security updates, it is worth replacing.
Sources
Dates show when each source was published or when we checked it.
- NSA Cybersecurity Information Sheet: Best Practices for Securing Your Home Network (February 22, 2023)
- FBI Portland: Tech Tuesday: Internet of Things (IoT) (December 3, 2019)
- FBI, CNMF and NSA: People’s Republic of China-Linked Actors Compromise Routers and IoT Devices for Botnet Operations (JCSA-20240918-001) (September 18, 2024)
- CISA Alert TA16-288A: Heightened DDoS Threat Posed by Mirai and Other Botnets (October 14, 2016, revised October 17, 2017)
- FTC Consumer Advice: How To Secure Your Home Wi-Fi Network (December 2022, checked October 7, 2026)
- NIST Computer Security Resource Center Glossary: Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) (checked October 7, 2026)
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