Xfinity Home passes 1 million customer mark

PHILADELPHIA—Xfinity Home, the total home security and automation solution from Comcast based here, passed the 1 million customer mark in July, while Comcast was recently awarded with the 2017 North America Company of the Year Award from Frost & Sullivan based on its recent analysis of the home automation and security services market.

Comcast has acquired an average of 200,000 Xfinity Home customers per year since its inception, and an average run-rate of 22,000 new installs per month, according to Daniel Herscovici, SVP and general manager, Xfinity Home.

“We knew that there was an opportunity in this space to offer a unique value proposition, not only bringing to market a connected security system—one that is not only accessible via mobile or touch screen or through the web—but also a system that offers unique experiences because it is integrated with other solutions that you have in the home,” Herscovici told Security Systems News. He noted that the Xfinity Home X1 cloud DVR set-top box, for example, allows users to control and interact with their system through their TV and voice remote.

“We have 10 million voice remotes in the market and adding 700,000 to 800,000 per month,” he said. “Many consumers are taking advantage of the voice control to interact with their home security system and the automation capabilities that the home security system provides.”

Interestingly, a majority—more than 50 percent—of Xfinity Home's one million home security customers are “new to the category,” Herscovici noted, which is defined as someone who did not have home security before. “We are pulling in people who perhaps didn't have security so we are really growing the market overall,” he said.

What about traditional security dealers who may feel threatened by such a big new player in the space? “If you are innovating and offering the latest technology, I think we are creating massive awareness amongst the consumer base,” he said. “The fact that we are talking about the benefits of connected security and the value of having next-gen security systems creates value for everyone in the market, and as you know, a rising tide lifts all boats.”

Comcast is also benefitting from the acquisition of Icontrol in March. “We are excited to leverage that software solution and bring on the talented employees that built it, as well as seamlessly integrate them across Comcast and reinforce our position in the home security and automation space,” said Herscovici. “We also saw Austin as a great place to create a center of excellence in IoT and the digital home and we wanted to build upon the strong engineering team of 85-plus people that is there.”

He continued, “We also feel that we can play a major role as a platform provider in the home security space globally. Our intention is to grow that offering and make that platform available to dealers, or other people interested in entering the home security space, similar to the likes of Alarm.com or Honeywell, which are offering a software platform, an app, to allow dealers to manage their business.”

Moving forward, Herscovici said the million-customer milestone and the company of the year award recognize Comcast “as a mover in the space, as an innovator in the space. It has been a great run and we don't see our growth slowing down.”