Comcast Launches Xfinity xFi Cloud Platform To Manage Home Wi-Fi Network

We're living in a mobile world folks, and you might as well embrace it. The alternative is to reminisce about the good ol' days while yelling at the kids on your lawn, only they won't hear you because they're too busy texting and sending Snapchats on their mobile phones. But I digress (slightly). The point here is that mobile is the present and the future. Even home networking is not immune—Comcast has rolled out a new cloud-based service that allows users to customize their home Wi-Fi through a mobile app.

Comcast is not breaking new ground in this regard. Several router makers already offer this type of functionality, including Asus, Linksys, and Netgear. Comcast simply joins the fray with Xfinity xFi, essentially a mobile dashboard for customers to set up their home Wi-Fi network, find their password, see what devices are connected, trouble issues, set parental controls, and pause Wi-Fi access during certain times (like dinner or bedtime).


"The adoption and use of connected devices has grown dramatically and Comcast has created a solution that makes it easy to control and manage them," said Eric Schaefer, Senior Vice President of Internet and Communications Services for Comcast Cable. "xFi is a personalized home Wi-Fi experience that gives customers the fastest speeds, best coverage and ultimate control in their homes. And it’s a platform that will allow us to bring future innovations to our customers, address common pain points and vastly improve the way millions of people interact with their home Wi-Fi network."

In addition to configuring things via mobile, Infinity xFi can also be access through a web browser and on televisions using the X1 voice remote.

As part of the xFi launch, Comcast has renamed its most popular wireless gateway device "xFi Wireless Gateway." The company is also introducing a new xFi Advanced Gateway to customers subscribed to its fastest speed tiers. It will be the primary device that Comcast uses to provide 1Gbps service to customers.

The xFi branding is something Comcast plans to aggressively promote. In addition to renaming its gateway device and launching a cloud-based dashboard, Comcast later this year will roll out adaptive xFi pods that do not need to be configured. They'll be automatically paired with the xFi Wireless Gateway or xFi Advanced Gateway to extend coverage in homes.