XFINITY Home: easy, integrated security and control

There are all kinds of ways to automate everything in your home, from monitoring your doors and windows, to installing remotely accessible cameras, to taking control of your thermostat. It's possible to cobble together these pieces by yourself using an assortment of hardware and services, but it rapidly gets expensive, and you have to be willing to invest a lot of time and effort into getting everything to coherently talk to everything else.

XFINITY Home is a hardware and software service from Comcast that does all of this home automation and integration for you. Once installed, it can monitor and control a comprehensive array of sensors, including indoor and outdoor cameras, motion sensors, door and window sensors, carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, and more. Besides security, XFINITY home also lets you remotely control your thermostat, your lights, and any small appliance that's attached to an outlet. All of this stuff is accessible from anywhere with an Internet-connected app or web browser.

The reason that XFINITY Home is able to integrate so seamlessly is that it uses a complete set of fully integrated devices that talk to a dedicated controller that interfaces directly with your Internet-connected modem. There are a few different packages to choose from, including a “Control” package for pure home automation, and if you’d like 24/7 professional monitoring, that’s available with the "Secure" packages for a little extra money.

Since the service is connected to the Internet, you can use it for a variety of purposes. If you've got cameras, you can watch live video, or upgrade to the option that has pictures or video emailed to you whenever someone opens your door. Or, with thermostat and lighting control, you can set schedules to make sure that your house is always lit up and at the right temperature when you get home, without having to worry about wasting energy when you're away. These capabilities aren't new, but the core idea behind XFINITY Home is that since everything is fully integrated, it's simple, streamlined, and just works.

The XFINITY Home Control service without professional security monitoring starts at $15 a month, plus $100 for a hardware kit that includes an indoor/outdoor camera, which you can install yourself. From there, you can add as many additional sensors and controls as you like, whenever you need them, although you'll save some money buying an equipment add-on kit. There are a bunch of options to take a look at, some of which even include professional security monitoring.