Xfinity is getting into the smart home game, but it’s going about it in a surprising way. Daniel Herscovici, senior vice president and general manager of Xfinity Home and Comcast, talked with Digital Trends about that foray at CES 2018 in Las Vegas this week.
In order to give its users easy access to their own internet of things (IoT), Xfinity is turning its wireless gateways into an IoT hub at no additional cost. That mean 15 million advanced cable Xfinity subscribers are about to have an IOT-ready smart home for free, and with no extra equipment necessary.
That’s a very different strategy for creating a smart home ecosystem than what virtually every other company attempting to do the same is doing. At CES 2018, you can’t go more than a few feet before encountering another IOT hub or gateway, but you have to pay for them. Xfinity on the other hand, is simply giving IoT away. Talk about a way to get people into your system.
The benefit to having your smart home devices connected through Xfinity is that you’ll have a singular interface, regardless of the smart home gadgets in your home. By using either your Xfinity remote or voice commands, you’ll be able to do everything from turning lights on and off to changing the thermostat settings to checking on your home security cameras — all directly on the TV screen.
Providing a free IOT hub is just the first step in Xfinity’s smart home plans. Right now, the company is focusing on security and access control capabilities — things like security cameras, opening garage doors, locking or unlocking your doors — but in the future it intends to expand into other uses, such as entertainment, health and fitness, and energy-saving smart home solutions.
We’ve seen a lot of great smart home and IOT tech at CES 2018, as well as tons of other exciting new gadgets, so be sure to check out our entire CES coverage.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.