Comcast to Offer New “Digital Home” Solution to 15 Million Homes in 2017
Simple Controls Via Web, Mobile App and Voice That Let Consumers
Easily Add and Organize Devices, Enhance Home Wi-Fi Connectivity and Set
Personal Rules
Previewing for the First Time at CES 2017
PHILADELPHIA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–In the same way that Comcast used X1 to change the way people experience
television, the company today previewed a new, whole-home networking
solution at CES 2017 that will provide customers with a simple, fast and
intuitive way to control and manage their Digital Home and the devices
connected to it. The cloud-based platform, which will be included at no
extra cost for customers with a Comcast Wi-Fi Gateway device, delivers
fast and reliable connectivity in the home and provides an intuitive
user experience that allows people to easily add devices, pause device
use during dinnertime, pair Wi-Fi extenders that boost signal strength
and use voice controls to see who’s on the network, all in a safe and
secure way.
The new experience will be automatically enabled in the first half of
2017 for the approximately 10 million existing Xfinity Internet
customers who have a compatible Xfinity Wireless Gateway. That number is
expected to grow to more than 15 million by the end of the year as
Comcast’s new Advanced Wireless Gateway becomes available to customers.
This Advanced Gateway is capable of delivering up to nine gigabits per
second over Wi-Fi within the home, supports voice, home monitoring and
automation applications and will be the device Comcast uses to make one
gigabit per second Internet speeds available across its entire service
area.
Comcast will demonstrate their new, whole-home networking solution for
the first time at the Intel booth at CES – LVCC, Central Hall South, #
7252 – from January 5-8 in Las Vegas. The first version of Comcast’s new
Advanced Gateway is based on the Intel® Puma™ 7 SoC. Comcast and Intel
share a common vision for the Digital Home and are working together to
drive standards within the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) that
address interoperability and support innovative technologies that will
further transform the home experience.
Comcast’s new platform can be controlled via web, mobile app and the X1
voice remote and includes the following features:
-
Get Started. Take A Picture. To set-up your in-home Xfinity
experience and Wi-Fi gateway, just scan the QR code of the
Wi-Fi Gateway with the app or log on to the web portal, and set up an
easy-to-remember username and password. Then start personalizing and
categorizing all the connected devices in the house. New devices can
be added at any time. -
Whole Home Connectivity. Leverages Comcast’s powerful Wi-Fi
Gateway with attractive, compact, no-configuration Wi-Fi extenders to
deliver connectivity throughout the home. Users can also test Wi-Fi
signal strength, ensure the Gateway and devices are positioned for the
best connectivity, run task-based, Wi-Fi health checks by device and
self-resolve issues. -
Easy Onboarding & Monitoring. Personalize devices by owner
or category and monitor how frequently and for how long each device
and owner are using the in-home Wi-Fi network – all viewable on one
dashboard. The platform’s secure cloud also allows for automatic home
network onboarding for compatible devices. -
Scheduler, Bedtime Mode and Instant Pause. Make customized
rules and schedules (i.e. – “Bobby can’t access the internet on
his laptop after 8 p.m. on weeknights”), put the whole house into
“bedtime mode” where all Wi-Fi connectivity is blocked to specific
devices after a certain time; or even pause all device use during
dinnertime. -
Voice & TV Integration. Works with Xfinity
X1 and the voice remote – for example, say “who is on the
network?” into the remote, and a list of all connected devices in the
house is displayed on the TV screen. -
Safe. Secure. Provides a first line of defense against phishing
and malware by setting up automatic protections for customers and
their family. This is especially important for those IoT devices that
lack screens and cannot install individual protection software. Plus,
simple and powerful parental controls make it easy to protect family
members from inappropriate content.
“Digital Home connectivity today should be as intuitive and dynamic as
the devices and experiences it powers,” said Chris Satchell, Executive
Vice President and Chief Product Officer, Comcast Cable. “People want to
connect and control the products and devices in their home, quickly and
easily. By creating this new home solution and offering it to millions
of people as a part of their existing internet subscription, our
combination of speed, personalized controls, features and devices has
the potential to make the Internet of Things and the Digital Home more
of a reality than ever.”
Comcast also has plans to make this new platform available to its
syndication partners later in 2017.
The number of connected devices in the home is expected
to rise to 50 by 2020. An easy Digital Home solution gives consumers
a secure and consistent way to onboard, manage and control them all and
removes a common customer pain point that potentially helps to support
broader adoption of connected devices and the Internet of Things.
About Comcast Cable:
Comcast Cable is one of the nation’s largest video, high-speed Internet
and phone providers to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and
also provides these services to businesses. Comcast has invested in
technology to build an advanced network that delivers among the fastest
broadband speeds, and brings customers personalized video,
communications and home management offerings. Comcast Corporation
(Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com
for more information.
Intel and Puma are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries
in the U.S. and/or other countries.
Contacts
Comcast Cable
Steven Restivo, 267-678-3256
steven_restivo@comcast.com