Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) has locked in an integral element in its Xfinity Home platform by adding the Kwikset SmartCode 914 touchpad electronic deadbolt to its features list. Xfinity Home customers outfitted with the deadbolt--suggested retail price $219.99--will be able to lock and unlock their doors remotely via the Xfinity Home app or an Internet connected smartphone, tablet or computer.
In a blog post on the Comcast site, Daniel Herscovici, senior vice president and general manager of Xfinity Home hailed the consumer benefits of the new deadbolt application.
"Now our customers can get in and out of their house without carrying keys. They're also great for those rare (or not so rare) times when you leave your keys at the office or lock yourself out of the house," Herscovici wrote. "And you can also use the app for remote locking and unlocking, to let relatives, neighbors, friends, or the dog-walker into the house when you're not there. The best part is, if you don't have your phone on or its battery is dead, you can use the Kwikset's 11-button keypad to let yourself in (the keypad is backlit, so you can even use it at night)."
The deadbolt is the latest piece in an expanding Xfinity Home service, Herscovici added.
"Our customers can control their home thermostat, lights, security system, and more. Indoor and outdoor cameras let homeowners check in on their pet during the day or watch the front door to see if a package has been delivered. And between the Xfinity Home app for your mobile devices, the app for the X1 platform, and the Xfinity Home portal inside your house, you can manage settings from almost anywhere," he concluded.
For more:
- read this Comcast blog post
- and this Kwikset press release
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