If you use Comcast’s Xfinity broadband service, you might be eligible for a pretty interesting freebie: a layer of home security that doesn’t require cameras or any additional hardware.
Let me explain. A new service suite called Xfinity Shield is being rolled out to Xfinity Internet customers at no extra charge, and it’ll work for folks who’ve got compatible routers installed in their homes.
One of the features of this suite is called WiFi Motion. It detects people’s movements inside your home. The system does this by measuring changes in the radio frequency signal between your router and connected devices on the same network (like a TV).
Comcast
When it senses unexpected activity, it’ll notify you via the Xfinity app, so you can take action accordingly. You can set it ignore your pets, select which devices you want to receive alerts from, and schedule which times of day you want it on.
Sounds pretty neat, right? The technology for using Wi-Fi signals to detect presence and motion has been around for a while; researchers at MIT began exploring its utility in detecting seniors’ falls more than a decade ago. Companies like Philips built it into their smart home devices too.
None of those really took off, and neither did Verizon’s similar Home Awareness offering from 2022. So it’s hard to say if Xfinity’s feature will gain traction. The company told The Verge it’s worked to perfect this over the last three years.
Comcast
Adding security tech to your home for free sounds like a no-brainer – but the potential privacy concerns around this warrants a moment of consideration.
In a nutshell, opting into this sort of motion sensing system lets your broadband provider log when your home is occupied or empty, and allows for tracking data about your family’s comings and goings.
Comcast can sell that data to third parties, or provide it to law enforcement agencies without giving you a heads-up – so says the company’s own legalese. Signing on to this service would reveal a lot more about your private life, and you’d never know who’s accessing it to learn about your activity.
Not only does this mean you’re effectively under a new type of surveillance, but you could also be vulnerable to bad actors who want to track you. That could happen in two ways. In the first, hackers could possibly uncover this data by breaking into Comcast’s systems.
The other way is closer to home. In 2019, researchers from the University of Chicago and University of California, Santa Barbara showed how your movements could be detected by sniffing Wi-Fi signals leaked by connected devices, using a smartphone and without needing to enter your house. While your ISP might not be at fault, turning on a Wi-Fi-based motion sensing system could expose more data about your activity than you think.
If you value your privacy, this type of service isn’t ideal.
Comcast
There are, of course, other options, and it’s worth noting another aspect of Comcast’s service specifically to put that into perspective. Unlike conventional home security systems, WiFi Motion isn’t professionally monitored. That means no one’s watching for intrusions at your home and alerting the police; all you get is a notification on your phone.
Adding security systems to your house is a lot easier these days, and you’ve got all kinds of ways to go about it – whether you opt for a professional setup or a DIY approach.
There are more private camera and motion sensing devices and services available than something like Comcast’s offering, and you can also opt for intrusion detection suites (which include hardware and a subscription service) from the likes of Simplisafe and ADT.
For reference, a basic system from Simplisafe costs about US$200 for a bunch of sensors, a front door keypad, and a base station, and the monitoring service will run you roughly $30 a month.
That’s certainly a lot more than Comcast’s asking price of $0 – but the hidden cost is hard to justify. If and only if the company amended its terms and promised not to hand over your motion data under any circumstances, would I be able to recommend considering something like WiFi Motion.
Source: Comcast
