Now you've got more options
Comcast’s Xfinity might be best known for home internet and cable, but it’s been steadily building up its own smart home security ecosystem. It already offers a number of compatible smart locks from the likes of Kwikset and August, and now it’s adding a third option.
Yale has announced that its Assure smart locks are now compatible with Xfinity Home. There are four compatible Assure locks: The push-button deadbolt (YRD216), the touchscreen deadbolt (YRD226), the key free touchscreen deadbolt (YRD 246) and the SL key free touchscreen deadbolt (YRD256). And yes, there’s a catch.
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You’re going to have to purchase the $50 Yale Zigbee Network Module to connect to Xfinity Home’s hub, which – you guessed it – runs the Zigbee protocol. That seems to be the biggest change here, as before Yale Assure owners couldn’t connect up with Xfinity Home at all.
You’ll be able to command your Yale Assure smart lock from either the web or your smartphone. You can also use your Xfinity X1 TV remote’s voice commands to say things like “lock the front door” if you want to truly embrace the future. You can also customize the notifications for your lock to, say, get one every time it’s unlocked, or only during a select time period of your choosing.
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Xfinity Home is more of a security system than anything else. You’ll get a home hub with touchscreen, while you can also do things like play your security camera footage on your TV via your X1 cable box. In the base package you’re getting 3 window and door sensors, a motion sensor, that touchscreen hub and a wireless keypad.
There are also a number of add-on devices, including more window, door and motion sensors, a Zen thermostat, and smart outlets to indoor and outdoor cameras.
Xfinity Home plans start at $25 a month, with $10 extra a month if you want 10 days worth of video storage for your smart cam. Additional equipment starts at $49.99 for sensors, all the way up to $199.95 for the smart cams.
