• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Electrical Engineering News and Products

Electronics Engineering Resources, Articles, Forums, Tear Down Videos and Technical Electronics How-To's

  • Products / Components
    • Analog ICs
    • Battery Power
    • Connectors
    • Microcontrollers
    • Power Electronics
    • Sensors
    • Test and Measurement
    • Wire / Cable
  • Applications
    • 5G
    • Automotive/Transportation
    • EV Engineering
    • Industrial
    • IoT
    • Medical
    • Telecommunications
    • Wearables
    • Wireless
  • Learn
    • eBooks / Handbooks
    • EE Training Days
    • Tutorials
    • Learning Center
    • Tech Toolboxes
    • Webinars & Digital Events
  • Resources
    • White Papers
    • Educational Assets
    • Design Guide Library
    • Digital Issues
    • Engineering Diversity & Inclusion
    • LEAP Awards
    • Podcasts
    • DesignFast
  • Videos
    • EE Videos and Interviews
    • Teardown Videos
  • EE Forums
    • EDABoard.com
    • Electro-Tech-Online.com
  • Bill’s Blogs
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Home automation: Comcast to add Technicolor touchscreen

April 9, 2012 By Mike Robuck

Xfinity HomeWhile Comcast has opened the floodgates on its Xfinity Home service, with plans to have it launched in virtually every system by year’s end, it will also start using a second touchscreen from Technicolor later this year.

The current touchscreen for Xfinity Home is by SMC Networks. The touchscreens are the “brains” of the home automation system that Comcast first rolled out in Houston two years ago. The SMC Networks touchscreen, which has a 7-inch screen, features a menu of widgets that allow access to the latest weather, news, traffic and sports scores. The current touchscreen also has a 24-hour battery, a UL listed siren and a backup cellular module.

While a traditional security system’s brains reside in a metal box somewhere in the home, the wireless touchscreen, which uses Wi-Fi connectivity for the cameras and ZigBee for everything else, is the point of control for Xfinity Home users. Separate from the touchscreen is a key fob that allows Xfinity Home users to arm or disarm the system remotely.

In addition to home automation software from iControl, Comcast is using cameras from Sercomm and lighting modules from Centralite to provision Xfinity Home.

Comcast also recently announced a partnership with EcoFactor, which could open up a new arena of home automation features and services, such as energy modeling to save on heating and cooling and disaggregation, which allows homeowners to see how their systems are performing by item or system.

Mitch Bowling, senior vice president and general manager of new businesses for Comcast Cable, said Comcast is in the design phase right now with EcoFactor, but “we’re working on some other packages.” Since customers’ needs and home floor plans differ, Bowling said Comcast’s goal was to make Xfinity Home as customizable as possible.

The base price for Xfinity Home starts at $39.95 a month plus an installation fee. From there, a la carte options, such as an additional security camera for $5, can be added.

Comcast already added an indoor/outdoor camera with night vision to Xfinity Home, while a carbon monoxide sensor, a water/flood sensor for a basement or washroom, and in-wall lighting switches that can be remotely controlled with Comcast’s Xfinity Home app will be coming soon.

Home automation specs
In addition to Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon and AT&T have all deployed some form of home automation services. Aside from service providers, traditional home security vendors, retailers and utilities are also competing for customers’ dollars with their home automation offerings. According to Parks Associates, annual subscription revenues from the various system offerings will be more than $180 million by 2015.

Currently, there are no CableLabs specifications for home automation, but a spokeswoman for CableLabs said it was working with its members on different aspects of the connected home, but CableLabs wasn’t ready to talk about the details of what may be published as specifications or best practice documents.

“Today, everything is pretty self-contained because it’s early on, but to grow the industry, we want to make sure there is an open spec that allows vendors to come in and easily integrate versus custom integration, so we’re working with CableLabs on an open spec,” Bowling said. “The work with CableLabs, that effort is more for the future and how we expand. To get this product out the door, the fastest way to get there was to create a very defined spec early on, and that’s what we did with iControl and our hardware vendors, so that ecosystem exists today.”

You Might Also Like

Filed Under: Networking, Telecommunications

Primary Sidebar

EE Engineering Training Days

engineering

Featured Contributions

zonal architecture

Addressing zonal architecture challenges in the automotive industry

zonal architecture

Addressing zonal architecture challenges in the automotive industry

A2L refrigerants drive thermal drift concerns in HVAC systems

Why outdoor charging demands specialized battery connectors

How Li-ion batteries are powering the shift in off-highway equipment

More Featured Contributions

EE Tech Toolbox

“ee
Tech Toolbox: 5G Technology
This Tech Toolbox covers the basics of 5G technology plus a story about how engineers designed and built a prototype DSL router mostly from old cellphone parts. Download this first 5G/wired/wireless communications Tech Toolbox to learn more!

EE Learning Center

EE Learning Center
“ee
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, tools and strategies for EE professionals.
“bills
contribute

R&D World Podcasts

R&D 100 Episode 10
See More >

Sponsored Content

Designing for Serviceability: The Role of Interconnects in HVAC Maintenance

From Control Boards to Comfort: How Signal Integrity Drives HVAC Innovation

Built to Withstand: Sealing and Thermal Protection in HVAC Sub-Systems

Revolutionizing Manufacturing with Smart Factories

Smarter HVAC Starts at the Sub-System Level

Empowering aerospace E/E design and innovation through Siemens Xcelerator and Capital in the Cloud

More Sponsored Content >>

RSS Current EDABoard.com discussions

  • Finding past posts on edaboard?
  • I think i have devised a new type of "super_transformer" for the Electricity grid?
  • Industrial Relay Board Design for Motorcycle Use
  • sequence detector FSM design
  • Need suggestions in task NI6363 retrigger (analog trigger)

RSS Current Electro-Tech-Online.com Discussions

  • Sump pit water alarm - Kicad 9
  • Pic18f25q10 osccon1 settings swordfish basic
  • Anyone jumped from Easyeda std to Easyeda pro?
  • turbo jet fan - feedback appreciated.
  • More fun with ws2812 this time XC8 and CLC
Search Millions of Parts from Thousands of Suppliers.

Search Now!
design fast globle

Footer

EE World Online

EE WORLD ONLINE NETWORK

  • 5G Technology World
  • Analog IC Tips
  • Battery Power Tips
  • Connector Tips
  • DesignFast
  • EDABoard Forums
  • Electro-Tech-Online Forums
  • Engineer's Garage
  • EV Engineering
  • Microcontroller Tips
  • Power Electronic Tips
  • Sensor Tips
  • Test and Measurement Tips

EE WORLD ONLINE

  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Teardown Videos
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
  • About Us

Copyright © 2025 · WTWH Media LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media.

Privacy Policy