Who we are: Bucks County Home Networks specializes in personal home device security and privacy configuration - helping you configure security and privacy in your home on your current devices customized to your needs. Chris Poli, a licensed Professional Engineer since 1990, has lived in Bucks County for over 35 years where he and his wife have raised their three children. He has over 25 years experience in Systems Engineering and Product Management, focusing on networks, security, and access control. He was one of three lead system architects at Motorola for designing and building Verizon's FIOS national video system including the FIOS home network architecture. He is an inventor on 19 patents related to network design, security, and trusted systems.

Why Routers / Cable Modems are included: Routers / Cable Modems act as a Gateway between your home network and the internet and actually define your home network(s). Over time, hardware can become outdated and stop receiving software updates which makes them potentially subject to new vulnerabilities. While some security features (like firewalls) are typically enabled by default, others—such as encryption algorithms, automatic software updates, and regular reboots—should be checked and activated. Even if you have a cable modem or router from Comcast or Verizon, the hardware age and configuration should be checked and confirmed.

Why Mobile Phone and Computer User Accounts are included: These are your most sensitive devices. Leveraging device privacy and security settings and enhanced awareness will help strengthen your security posture. Using simple passwords, clicking on links, and falling for phishing attempts can also compromise security (Human behavior is often the weakest link in online security - privacy and security settings absolutely help in this area too).

Why Browsers and certain Applications are included: Browsers serve as the window to the internet and are another specific potential vulnerability, allowing malicious code or sensitive information (like login credentials or private information) to be exposed. It's crucial to configure browsers properly to mitigate privacy and security risks.

Why is News Media included: No one likes being deceived. Misinformation and disinformation are at an all-time high. Platforms spreading bad information include traditional news media. social media, podcasts, and foreign malicious media manipulation. Identifying reliable sources and understanding their bias can improve your media consumption. This is an area of genuine passion; one of Chris’s patents, US 11,756,052, https://patents.google.com/patent/US11756052B2/en, focuses on revealing truth and bias in media using evaluations from unbiased third parties. Our service includes free configuration of trusted news sources into feeds such as Apple News and Google News, customized to your interests, and tips on identifying untrustworthy sources and fact-checking. For more on this topic, see the bottom of our Guidance blog page.

Your Security and Privacy are important to us: Bucks County Home Networks never stores any credentials related to your home network, devices or user account information. Our service is completed without connecting our devices to your devices or to your home network so that your network and device credentials are never exposed. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service for more information.