Aug 18 (Reuters) – Comcast is expanding its Xfinity home security offerings with a new platform that combines Wi-Fi-based protection with cybersecurity and family controls, as it seeks to make its broadband service stickier in a competitive market.
Here are more details:
• Comcast said on Tuesday that the platform, called Xfinity Shield, is available for Xfinity Internet customers at no additional cost, while a $15-a-month option adds an indoor camera, door and window sensor, cloud video storage and 24/7 urgent response.
• The company said the average Xfinity customer now connects 36 devices to WiFi, while its network identifies, filters and blocks an average of 30 million threats each day.
• The new features could help deepen customer engagement at a time when Comcast faces pressure to retain subscribers in a highly competitive market.
• “We’re lowering dramatically the barrier of entry to the idea of a total security product under Xfinity Shield,” Comcast product chief Fraser Stirling told Reuters in an interview.
• The platform brings cybersecurity, WiFi Motion and family controls together in the Xfinity app. WiFi Motion uses the Xfinity Gateway, which sits at the center of the home network, and other connected devices to detect movement in the home, while Comcast said AI capabilities across its network and Gateway help support the service.
(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
