PHILADELPHIA – Comcast has launched Xfinity xFi, a personalized Wi-Fi experience that provides a simple digital dashboard for customers to set up their home Wi-Fi network, find their password, see what devices are connected, troubleshoot issues, set parental controls and even pause Wi-Fi access on their home network during dinner or bedtime.
The xFi experience can be controlled through a mobile app, website and on the TV with the X1 voice remote. To get started, customers simply need to visit www.xfinity.com/myxfi or download the xFi app (for iOS and Android). xFi is now available to the 10 million Xfinity Internet customers with a compatible Xfinity WiFi device – the xFi Wireless Gateway or the xFi Advanced Gateway – and comes at no extra cost.
As part of the xFi launch, Comcast is renaming its most popular wireless gateway device. The xFi-enabled device that is in 10 million homes today will now be called the “xFi Wireless Gateway.”
The company is also introducing a new “xFi Advanced Gateway” to customers on the fastest speed tiers. The xFi Advanced Gateway will be the primary device Comcast uses to provide one-gig speeds to customers – it is capable of delivering gigabit speeds over Wi-Fi and supports Xfinity Voice, home security and automation applications.
This year, 86 percent of in-home broadband use will travel over Wi-Fi, and by 2020 Americans will have an average of 50 Wi-Fi connected devices in their homes. With this unprecedented level of Wi-Fi usage and connected device ownership, xFi simplifies the home network experience and provides many consumer benefits, including:
· Instant Setup: Simple, easy setup of Xfinity Internet service and home Wi-Fi
· Manage On Any Device: Take control with easy-to-use apps, the web, and X1 voice remote
· Find My Password: View and modify Wi-Fi names and passwords
· Name & Organize: See all connected devices and give nicknames for easy reference
· Easy-To-Use Tools: Set parental controls and bedtime schedules for any family member on the home Wi-Fi network
· Who’s Using What: Create personal profiles and assign devices to individual family members
· Text Alerts: Receive alerts when new devices join your home network
· Pause With A Tap: Instantly pause Wi-Fi access on your home network, by device or user
· Voice Control: Say “show me devices” into the X1 voice remote and see results on the biggest screen in the home
· Monitor Activity: See who’s most active on your home network and when
· Troubleshoot Wi-Fi: Identify devices that are not working properly and receive tips to fix them
· Cloud Management: See and control your home Wi-Fi network from anywhere
· Safe & Secure: First line of defense against phishing and malware
“The adoption and use of connected devices has grown dramatically and Comcast has created a solution that makes it easy to control and manage them,” said Eric Schaefer, Senior Vice President of Internet and Communications Services for Comcast Cable. “xFi is a personalized home Wi-Fi experience that gives customers the fastest speeds, best coverage and ultimate control in their homes. And it’s a platform that will allow us to bring future innovations to our customers, address common pain points and vastly improve the way millions of people interact with their home Wi-Fi network.”
As the company upgrades more of its devices to support xFi, adds new customers and rolls out the xFi Advanced Gateway to more people, Comcast expects the number of xFi-ready homes to increase to about 15 million by the end of 2017.
Later this year, Comcast will launch no-configuration, adaptive xFi pods that can be paired with either the xFi Wireless Gateway or the xFi Advanced Gateway, which will help customers extend their Wi-Fi coverage to even the most remote areas of their homes. The company has made an investment in Plume, a leading developer of distributed Wi-Fi software and systems, and is working with them to combine the technologies of Plume and xFi into a unified experience that improves throughput and consistency to individual devices and provides even easier and more seamless whole-home Wi-Fi coverage.
Comcast is the nation’s largest internet provider and offers one of the nation’s fastest in-home Wi-Fi experiences. The company’s Wi-Fi network has more than 16 million hotspots spread across U.S. homes, businesses, and outdoor locations.