Comcast Xfinity Home Security Review

Comcast Xfinity Home allows you to bundle with internet, home phone, mobile, and cable services, which isn’t available with most of the best home security systems. It also has smart home equipment like doorbells, thermostats, and smoke detectors.

Xfinity Home does have a few downsides. The research for our Comcast Xfinity Home review found its customer service is lacking. And Comcast Xfinity Home isn’t available in all areas of the US. Here’s what we found when we researched Comcast Xfinity Home and talked to a real customer.

Xfinity Home offers three equipment packages that range from $350 to $600. This is somewhat on the pricier side, especially when you compare it to some of the newer security systems on the block like Wyze and Ring.

You can combine any of the equipment packages with one of the three monitoring plans. Xfinity provides monthly financing for your security system, or you can choose to pay for your equipment up front. And each plan has à la carte options available if you want to add more equipment to your system.

Xfinity’s pricing includes a lot of factors beyond equipment and monitoring. Prices can change based on your location and if you’re already an Xfinity customer.

With Xfinity Home Security, you have to choose a monitoring plan for your equipment, even if you want to self-monitor. All three plans have similar features like smart home automation, the Xfinity Home app, and live-streaming video (when you choose a camera).

You get professional monitoring when you choose the Pro Protection or Pro Protection Plus plan. The main difference between the Pro and Plus plan is Plus gives you access to past videos and allows you to search for video clips by categories such as people, pets, and vehicles.

You might as well spring for the Plus plan since reviewing older video recordings is an important part of home security. You never know when you may realize something is missing and you need to go look at footage. The downside is Xfinity cloud storage only keeps your footage for a week.

With equipment costs and monitoring costs combined, you can expect to pay a minimum monthly rate of $25 for unmonitored and $50 for professional monitoring for Xfinity Home Security. These prices are competitive when compared to other top home security system companies. For example, Vivint starts packages and monitoring at around $30 per month.

Xfinity Home is hard to compare to other security systems because it’s tied to a cable, phone, and internet provider. Systems like ADT and Vivint have an advantage over Xfinity Home because they specialize in home security rather than dividing efforts between cable, internet, and security services.

Sometimes getting everything bundled is convenient. We totally understand. If bundling sounds good to you, other cable and internet providers, like Cox, have started offering home security paired with entertainment services too. These companies have caused Xfinity to step up their game, offering more competitive prices and better equipment than in the past.

Xfinity doesn’t require a contract if you pay for your equipment up front. If you decide to go with a financing plan, you’ll be locked in a contract until you pay off your equipment. The financing terms are for 24 months, so you can plan on being in a contract for two years.

There is a one-year limited warranty on Xfinity Home security system equipment, but it’s only for manufacturer defects, not for when your tot pours juice on the keypad. Comcast can choose to repair the equipment or replace it with something similar.

Comcast Xfinity Home’s limited warranty is puny when you compare it to other security systems. For example, Cove has a lifetime warranty on its equipment.

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Comcast Xfinity Home has a decent selection of equipment to gear out your home. It starts with three different package sizes. Then you can build on to your package with doorbell cameras, smoke detectors, a Zen Thermostat, a smart outlet controller, or more sensors and motion detectors. You can get all this installed for $60 to $99, depending on where you live. Or you can install it yourself for free.

The Base Home System includes what you need for a small home or apartment:

• 1 touchscreen controller
• 3 door/window sensors
• 1 motion sensor
• Battery and cellular backup system
• Xfinity Home Security yard sign

Xfinity Home has all the essentials needed for a reliable alarm system. The starter kit comes with three door/window sensors, a touchscreen control center, a cellular backup system to keep your system running when the phone lines or Wi-Fi is down, and a wireless keypad to arm and disarm your system. Plus, you can control your system with the Xfinity Home app.

What we’re most impressed with is the motion sensor with a sky-high weight range. This pet immune sensor will ignore moving objects up to 85 pounds. (That’s double the limit of most sensors!). It’s a helpful feature if you have a large dog or kids because they won’t trigger the sensor and cause a false alarm.

You can also add extras like the indoor/outdoor camera, Zen thermostat, smoke detector, or outlet controller to gain extra control over your home through the Xfinity Home app.

You could watch a live stream from the Xfinity camera, warm your living room with the thermostat when you come home from work, and keep a light on with the outlet controller.

In some cases, you can install Xfinity Home on your own, but it usually requires professionals. If you’re a first-time Xfinity customer, or if it’s been over a year since you’ve had an Xfinity system, you’ll have to go with the pros. Advanced systems with over four pieces of equipment will also have to be set up by a professional.

Professional installation costs a minimum of $60 (the cost varies by where you live), but it’s a one-time payment. And scheduling an installation appointment is easy. Xfinity provides a clear timetable of available times and dates that includes weekends, so you won’t have to take off work to let the tech in for installation.

Installation techs promise they’ll arrive within two hours of your scheduled appointment time, and if they don’t, you’ll get a $20 credit. If you have an existing security system from another company, the same Xfinity professionals can take a look at your system to see if it’s compatible or needs to be upgraded.

Xfinity partners with third-party smart home providers like August, GE, Philips, and Ecobee. Equipment from these companies, like smart lighting, locks, and thermostats, can work with your Xfinity Home system.

You can control your Xfinity Home system through its mobile app or web portal. From here, you can watch live feeds, control your thermostat, and check on the system when you get alerts. You can also arm your system using voice control with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

One feature that stands out from other security systems is the TV feature. You can watch your camera feeds, arm your system, and create smart home automations through your television with voice commands using the optional TV Control with X1 and Flex services provided by Comcast.

Joy, the Xfinity customer we spoke with, spoke about the “pushy” sales tactics she experienced with the company: “When I called last time, there was a lot of pressure.” Upgrades were always a point of conversation when on the phone with an Xfinity rep.

She also said getting in touch with a real person could be a challenge. She’d find herself on hold frequently when she tried contacting Xfinity with questions.

Joy’s experience isn’t rare for Xfinity customers. We encountered similar stories from customers online. ConsumerAffairs gives Xfinity Home 3.8 out of 5 stars, while Trustpilot gives Comcast just 1.2 stars.* Overall, Comcast gets a lot of hate for poor customer service on a variety of its services, not just home security.

*Ratings as of Aug 8, 2022.

If you’re already on the Xfinity bandwagon for cable and internet, Xfinity Home is a nice perk to add to your existing setup. Xfinity Home is also a good choice if you’re looking to bundle your home security with cable, mobile, internet, and home phone service. Not many other companies can bundle services like Comcast.

Want to learn more? See how Xfinity Home compares to this year's Best Home Security Systems.

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