Comcast Xfinity Home Security Review

Xfinity isn’t just a cable and internet provider anymore. In the last few years, this Comcast division started offering home security systems and monitoring.

If you’re already an Xfinity customer, the company’s home security offerings are worth checking out. But if you’re new to the service, be prepared to get lost in pricing variables and hidden fees.

We started research on Xfinity Home at the source, poking through the website’s packages, plans, and fine print.

To get an accurate firsthand account of Xfinity Home, we interviewed a real customer. From customer service to equipment, Joy told us about her experience of using Xfinity Home for three years. We also compared her experience to Xfinity Home customer reviews across the web.

Read our full methodology to learn more about how we reviewed Xfinity Home and other home alarm systems like it.

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.

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

If you use Xfinity Home Security, you’ll have to choose a monitoring plan for your equipment. Both plans have similar features like smart home automation, the Xfinity Home app, and live-streaming video (when you choose a camera). The main difference is the Plus plan gives you access to past videos and better motion detection.

All these details combined, you can expect to pay a minimum monthly rate of $55 for Xfinity Home Security. This price is high, but it’s not much higher than other companies. For example, Frontpoint Security starts packages and monitoring at around $45. If budget isn’t an issue and you already have Xfinity, you may get a good deal.

Xfinity Home offers à la carte equipment to add to your existing packages. We found the prices for Xfinity’s devices.

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, 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 who stay home alone 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.

Watch a livestream 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.

Xfinity partners with third-party smart home providers like August, GE, 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.

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 $99.99, 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.

Joy, the Xfinity customer we spoke with, spoke to “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.¹

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

But other cable and internet providers, like Cox, have started offering home security paired with entertainment services. Companies like Cox have caused Xfinity to step up their game, offering more competitive prices and better equipment than in the past.

Stacked against security companies like ADT and Vivint, Xfinity Home lacks essential features and comes with unnecessary extra equipment. But compared with other ISPs with security like Cox, Xfinity comes out on top.

If you’re already on the Xfinity bandwagon for cable and internet, Xfinity Home secure is a nice perk to add to your existing setup. But Xfinity Home doesn’t have enough standout features on its own to justify the price and fine print.

Before you sign on, we recommend reading the contract carefully before signing up because you’ll likely encounter hidden fees and might have trouble with pushy customer service reps down the road.

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

• The Best Home Security Systems 
• Security System Installation: Professional vs. DIY

• The Best Home Security System Apps

• ADT Home Security Review
• Cox Homelife Security Review

1. ConsumerAffairs “Xfinity Home”; Trustpilot, “Comcast”