Comcast's Xfinity Wi-Fi service will allow more customers to browse the Internet on their mobile devices while out of the house, the company announced Thursday.
According to USA Today, the addition to the tech giant's home phone, internet, and television system uses neighborhood hotspots as a central access point. This allows consumers to stay connected to the web wherever they go if they are within range of the router's signal.
The company first initiated the service with 1,000 customers in New Jersey in 2014. 100,000 people then opted for the service in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Northern Virginia, and Washington D.C. According to The Chicago Tribune, the windy city received the technology in March.
Comcast's senior vice president of business development told USA Today, the advancement is crucial to the company's business plan.
"Wi-Fi is an important part of our strategy to be the place where customers connect all devices, anywhere and at any time," Tom Nagel said in a statement.
Comcast home cable service customers can use the service at no cost. Non-subscribers have an hour time limit twice a month.
Comcast, Cablevision, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Bright House Networks created CableWifi in May 2013, as a way to give consumers Wi-Fi internet access externally. These Wi-Fi access points include 150,000 hotspots the CableWiFi Alliance runs, up from 2013's 50,000. This does not include Comcast's neighborhood hotspots operation, which it does not run.
According to a press release, Xfinity also protects residents living in apartments, especially those in Florida. The home automation system allows users to monitor their homes, families, and pets no matter where they are. The home control component also keeps energy costs low.
Comcast implemented Wi-Fi in locations with lots of pedestrians, including parks and train stations, in 2011. The service came to retail stores eight months ago.
