Comcast joined the Wi-Fi mesh market on Tuesday with the official launch of its xFi Pods. The plug-size devices extend the range of Comcast’s Xfinity broadband Wi-Fi network in your home.
xFi Pods plug in to electrical outlets in your home and pair with the xFi Wireless Gateway and xFi Advanced Wireless Gateway. Once they’re up and running, you should have fewer Wi-Fi dead spots in your home, and your Wi-Fi signal will reach farther, too.
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Comcast showed off xFi Pods at CES in January. They’re designed to monitor themselves and the network to help improve performance without user interaction.
xFi Pods are also part of Xfinity’s bigger strategy to be the one-stop-shop for broadband internet, smart home control, phone, and cable television. Back in January, after seeing Comcast’s plans, I said,
Expanding connected home support seems like a natural move for Xfinity because it’s already the cable and phone service provider for millions of people. The company is already in subscriber’s homes, and an all-in-one solution is appealing to customers.
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The Xfinity xFi Pods are available through Comcast for US$199 for a set of six. A three-pack costs $119.
So Comcast is reselling Plumewifi pods. Interesting. I hope they did not buy plume…