Comcast's Xfinity Home service now officially supports more home automation gadgets, allowing users to control more of their home via an app.
Earlier this year, Comcast promised to support more home automation devices and now the company is making good on its word. The Nest Learning Thermostat, Chamberlain MyQ garage-door controller, August Smart Lock, or the Lutron Caseta wireless lighting controller are now among the newly-supported gadgets, manageable via the Xfinity Home app for Android or iOS.
With this new support, Comcast aims to offer one app to control all of the aforementioned home automation gadgets, rather than requiring users to rely on one app to control the thermostat, another one for the lighting, another one for the smart lock and so on.
"The Xfinity Home team wants to change that by creating a single platform that ties together a wide range of home automation controls and experiences," touts the announcement.
How It Works
Customers can purchase those home automation gadgets on their own and install some of them. When it comes to devices that could set off the alarm system, however, Comcast requires that one of its technicians handles the installation. Simply put, the installation requirement varies based on the product category. Users can install devices such as thermostats on their own, but a Comcast technician will be required for more serious installations.
"Any life-safety device - a smoke detector, door/window sensors, motion sensors - requires a truck roll. Things like door locks and thermostats can be self installed," explains Dan Herscovici, Comcast Home Senior Vice President and General Manager.
Considering the nature of these products and services, it makes sense for life-safety devices to require professional installation. Comcast provides central monitoring 24/7 and will alert the appropriate emergency responders when necessary, but for that it needs to ensure the equipment is properly installed.
Comcast further points out that it can help new customers make significant savings, as it often reuses most of the hardware from an existing home system. The company says it can take over the control panel and the sensors if its system is compatible, or it can replace the control panel if not. Moreover, Comcast also offers a warranty for the devices it takes over and will replace them if they stop working at some point.
"The warranty lasts as long as you're a subscriber," the announcement notes.
