diff --git a/packaging/install.sh b/packaging/install.sh
index f841ba1..a908fef 100755
--- a/packaging/install.sh
+++ b/packaging/install.sh
@@ -82,13 +82,17 @@ install -m 644 "$SCRIPT_DIR/pimonitor-apt-update.service" /etc/systemd/system/pi
 install -m 644 "$SCRIPT_DIR/pimonitor-apt-update.timer" /etc/systemd/system/pimonitor-apt-update.timer
 
 # Capture this before daemon-reload/enable so an upgrade of an already-running
-# service is detected: 'enable --now' is a no-op when the unit is already
-# active, which would otherwise leave the old binary running until an
-# unrelated reboot/restart.
+# service/timer is detected: 'enable --now' is a no-op when the unit is
+# already active, which would otherwise leave the old binary/schedule loaded
+# until an unrelated reboot/restart.
 SERVICE_WAS_ACTIVE=0
 if systemctl is-active --quiet pimonitor.service; then
   SERVICE_WAS_ACTIVE=1
 fi
+TIMER_WAS_ACTIVE=0
+if systemctl is-active --quiet pimonitor-apt-update.timer; then
+  TIMER_WAS_ACTIVE=1
+fi
 
 systemctl daemon-reload
 
@@ -100,9 +104,15 @@ if [[ "$SERVICE_WAS_ACTIVE" -eq 1 ]]; then
   echo "pimonitor.service was already running; restarting to pick up the new binary/unit..."
   systemctl restart pimonitor.service
 fi
+if [[ "$TIMER_WAS_ACTIVE" -eq 1 ]]; then
+  echo "pimonitor-apt-update.timer was already active; restarting to pick up any schedule change..."
+  systemctl restart pimonitor-apt-update.timer
+fi
 
 echo "Running an initial apt cache refresh so the update count isn't empty on first view..."
-systemctl start pimonitor-apt-update.service || true
+if ! systemctl start pimonitor-apt-update.service; then
+  echo "warning: initial apt cache refresh failed; check 'systemctl status pimonitor-apt-update.service'" >&2
+fi
 
 echo
 echo "Done. Check status with:"
diff --git a/packaging/pimonitor-apt-update.service b/packaging/pimonitor-apt-update.service
index b030ea8..d21e5f8 100644
--- a/packaging/pimonitor-apt-update.service
+++ b/packaging/pimonitor-apt-update.service
@@ -8,3 +8,37 @@ Type=oneshot
 # This is the only part of PiMonitor that touches apt with write intent;
 # the main pimonitor.service never runs this itself and never needs root.
 ExecStart=/usr/bin/apt-get update
+
+# Hardening. apt-get update needs root (to write the package lists/cache
+# and to drop privileges to the _apt sandbox user for the actual network
+# fetch) so this can't be locked down as tightly as pimonitor.service, but
+# the following cheap directives still apply.
+NoNewPrivileges=true
+# strict (not full) so ReadWritePaths= below actually confines writes
+# instead of being a no-op - traced (strace) against a live 'apt-get
+# update': the only write-mode opens are under /var/lib/apt/lists (index
+# files) and /tmp (apt-key's gpg homedir, already covered by PrivateTmp).
+# /var/cache/apt is included for portability across apt versions that
+# rebuild pkgcache.bin here. Nothing is written under /var/log/apt - that's
+# only touched by install/remove, not update.
+ProtectSystem=strict
+ReadWritePaths=/var/lib/apt /var/cache/apt
+ProtectHome=true
+PrivateTmp=true
+ProtectKernelModules=true
+ProtectKernelLogs=true
+ProtectControlGroups=true
+
+# Trimmed from the default (full) capability set for root. Verified against
+# a live 'apt-get update' run: apt drops to the _apt user for the actual
+# download (CAP_SETUID/CAP_SETGID), then chowns/chmods the fetched index
+# files (CAP_CHOWN/CAP_FOWNER) and needs CAP_DAC_OVERRIDE to replace
+# lock/partial files it doesn't own as _apt. Dropping any one of these five
+# makes apt-get update fail outright or silently leave files root-owned
+# instead of _apt-owned.
+CapabilityBoundingSet=CAP_CHOWN CAP_DAC_OVERRIDE CAP_FOWNER CAP_SETGID CAP_SETUID
+
+# The 6-hourly refresh shouldn't compete with foreground workloads on slow
+# SD cards.
+Nice=19
+IOSchedulingClass=idle