- Xfinity, a Comcast brand, has introduced a new feature nicknamed Wi-Fi motion
- It allows an Xfinity router and up to three devices connected to Wi-Fi Create a motion detection system
- The functionality is not available for everyone, but some users already have potential confidentiality problems
Having a router who doubles a motion detector was not on our bingo card for 2025, and yet we are there. XFINITY by Comcast introduced Wi -Fi movement, a feature that allows you to transform your printer, your intelligent refrigerator or your TV – among others – into a motion detector. But is it really a good thing?
Since we are constantly connected to the Internet these days, many of us assume that our devices have a kind of knowledge basis on our daily lives and habits.
We have some of Best smart watches Followed by our sleep, training sessions and our heart rate. As another example, Reminder of MicrosoftNow in the overview, will pass our files to make our lives easier. Meanwhile, AI assistants can already read our emails and summarize them for us. Confidentiality is a commodity that we lack at a quick pace.
In a world like this, having for free movement detection characteristics in our house, does not sound so bad. But some users are concerned about the potential drawbacks of Xfinity Wi -Fi movement – here is what you need to know.
How does Xfinity Wi-Fi movement work?
As Xfinity describes, Wi-Fi Motion connects your compatible XFINITY bridge (i.e. XB8 or Technicolor XB7 CGM4981com) to three eligible devices, still on fixing. So think of things like printers or intelligent refrigerators, rather than smartphones and tablets. The functionality is in early access and is only available to select customers at the moment.
The functionality is deactivated by default, but once activated, it transforms your router and these three devices into a motion detection system. This creates an area in the form of an oval of Wi-Fi coverage, and anything that disturbs these signals can be detected as a movement. It should be noted that the cover extends from the router and to each device separately, and that the devices themselves do not provide movement detection between them.
Let’s say that this network of Wi -Fi signals detects the movement – what then? Xfinity allows you to modify what is going on, but the long story is that you will get a notification (see below), indicating that the movement has been detected. This technology works in various parts and floors, but it cannot determine where the movement took place, and it will simply tell you which device has spotted it.
You can choose the type of movement you will be notified. For example, it is possible to ignore pets of less than 40 pounds, saving you unnecessary pings each time your dog crosses the room.
However, as indicated by CybernessXfinity cannot always make the difference between a large pet and a small child. You can choose different levels of sensitivity to minimize notifications, and you can also configure alerts so as not to leave only during certain periods of the day.
On paper, it seems treated – an additional security system for your home at no additional cost. However, some users are also concerned about confidentiality.
Why are some users concerned about confidentiality?
Being followed constantly in your own house could make you uncomfortable, so for those of you who find this little frightening idea, you are not alone. But these confidentiality problems, periodically shared by users since the Wi-Fi movement was announced for the first time, arises largely from the own description of the functionality of Xfinity.
Although Comcast notes that Wi-Fi motion “is not a home security service and is not monitored by professionals,” the company will generate and still store data related to movement detection in your home. Comcast can also freely, without informing you first, share this data with third parties if they are requested within the framework of an investigation, procedure or an order of the court or a summons.
This implies that Comcast could tell the police if you were at home at some point, and some users of the News News Forums Were not huge fans of that. However, others point out that your ISP already has this type of information through the use of the Internet and telephone pings, even when not used.
Beyond the sharing of data with third parties, movement detection could open the door to a brand new multitude of threats of cybersecurity. If the data falls into bad hands, a lot of sensitive information could potentially escape, including the data on the moment you are at home and when you are not.
The impact of Wi-Fi movement is not clear at the moment. If you are an Xfinity user, you can just skip the functionality and easily avoid potential risks.
However, this new feature, although certainly innovative, invites a more important debate on privacy, when it is sufficient exactly, and how many data we are ready to share with third parties. This will certainly leave some people who have trouble choosing between additional home security and abandoning a little more privacy, so we are interested in seeing how it develops from here.