Xfinity Shield is designed to bring home, family and cybersecurity protection together.
Comcast has unveiled a new home security platform called Xfinity Shield. The company says this combines home, family and cybersecurity protection in one app and puts Wi-Fi at the center.
It offers a service called Wi-Fi Shield to Xfinity Internet users at no additional cost. This includes a few features, including one called Wi-Fi Motion. Comcast says a typical Xfinity customer has 36 devices connected to Wi-Fi. This particular feature, which is optional, can detect movement inside the home by detecting changes in the radio frequency signal between the Xfinity Gateway and a connected device. If the system detects unexpected changes, you can receive immediate notification through the Xfinity app.
Comcast says Wi-Fi Motion, which uses Xfinity Gateway intelligence, “provides an additional layer of awareness without recording video, capturing images, or identifying individuals.” This type of technology isn’t exactly new, but it’s interesting to see a notable internet provider integrating it into a home security platform.
Wi-Fi Shield includes a cybersecurity offering to help protect connected devices from malware, phishing and other threats. It also integrates family settings into the same app as other features. With this, you can create profiles for household members, assign them devices, and manage factors like screen time and device limits. You’ll be able to configure Wi-Fi Shield to operate in three modes that can trigger when you’re up at home, away from home, or asleep.
Inevitably, there is a paid option. Shield Select adds to the mix an indoor camera, door or window sensor, cloud video storage, and 24-hour emergency response (just press a button for help). This also brings the ability to identify people, pets, packages and vehicles through AI-powered cameras. Shield Select costs $15 per month.
Comcast plans to build on Xfinity Shield, which is now available to its customers. It will bring more features and services to the platform next year.
