While the world depends on it more than clean drinking water, the everyday user still knows almost nothing about their home WiFi. Even with routers in millions of homes around the world, people rarely take a vested interest in what their internet connectivity is up to. This is likely the case because there’s no way monitor your activity without being a tech genius. That is, until now.
Comcast has long been at the front of the internet provider race, and their most recent platform, Xfinity xFI, is an indicator of why. This platform, available online and through the app, allows users to full manage and control the many devices connected to their home WiFi.
“The adoption and use of connected devices has grown dramatically and Comcast has created a solution that makes it easy to control and manage them,” said Eric Schaefer, Senior Vice President of Internet and Communications Services for Comcast Cable. “xFi is a personalized home Wi-Fi experience that gives customers the fastest speeds, best coverage and ultimate control in their homes. And it’s a platform that will allow us to bring future innovations to our customers, address common pain points and vastly improve the way millions of people interact with their home Wi-Fi network.”
Because I currently live in a small two-person apartment, understanding the intricacies of my WiFi is not as necessary as it is cool. However, if your family is a bunch of WiFi fiends, logging on and off more often than coders at Apple, being able to manage who is doing what and when is an imperative function of this comprehensive platform. Check out a few of the features below:
The Devices
It can be easy to forget how many devices you have connected to your WiFi at any given moment. Whether it’s a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet, a virtual assistant, a gaming console, a smart fridge, or even a light bulb, managing all those devices separately used to be a Herculean task on par with mowing the lawn.
Now, with xFi, you’ll be able to easily track which devices are using the most bandwidth, when their peak hours are, and how you can fix them when they stop being connected. Plus, with pausing and parental control features, you’ll be able to truly control the WiFi in your home.
The Profiles
When it comes to WiFi, there isn’t a single person in your household that isn’t using it, unless that person is in diapers. While it used to be difficult to figure out who was using up all the bandwidth, xFi allows you to assign devices to particular profiles, giving you a more comprehensive view of who is using what and when.
As far as features are concerned, profiles work similarly to devices, in that you can pause WiFi access, assign parental controls, and set a “bed time” for devices to turn off. Plus, with cute avatars for each assigned profile, you can easily get the whole family on board.
The Restart
The biggest joke about internet connectivity is the fact that when it doesn’t work, all you have to do is unplug and plug it back in. This simple yet archaic means of solving a hi-tech problem is a laughably real issue. Fortunately, xFi has a solution.
No more walking to the basement and unplugging your router. No more waiting 30 seconds for the system to reboot. The xFi app and platform have a simple “restart” button that will allow you to reboot the router without all those extra steps. Talk about a game-changer.
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