Arlo has followed the likes of Nest and Ring by changing its policy on two-factor authentication for its smart home technology from a suggestion to a requirement. 

The change isn't coming in immediately, but will be live by the end of 2020, giving Arlo users a good number of months to get ahead of it and set up the system themselves, which is obviously recommend under pretty much any circumstances regardless.

In practice that will mean the standard choice between a push notification-style verification, or a text message with a code in it when you want to sign in on a new device. Backup codes sent to your email address will also be available if the other methods fail for some reason. 

Anxious times

Obviously this announcement comes cresting a wave of unease around the security of smart home devices, in particular cameras like those that Arlo makes. Much of this has focused on Ring, which has found itself at the centre of various controversies over its security protocols, data usage and partnership with US police forces. 

Ring itself has already brought in mandatory two-factor authentication already, at least partly in response to the criticism it's received, and with Arlo doing the same it might be reasonable to conclude that the system will rightly become the default across the market. 

After all, while it might not make your devices impregnable, two-factor security makes it significantly harder to access them, which should be heartening when we're talking about literal cameras in and around your home.