The Xfinity Gateway might look like a router, and it certainly functions like one. But the capabilities of this device go beyond delivering best-in-class internet service.
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The router that’s more than the sum of its parts
Xfinity Shield and the future of home protection
It’s true that the Gateway has state-of-the-art technology making the home WiFi experience better – especially with its state-of-the-art approach to latency. But the Xfinity Gateway goes beyond what someone might typically think of as a router – if they think of their router at all. That’s because it comes with a new collection of opt-in home security features under the Xfinity Shield umbrella, offering both digital and physical protection.
For digital protection, CyberSecure detects malicious traffic that might be coming in from outside to any device connected to the home WiFi network. That’s a step beyond a traditional firewall, which keep traffic out. But firewalls don’t protect against doors that internet users open themselves, which is where CyberSecure comes in. Increasingly, internet users need to leave those doors (or “ports,” technically) open in their internet usage. CyberSecure essentially functions like a bouncer at that open door: it stops suspicious traffic, then sends an alert to the Xfinity app where a customer can override the block if they choose. All of this happens in real time, across every device connected to the network.
Physical protection is a much more novel idea when it comes to the capabilities of a router. That’s what the Xfinity Gateway is offering, though, with a new opt-in technology dubbed “WiFi Motion.” In essence, it’s a state-of-the-art motion detector – but it doesn’t use cameras or capture images or recordings; it’s a router, after all. WiFi Motion uses disruptions to WiFi waves to detect meaningful motion. So your cat won’t set it off, but you can program it to detect motion in certain parts of your home, during set time windows, and choose the type of alerts you want to get. It’s putting the waves that are already there – the ones making the internet service great – to work delivering a new type of protection that users can opt into.
If it sounds like sci-fi, well, it’s a lot of science, and certainly not fiction. Xfinity Shield is challenging the idea of what a router is by building on the technology already at play. Watch the video to learn more.