Xfinity Home Security Review

OVERVIEW

XFINITY’s home security service is a great add-on for Comcast XFINITY TV, internet, or home phone customers—but what about for everyone else? XFINITY’s two-year service contract starts with a low price, but it goes up to $39.95 per month after the first year, which is average for a full-home automation setup.

And while you don’t have to subscribe to XFINITY’s other services, your experience will be better and more convenient—we love being able to speak voice commands for the entire system from the XFINITY X1 DVR‘s voice remote. It helps us stay lazy.

Xfinity home security system

What’s included with XFINITY Home Secure package?

• 3 door/window sensors
• Motion sensor
• Touchscreen controller
• Wireless keypad

The three access sensors are meant for your front and back doors and any side doors or first-floor windows where intruder entry is possible. The motion sensor is best used in large rooms where there may be too many windows to cover or where important items are kept. The touchscreen controller is one of the cooler proprietary devices we’ve seen and allows a consistent user experience between the in-home controller and mobile devices.

Comcast sells the following equipment directly if you need to add to your security:

• Indoor cameras
• Outdoor cameras
• Outlet controllers
• Smoke detectors
• Zen Thermostat
• Motion sensors
• Access sensors

If you’re not quite covered with the basic package, you can beef up your security and home security with cameras, environmental sensors, and additional security sensors.

Basic security features

XFINITY Home has the following benefits:

• 24/7 professional monitoring
• Cellular and battery backup
• Remote arm and disarm with the XFINITY Home app
• Real-time notifications when activity is detected
• Additional features included with equipment purchases

Around-the-clock monitoring is the only way to go, but many people underestimate the importance of a cellular connection and battery backup that don’t disappear at the first sign of trouble. XFINITY does a good job of hitting the most important aspects of home security, allowing it to hang with the big players like Vivint, Frontpoint, and ADT. The handheld experience of the control panel feels more user-friendly than traditional wall-mounted panels.

After basic security is covered, you can start making your home more cozy and inviting by adding additional equipment like LIFX lights or SmartThings outlets.

Home automation and smart home features

Comcast has also made the following partner connections to help “smarten up” your home:

• August door lock
• Kiwkset Door Lock
• Chamberlain Garage door opener
• Nest Thermostat
• Caseta Wireless lighting
• Philips Hue Lighting
• Sengled Lighting
• General Electric Lightning

XFINITY Home equipment is meant to be linked together. What this means for users is the ability to control just about anything electric in their home, whether they’re using Comcast XFINITY’s mobile app, IFTTT recipes, or their virtual assistant (Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Siri, etc.)

Mobile control

XFINITY’s mobile app turns your phone into a remote control for your whole home. While it may not be absolutely bug-free, we had a good experience, and other users have rated it well on Google Play and iTunes.

Remote arming and disarming

One of the biggest benefits to getting XFINITY Home is being able to turn your system on and off from afar.

Lighting and thermostat control

Turn on some mood lighting and raise the heat without getting off the couch during movie night, or turn off the lights before you doze off without leaving the bed.

Security alerts

You can see your alerts via text, email, app notifications, and on-screen notifications on your TV (you must have the XFINITY X1 DVR). You can customize the rules, too, so you only get necessary alerts.

Home security cameras

Two of the biggest buying decisions with Comcast XFINITY are whether to add video to your plan and whether to use Comcast’s proprietary camera. XFINITY has both video streaming and streaming + recording as options.

If you buy an XFINITY camera, you get live video streaming included. But if you add video recording to your package, you can get 50% off a camera. The recording service runs $9.95 per month per camera. For a single camera, it’s not too bad, but if you’re planning on running a wide network, this can get expensive fast.

XFINITY’s plan gives you up to ten days to review your footage. From there, you can download and share it if you want.

You can also integrate other cameras like Nest Cam, Canary Cam, and Arlo Pro. For ideas, you can check out our posts for Best Indoor Cameras, Best Outdoor Cameras, and Best Motion Detector Cameras.

XFINITY indoor/outdoor camera specs

• Proprietary technology
• Live video
• Weather resistance
• Night vision
• Professional installation or easy self-installation

When you have the XFINITY X1 DVR, you can use the voice remote to say things like “Front door camera” to view your feed.

Customer experience

ComcastCares is the dedicated customer service department that can be accessed via Twitter, Facebook, or on XFINITY’s website. It’s interesting that XFINITY doesn’t offer a classic email customer service option, but we’re not opposed to using social media or direct chats to get help quickly.

XFINITY Home system ordering

XFINITY Home’s two-year contract is a lot shorter than some other companies like ADT or Vivint who have three-year or five-year contracts in some cases. You have a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you’re covered if you have immediate buyer’s remorse. Beyond that, you’ll face an early termination fee.

XFINITY Home system installation

It’s easier to get a system installed from XFINITY because you have one less pain in your grass to deal with by only having one appointment for both consulting and installing. The expert technician will give you recommendations and then get to work after you’ve decided. If you’re getting more than one service installed, this will save you a ton of time and scheduling pains.

Have a previously installed system like an old ADT or Protect America alarm system? You may be able to use them in the XFINITY Home system to save you money on new equipment costs.

XFINITY Home incident procedure

You’ll get 24/7 monitoring through COPS Monitoring, which has six monitoring centers. The backup battery and 3G wireless cellular connections are really important when it comes to home security. You’ll not only stay protected from intruders and connected to the monitoring station, but you’ll also avoid the annoying sirens that come with a system that powers off abruptly without a battery backup.

Xfinity Home pricing

XFINITY Home only comes in one plan style, so you won’t have to guess which package is right for you. However, if you’re looking to add some combination of TV, phone, and internet, your options increase.

^{*Data effective 3/13/2018. Pricing and speeds are subject to change. Not all offers available in all areas.}

We appreciate that XFINITY’s single plan doesn’t add to the mess of numbers flying through your head when you’re ordering.

Here are some benefits of a bundled XFINITY Home package:

• Use the X1 DVR to see who’s calling or security alerts on your TV.
• Watch TV on the internet through XFINITY’s website.
• Watch Netflix through your X1 DVR (with TV and Internet)

Create the best movie night by ordering pizza, triggering the lights to turn on for the delivery driver as they approach, and maybe even pausing your movie with a single IFTTT recipe.

Contracts

Your two-year contract features a nice $29.95 per month price up front, but then it switches to $39.95 per month for the second year. The first price is nice, and the second is on par with other security providers like Vivint and ADT.

Xfinity Home recap

• Get discounted TV, internet, phone, and security from a single provider
• Connect your home security system to your other tech to make it easier, faster, and better.
• Get a shorter service term with XFINITY Home’s 2-year contract (as opposed to 5-year)
• Get video service for $9.99 per camera per month for 10 days of storage

Overall, the Comcast XFINITY Home security service covers all your necessary bases, but it gets even better if you integrate it as part of your whole-home setup with XFINITY—that means adding TV, internet, and maybe even home phone calling to your plan. You’ll get a discount on your services, plus you can use your phone or X1 Voice remote to control just about everything in your home.

If you’re still not convinced XFINITY Home is right for you, check out our Best Home Security Providers article.

Have questions? Leave us a comment below.

Sources

^{1.    Comcast, “Using the Cloud to Manage the Home”
2.    Security Sales and Integration, “How Comcast’s Xfinity Home Is Disrupting Residential Security”}