Comcast has added its first third-party lock to its Xfinity Home platform – the Kwikset SmartCode 914 – which customers can access remotely via the Xfinity Home app for iOS or Android mobile devices or from a Web browser.
The Smartcode 914, being sold online by Comcast through Best Buy for $219.99, features keyless entry and a backlit keypad, supports up to 30 user codes (and a master code), and 128-bit encryption. Time Warner Cable recently began to support a range of new smart home devices, including the Kwikset SmartCode door lock, via BestBuy.com, as well. Comcast and TWC, like several other MSOs, are using Icontrol to power their respective home security/automation products.
“Now our customers can get in and out of their house without carrying keys,” Dan Herscovici, SVP and GM of Xfinity Home, explained in this blog post about the smart lock addition. “They’re also great for those rare (or not so rare) times when you leave your keys at the office or lock yourself out of the house. And you can also use the app for remote locking and unlocking, to let relatives, neighbors, friends, or the dog-walker into the house when you’re not there.”
Comcast’s Xfinity Home service also supports a range of remotely-accessible devices, including thermostats, lights and cameras. Comcast recently integrated Xfinity Home with X1, its IP-capable, next-gen video platform.
Notably, Comcast Ventures, the V.C. arm of the company, participated in a $38 million Series B round for August, a maker of smart locks founded in 2012 by entrepreneur Jason Johnson and designer Yves Béhar. Comcast, however, has not announced any plans to add August to its Xfinity Home lineup.
Comcast doesn’t break out how customers subscribe to the Xfinity Home service, but the category is considered a key growth driver for Comcast, other MSOs, telcos and satellite TV providers.
