Skip to main content

Comcast Xfinity Home adds new voice commands just in time for the Super Bowl

Xfinity XR15 voice remote
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Comcast signaled its intent to move further into the smart home market earlier this month when it announced at CES 2018 that 15 million customers currently leasing an Xfinity gateway would soon receive a firmware update to turn it into a smart hub. Now, with the Super Bowl just around the corner, the company has added new voice commands to its recently redesigned X1 voice remote to make your viewing experience during the big game an even better one.

The new features aren’t exactly specific to the Super Bowl, but Comcast couldn’t have picked a better time to roll them out. One of the simpler new commands lets fans adjust their lights based on which team they’re rooting for: “Xfinity Home, make lights green” for Philadelphia Eagles fans, or “Xfinity Home, make lights blue” for New England Patriots fans.

Another new feature lets you keep an eye out for the pizza guy without ever needing to take your eyes off the game. Saying “Xfinity Home, show me front door camera” will cause a view from your camera to pop up on your screen, meaning you’ll only have to get up from the couch when it’s actually time to grab the pizza.

You can now ask questions like “Xfinity Home, what is the temperature?” via the X1 remote as well. Another example would come after everyone goes home for the night, and you want to check the alarm. All you need to do is ask “Xfinity Home, is the alarm on?” Answers to this and any other of the supported questions will be immediately displayed on your TV.

So far, six companies have partnered with Comcast via the X1 voice commands database. As mentioned earlier, Philips Hue lights are supported, as are Caseta/Lutron lights, the Sengled Element Touch light bulb, and GE in-wall and plug-in switches and dimmers. Nest and Zen thermostats are also supported. Comcast plans to add more commands and hardware partners moving forward.

If this interests you, but you’re not a Comcast customer, be sure to check out our guide to Comcast Xfinity TV to find out everything the service has to offer.

Editors' Recommendations

Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
Comcast clarifies its free Xfinity Flex offer for internet-only customers
comcast xfinity flex free for internet only customers corporate live parallax final

In September, Comcast announced that it would be making its Xfinity Flex TV streaming box free for all of its internet-only customers. However, it turns out that not all internet-only customers will be getting the free offer -- at least not right away.

If you rent your cable modem/router from Comcast, you get the Xfinity Flex for free, instead of needing to pay the usual $5 per month rental, and that offer was effective when the deal was announced. But Comcast failed to mention that the offer wasn't quite ready for all of its customers, which led to a somewhat scathing report by The Verge claiming that the offer had disguised a hidden $13 per month fee (the amount of the modem/router rental).

Read more
New Comcast feature limits the amount of time kids spend on the internet
Comcast xFi for home devices

Screen time is a pretty serious thing to manage for adults who are addicted to social networks, constant communication, and Candy Crush — so imagine how it is being a kid in the internet age. When I was young, you were just happy if all the volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica were at the library. Now imagine being a smart young person who has literally never lived in an age without smartphones and has access to nearly all the information the world has to offer.

It’s a worrying issue for a lot of parents but Comcast is trying to help with a new parental control feature that can set a time limit on how long kids (or anyone else, for that matter) can be online.

Read more
You have until June 9 to save $500 off an 85-inch Samsung The Frame TV
A painting being displayed on a Samsung The Frame QLED.

Looking for great TV deals? You still have time to save $500 on the Samsung 85-inch The Frame QLED TV when you head over to Samsung. It usually costs $4,300, but right now the popular and stylish TV is down to $3,800, making it more affordable than before. If you’re keen to invest in a large TV but love to save money too, this is a good opportunity. Here’s what you need to know about the TV before you decide to buy.

Why you should buy the Samsung 85-inch The Frame QLED TV
One of the best QLED TVs around, the Samsung 85-inch The Frame QLED TV is a delight in so many ways. At its core, it’s a fantastic QLED TV with 100% Color Volume with Quantum Dot technology saturating the screen with a billion colors. QLED adds a layer of quantum dots to a TV’s LED backlight with these dots, once exposed to light, emitting their own light with a high level of efficiency to provide great picture quality.

Read more