Xfinity offers excellent value with equipment and monitoring that is more affordable than other professionally installed security systems. However, it lacks the broad equipment selection that other home security systems offer.
We undertook extensive hands-on testing and conducted hours of research in a real-world setting to produce this review of the Xfinity security system. Our systems included a touchscreen control pad, keypad, door and window sensors, and a motion sensor. We also added a smart thermostat and video camera.
In addition to our testing, we also researched several competing home security systems, including Vivint, SimpliSafe, and Ring, in order to make comparisons.
Xfinity Home gives you three package options when buying its home security system:
While you’ll need to choose one of these packages when you sign up, we do like the fact that Xfinity gives you the option to add additional sensors, cameras, and detectors à la carte if you wish. Your initial equipment will need to be installed professionally by one of Xfinity’s technicians, but you’ll be able to install add-ons yourself.
In terms of quality, there’s a lot to like about Xfinity’s equipment. One of its best features is a full-color touchscreen control panel that allows you to view camera footage as well as control the system. If you own a large dog, you’ll appreciate Xfinity’s motion sensor, which will ignore moving objects of up to 85 pounds. We also like the system’s cameras, which are capable of differentiating between pets, people, and vehicles.
While the quality of Xfinity’s equipment impressed us, we just wished there was more to choose from. Flood detectors and glass breaks, common equipment with most home security companies, are notably absent from its lineup.
If you’re looking to build a smart home around your security system, you’ll have to be comfortable going outside Xfinity’s equipment offerings to do so, as it offers only a smart thermostat and an outlet controller. And Xfinity does have a long list of compatible smart home partners, including GE, ecobee, Philips, Yale, and Kwikset, to name a few (1).
Unfortunately, Xfinity doesn’t support digital assistants Google Assistant or Apple HomeKit, and it has very limited functionality with Alexa. Alexa will alert you when it senses activity at the front door through the Xfinity doorbell camera, telling you, “there’s someone at the door.” However, you can’t use Alexa to arm or disarm the system. If you bundle your home security with Xfinity’s X1 cable TV service, you can control the system with the Xfinity X1 voice remote and even view camera footage right from your TV.
Xfinity compatibility with voice assistants
Voice assistant | Compatible? |
---|---|
Alexa | Yes |
Google Home | No |
Apple Siri | No |
Bixby | No |
Cortana | No |
Xfinity compatibility with climate control systems
Climate system | Compatible? |
---|---|
Honeywell | No |
Nest | No |
ecobee | Yes |
Wyze | No |
Amazon | No |
Xfinity compatibility with lighting control systems
Lighting system | Compatible? |
---|---|
GE | Yes |
Leviton | Yes |
Philips Hue | Yes |
Enerwave | No |
GoControl | No |
Xfinity compatibility with smart door locks
Smart door lock | Compatible? |
---|---|
Kwikset | Yes |
Yale | Yes |
August | Yes |
Schlage | No |
Level Lock | No |
Xfinity’s pricing puts it smack dab in the middle of DIY security systems on the low end and professionally installed systems on the high end. In short, Xfinity is a great deal for someone who wants the quality that comes with a professionally installed system.
You can get its Base Home System, which includes the touchscreen control panel, three door and window sensors, and a motion detector for around $350. These prices place Xfinity well below other professionally installed security systems, which typically charge between $600 and $700 for a basic package. You’ll pay anywhere from $60 to $99 to install the Xfinity security system, depending on where you live, which is also lower than some professional-installation fees (2).
Base Home System | Complete Home System | Ultimate Home System |
---|---|---|
$360 | $480 | $600 |
$15/mo. for 24 months | $20/mo. for 24 months | $25/mo. for 24 months |
If you’re adding equipment à la carte, you’ll pay about $20 for door and window sensors and $40 for a motion detector. These prices are higher than the $15 per window sensor and $25 per motion detector that DIY systems like Cove and SimpliSafe charge, but are lower than the $35 per sensor and $60 per motion detector professionally installed systems, such as ADT, are asking.
We were pleasantly surprised to find that Xfinity charges just a little more than $100 for its indoor/outdoor camera and doorbell camera—a real bargain compared to the $200 to $250 that nearly every home security company out there charges.
We did the math with Xfinity’s pricing and found that it’s a much better deal to spring for the Complete (around $500) or Ultimate (around $600) packages up front than it is to start with the Base Home System package and build on it by buying individual pieces later.
Xfinity offers two professional monitoring options with its Pro Protection (about $30 per month) and Pro Protection Plus (about $40 per month) plans. You’ll need to go with Plus if you want to access recorded video clips. This pricing puts it above professional monitoring offered by SimpliSafe and Ring, which charge between $20 and $30 for their professional monitoring, and below the $45 to $60 per month ADT and Vivint charge.
We love the fact that Xfinity doesn’t make you sign a contract and gives you the option to pay for the equipment either up front or over 24 months. You also get 30 days to try out the system and receive your money back.
You can get better pricing if you choose to bundle the system with Xfinity’s other services, which include phone, high-speed internet, and cable TV—but bundling may require you to sign a contract.
Given that Xfinity has the look, feel, and functionality of such professionally installed systems as ADT and Vivint, its competitive pricing makes the system an excellent deal, especially if you already subscribe to Xfinity cable or high-speed internet.
While Xfinity will allow you to add devices to the system on your own, one of the company’s technicians must complete the initial installation. For our system, we chose Xfinity’s Base Home package, which includes the touchscreen controller, three door and window sensors, two motion sensors, and a keypad. We added a camera and smart thermostat later on our own.
Since all the equipment uses peel-and-stick mounting and a wireless connection, installation didn’t take long—the tech installed the system in about 45 minutes. While we appreciated the quick install time, the process seemed so easy that it made us wonder why Xfinity doesn’t offer DIY installation, which would have saved us an installation fee.
Following the installation, the technician took the time to show us how to operate the system. We did add an indoor camera later on our own, which we were able to pair with the security system in just a few minutes.
Xfinity gives you multiple ways to access controls, including a touchscreen, keypad, and smartphone app. While this might seem like overkill, having these options was actually convenient. We found ourselves settling into a routine in which we used the keypad to set the system just before going to bed and the app to arm it whenever we left the house.
While our daily routine didn’t involve us using the touchscreen as often as the app or keypad, we could definitely see the value of having it. The panel allows you to view video footage through it, making it a great tool for quickly viewing visitors who come knocking at the door.
There’s a lot to like about the Xfinity app. You can access all the essentials on the app’s main screen, including disarm and arm functions and access to live camera footage.
We also loved the app’s customization options. You can set up rules to automatically turn the alarm on or off when leaving or returning home or set it to play a chime on your smartphone whenever a main entryway opens, a great feature for those with young children.
Adding smart home equipment via the app was also a breeze. We installed an ecobee thermostat and an indoor camera without issue. We also liked the fact that we could set scenes so the thermostat would automatically lower and raise the temperature when we armed and disarmed the system.
While we found Xfinity Home to be easy to use, we did have a few complaints. Setting up push notifications on the app is more complicated than it needs to be. We had a much harder time figuring out how to do it than with other security system apps. And, while we liked the options Xfinity Home offers for controlling the system, we wish Xfinity was more compatible with digital assistants. It currently doesn’t support Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit.
While Xfinity security doesn't offer the most affordable monitoring, it’s cheaper than most professionally installed systems. If you subscribe to the Pro Protection plan, you’ll pay $30 a month for monitoring, which includes smoke detectors and window and door sensors, but you won’t get access to stored video footage.
Upgrade to the Pro Protection Plus plan for $40, and you’ll get access to a week’s worth of recorded video footage for up to six cameras and be able to search video footage by people, vehicles, and pet activity (3).
Xfinity’s monitoring service works similarly to other systems. If something trips a sensor or a smoke detector senses heat or smoke, the system alerts Xfinity’s monitoring station. Xfinity will first try to call you to verify the alarm before alerting emergency services.
If you have Xfinity’s xFi Gateway modem/router, you can choose to self-monitor your video footage for $10 a month. Rather than choosing from one of Xfinity’s three equipment packages, you’ll purchase up to six security cameras. The cameras automatically connect to the xFi Gateway and Xfinity app, allowing you to view footage from your phone (or even your TV!).
While we really like the option to self-monitor and view your footage on your flatscreen, it’s important to understand that it supports only cameras. Unlike other self-monitored security systems, Xfinity’s Self Protection service doesn’t incorporate window and door sensors, environmental detectors, or motion sensors. And in the event of a break-in or a fire, you’ll be responsible for contacting first responders yourself.
Perhaps one of the most frustrating things about Xfinity’s customer service is figuring out how to get in touch with them. We even struggled to find Xfinity’s customer support phone number in its own support articles. Once we found it, we had to go through a significant number of layers on the system’s automated line before getting in touch with a live person.
That said, once in touch with a support representative, they were able to resolve any issues we had with the system fairly quickly.
We did like the fact that Xfinity offers alternatives if you don’t want to wait on hold. This includes a customer support portal with a broad archive of answers to common problems and troubleshooting articles. There’s also a live chat option, which not every home security company offers.
Xfinity Home’s privacy policy is a little more difficult to untangle given that the company offers cable TV, telephone, and high-speed internet services in addition to its security system. We don't like the fact that Xfinity logs video and audio recordings captured by the security system, along with IP addresses and other customer data (4).
Xfinity says it only uses your information internally and won’t share it with third parties. There is always the chance of that data being compromised in the event Xfinity is the victim of a data breach. We should note that Xfinity doesn’t have any data breaches on record.
We do like the fact that Xfinity takes measures to prevent hackers from infiltrating user accounts with stolen usernames and passwords by asking its customer to enroll in two-step verification—but that’s become par for the course for most home security companies.
Make sure to review Xfinity Home’s terms of service before purchasing the system, and consider other questions you need to ask.