Comcast has launched its own video doorbell product, but it is designed for the company’s Xfinity customers. Assuming you’re part of that group, the new Xfinity Video Doorbell offers many of the features found on competing products, including access to a video feed from your front door whenever you need it.
Video doorbells have become a popular way to monitor one’s home at its most vulnerable point while also utilizing some convenient smart features beyond security. The Comcast Xfinity Video Doorbell offers many of these features, including a wide-angle 4:3 high-definition video feed with night vision support and two-way audio (via Business Wire).
Comcast’s new IoT product is integrated with the company’s wider Flex and X1 platforms, meaning subscribers who have an eligible plan can, for example, get alerts from the video doorbell on their TVs. The product works with Comcast’s Xfinity app; users can, among other things, use it to listen to audio from the doorbell’s microphone and speak with someone who is at the door using their smartphone.
The video doorbell also supports motion alerts, which result in a push notification from the Xfinity app and alerts on one’s TV via the Flex or X1 platforms. This feature includes motion zones, meaning the user can decide which areas they want to monitor for signs of motion (the front porch, for example).
The big selling point here is for Comcast customers who are already paying for the X1 or Flex platform. The integration with Comcast’s television software means users get the same convenience a Ring owner gets with Fire TV, for example — namely, the ability to view alerts and security camera video feeds directly on a TV.
With that in mind, the doorbell doesn’t bring anything particularly innovative or new to the market. Existing Comcast customers may like getting a new option that works with the cable boxes they’re already paying for, but others who haven’t signed up for the service provider’s plans have other options to explore.
In addition to the aforementioned Ring and Fire TV combo, consumers who want security cameras that integrate with a larger home ecosystem can also check out Google’s Nest cameras. The Nest Doorbell wired, for example, can be controlled with the Google Home app and viewed on a TV with Chromecast (via Google).
