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.
