Comcast is turning tens of millions of its home routers into motion detectors. The feature, called WiFi Motion, uses a home’s own WiFi signal to sense movement, without any cameras. It is part of a new service called Xfinity Shield, which the company began rolling out on 18 August. It set out the details in an announcement.
WiFi Motion works by reading changes in the radio signal between an Xfinity router and a connected device, Comcast said. When something moves and disrupts that signal, the app sends an alert to the customer. The company said it does this without recording video, capturing images or identifying anyone. It casts the tool as awareness, not a full security camera.
The feature is opt-in and free for internet customers with a recent Xfinity gateway, The Verge reported. It pairs with three modes in the app: Home Watch, Away Watch and Dark Watch. Users can turn sensing on or off depending on whether they are in, out or asleep.
What Xfinity Shield includes
WiFi Motion is one piece of a wider bundle. The free tier, WiFi Shield, also folds in Comcast’s network cybersecurity and a set of parental controls. The cybersecurity blocks an average of 30 million threats a day, the company says. Comcast says the average customer now connects 36 devices to home WiFi.
