Expanding on its curated smart home integration program for third-party products, Comcast said it will soon add support for two lighting partners – Jasco and Sengled – to its Xfinity Home platform.
Comcast, which helps outside vendors hook in via its Works With Xfinity Home initiative, said its smart home/security customers will be able to manage GE-branded plug-in and in-wall smart switches from Jasco and Sengled’s Element Touch connected LED lightbulbs via the Xfinity Home app.
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Xfinity Home customers who also have Comcast’s X1 video service will also be able to bring up the smart home user interface on their TVs by saying, “Xfinity Home lights,” into the X1 voice remote.
Citing data from a study (PDF) from Icontrol Networks (Comcast announced a deal to acquire a large piece of Icontrol in June), more than a third of consumers said they are likely to buy connected lighting in the next 12 months.
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Jasco and Sengled are the latest third-party companies to be integrated with Xfinity Home. Others include August (smart locks), Chamberlain (garage controllers), Lutron (wireless controllers and dimmers), as well as Nest Learning Thermostats.
“By adding Jasco and Sengled to our growing list of curated smart home devices that we integrate with Xfinity Home, our customers will be able to create unique experiences that connect the devices that are important to them such as streaming security cameras, door locks, thermostats, and lights,” Daniel Herscovici, senior vice president and general manager of Xfinity Home, said in a statement. “We can integrate all of these devices into a unified experience on one easy-to-use platform.”
Comcast also builds its own products for Xfinity Home, including the recently introduced “xCam,” a WiFi-connected, HD indoor/outdoor camera.
Comcast said Xfinity Home subs can also set and manage rules/automated commands that trigger certain functions – for example, they can set a rule that turns on a light every day at sunset or every time the front door is opened.
Comcast revealed last summer that it has more than 500,000 Xfinity Home subs, but has not issued an updated sub figure since. In its Q3 earnings report, Comcast said that 55% of Xfinity Home subs were new to the company. At the end of that period, nearly 60% of Xfinity Home customers bundle four services – Internet, TV, phone and home security, and nearly all sign up for at least three products from the MSO.
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Comcast is competing in the market against the likes of Alarm.com (which is also acquiring a piece of Icontrol), ADT and other service providers such as AT&T and Verizon. EchoStar exited the smart home and home security game in September when it shut down Sage By Hughes, a do-it-yourself platform.
