Technologies That Secure the Home, WiFi and More Debut at CES 2018

The annual Consumer Electronics Show is the place to be to check out the latest in up-and-coming technology. And this year’s CES is no different, with the latest TVs, connected appliances and voice-enabled products on display at the 2018 event. But also finding the CES spotlight this year are security technologies. Multiple vendors, including ADT and Ring, have announced new connected home security devices, while security vendor McAfee used CES 2018 as the venue to announce its new Identity Theft Protection service. Underpinning the connected home and the internet of things (IoT) is pervasive WiFi connectivity, which is also set to get a security boost thanks to the emerging WPA3 WiFi standard. In this slide show, eWEEK looks at seven security products that were announced at CES 2018.

Security firm McAfee announced its new Identity Theft Protection service at CES, which will provide credit monitoring and cyber-monitoring of online sites for potential personal information risks.

Connected home security vendor Ring announced that its new home alarm system will begin shipping to consumers this spring. Ring also announced its new Ring Beams lineup of smart security lights, as well as new indoor cameras for home monitoring.

ADT, which has been in the home monitoring business long before IoT was even a term, announced a series of new products at CES 2018, including a video doorbell.

The most basic unit of home security is just a door lock. At CES 2018, Hampton Products International, maker of Brinks Home Security locks, announced the new Array deadbolt, which connects via WiFi to open and close the lock.

Abode announced the Iota home security gateway at CES 2018. The gateway includes an HD camera as well as a home automation engine to control Z-Wave and Zigbee IoT devices.

Fortress Cyber Security announced at CES its UTM Plus unified threat management product, which combines network and home security in a single form factor. “Not only do consumers need to ensure their identity is secure in the IoT, they must also ensure hackers do not gain access to electronic doors and locks,” Alex Santos, CEO of Fortress Cyber Security, stated. “The Fortress UTM Plus provides Total Life Security, giving consumers one point of reference to ensure all aspects of their life—both physical and network—are safe and secured.”

The Wi-Fi Alliance announced that work is in progress on the WPA3 WiFi security standard. WPA3 will include new capabilities to improve wireless security, including a 192-bit security suite for strong encryption.