Comcast announced Thursday that it is partnering with Tile to integrate the vendor’s Bluetooth device tracking solution into its Xfinity Home and X1 portfolio of services.
Tile trackers can be attached to items including car keys, purses and smartphones, just to name a few commonly misplaced pieces of contraband. With the integration, a Comcast subscriber can say, “Xfinity Home, where are my keys,” and the last-known location of the missing item will show up on a map on their TV screen.
“This is a home automation partnership that helps solve real-life problems,” said Sri Solur, senior VP of Comcast Cable, in a statement. “Now, when a child arrives home from school, a parent can simply say, ‘Xfinity Home where’s Sam’s backpack?’ into their voice remote and see that it was left at school. This is just one of the many peace of mind features we are making available to our customers on our evolving home automation platform.”
In its announcement, Comcast quoted a survey conducted by home insurance provider Esure, which said the average person spends more than 60 hours a year looking for misplaced items.
“Tile is creating a world where everyone can find everything that matters,” added Mike Farley, CEO and co-founder of Tile. “With the smart home being central to so many consumers’ lives, we are thrilled to be partnering with Comcast. Together, we are bringing greater peace of mind to Xfinity customers in their home, providing a streamlined experience for them to quickly locate their things no matter where they are.”
In January, Comcast announced a major availability expansion of its home automation services, enabling nearly 15 million users of its xFi Gateway and xFi Advanced Gateway to use the controls at no additional cost.
Meanwhile, after quietly buying IoT startup Stringify last September, Comcast has announced two weeks ago that a new Stringify app that will expand the home automation service's presence across Xfinity product lines.
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The upgraded app will allow Comcast’s X1 and xFi customers to display notifications on their TV screens, automatically change channels and even pause and unpause devices on their home networks.
In addition, these users can control Lutron Caseta dimmers and switches, Serenaa shades and Carrier Cor Wi-Fi thermostats.