Comcast launching Xfinity-branded cloud-based home control, muni-fi services

Kabletown Comcast is taking advantage of the calm before the WWDC/E3 storm to announce two initiatives to help out 'round the home. First up, the company is adding a public WiFi channel to its newest Wireless Gateway hardware, enabling your home to become a muni-fi hotspot for roving Xfinity customers. Wondering how public usage might affect your personal bandwidth cap situation? Basically the way it works is if you're a Comcast customer, you log in to the WiFi (on someone else's modem) with your account username / password, and any bandwidth you use is counted on your account, not theirs. At the same time, it's launching EcoSaver for Xfinity Home, a cloud-based home control solution that'll turn your thermostat down (basically the existing Xfinity Home Secure offering, minus the alarm bits) when you're out and about and freak out the kid you'll pay to come house-sit during your vacation.

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Comcast Unveils Plans for Millions of Xfinity WiFi Hotspots Through Its Home-Based 'Neighborhood Hotspot' Initiative

WASHINGTON & PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast, a global media and technology company, today announced plans to create millions of WiFi access points for its customers through a neighborhood hotspot initiative. Comcast is beginning to give its Xfinity Internet customers an additional "xfinitywifi" signal (or SSID) in their home that is completely separate and distinct from the family's private and secure home WiFi signal. Offered at no additional cost to Xfinity Internet residential customers, the additional WiFi hotspots will enable friends, relatives, visitors and other Xfinity Internet customers instant, easy access to fast and reliable WiFi.

"WiFi is at the center of our strategy to offer our customers the best online experience, whether it's the fastest WiFi experience in the home, or a fast and reliable WiFi environment outside the home," said Tom Nagel, Senior Vice President of Business Development, Comcast Cable. "WiFi is an important part of our strategy to be the place where customers connect all devices, anywhere and at any time."

Comcast's newest Wireless Gateway broadcasts two WiFi signals. By default, one is securely configured for the private use of the home subscriber. The second is a neighborhood "xfinitywifi" network signal that can be shared. This creates an extension of the Xfinity WiFi network and will allow visiting Xfinity Internet subscribers to sign in and connect using their own usernames and passwords.

As the nation's largest ISP with nearly 20 million customers, Comcast started a neighborhood hotspot trial last year in parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Northern Virginia and the Greater Washington, D.C. metro area. Currently, more than 100,000 Xfinity Internet subscribers already enjoy these WiFi access points being offered by other Xfinity Internet subscribers.

WiFi is part of Comcast's broader strategy to create the foundation our customers need to power their Internet-connected devices in and out of the home. Comcast recently introduced a new Wireless Gateway that gives customers the nation's fastest wireless speeds with the most coverage throughout the connected home. By combining WiFi speeds with the latest Xfinity apps, home control technology and other Internet-enabled services, Comcast is giving customers new, simple and convenient ways to take advantage of the speed delivered on its broadband and WiFi networks.

Comcast's WiFi strategy currently includes two approaches. The first is the inclusion of tens of thousands of Xfinity WiFi access points in the CableWiFi Alliance, which enables Xfinity Internet customers access to more than 150,000 indoor and outdoor WiFi hotspots on the go in more than a dozen major cities across the country through the "CableWiFi" SSID. The second is this launch of the new home-based, neighborhood hotspot initiative.

Comcast has invested tens of billions of dollars to create a network across the U.S. that makes broadband widely available. The company has changed the Internet experience for millions of customers by providing the nation's fastest speeds, reliable service, trusted security and online content. Comcast has increased Internet speeds for its customers 11 times, most recently doubling two of its most popular Xfinity Internet speed plans, Blast! and Extreme 50, for no additional cost across the company's entire footprint.

A coverage map and more information about Xfinity WiFi are both available at: www.xfinity.com/wifi.

For more information, please follow Comcast on Twitter and Google+.

Comcast Launches New Xfinity Home Control and Energy Management Service

Xfinity Home Adds EcoSaver, a New Cloud-Based Solution that Learns Heating and Cooling Patterns of a Home for Additional Energy Savings

WASHINGTON & PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast, a global media and technology company, today announced the launch of Xfinity Home Control, a new product under the Xfinity Home umbrella of services. Xfinity Home Control is for customers who want smart home solutions like video monitoring and the ability to either schedule or remotely access lighting and thermostat controls, but do not choose the professional security monitoring that is offered with other Xfinity Home services, which are now called Xfinity Home Secure.

"The home control market is growing tremendously, and it's being driven by innovative technology, affordability and consumer demand," said Mitch Bowling, Senior Vice President and General Manager of New Businesses for Comcast Cable. "With the launch of Xfinity Home Control, we're adding yet another way customers can remotely manage their homes anywhere and at anytime."

Xfinity Home Control provides customers with the ability to get real-time text and email alerts when doors and windows open or close; watch live streaming video of their home via wireless cameras; and manage home devices including lights and thermostats remotely or by using automated schedules. Comcast is offering Xfinity Home Control service starting at only $9.95 per month. A "starter pack" of Xfinity Home Control monitoring equipment is available starting at $99.95.

Additionally, Comcast is adding to its Xfinity Home service today with the launch of EcoSaver, a new cloud-based solution that can help customers potentially reduce their energy use and save money on their utility bills year-round. The EcoSaver service, paired with the Xfinity Home thermostat, learns the unique heating and cooling patterns of a home and makes automatic and incremental adjustments to the thermostat based on real-time weather data, the thermal characteristics of the house and the temperature preferences of the occupants. The homeowner maintains full control over the thermostat. Over time, the system adapts to user inputs to help reduce energy while keeping the home comfortable.

Comcast continues to enhance its' Xfinity Home platform. Last week, Comcast and OSRAM SYLVANIA announced an agreement to offer energy efficient light bulbs that can be controlled remotely from anywhere through the Xfinity Home platform.

Xfinity Home is one of the primary services that takes advantage of the WiFi speeds that Comcast delivers. Comcast recently introduced a new Wireless Gateway that gives customers the nation's fastest wireless speeds with the most coverage throughout the connected home. This is part of Comcast's broader strategy to create the foundation for customers to power their Internet-connected devices and experiences, in and out of the home. By combining WiFi speeds with the latest Xfinity apps, home control technology and other Internet-enabled services, Comcast is giving customers new, simple and convenient ways to take advantage of the speed delivered on its broadband and WiFi networks.

For more information on Xfinity Home pricing, equipment and features, visit www.xfinity.com/home.

Please follow Comcast on Twitter and Google+.