PA_WOODCHUCK's profile

Contributor

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41 Messages

Friday, September 16th, 2022 2:48 PM

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Home security shopping advice

I tried a DIY wireless system but camera couldn't hold vedio link from as little as 25ft away from recorder. Had 3 cameras mounted on home outside wall. That said... how well does xfinity system cameras work as I presume they are wireless? Please educate me the good/bad?

thanks

Official Employee

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494 Messages

1 year ago

Hi PA_WOODCHUCK -

I'm an Xfinity employee and am clearly biased.  I love our Xfinity Home product - I have had it since 2015 and have had reliable service ever since!  I figured I would chime in with some info that might be helpful/relevant:

The cameras we currently sell (xCam2's) are wireless, but do require a wire to be connected to a power outlet inside the home.  Reliability is extremely important for us - so we built the WiFi antenna into the Camera's power adapter.  This helps in many configurations because it brings the broadcasting of the signal into the home, where the WiFi connection is generally stronger (i.e. signal doesn't have to first travel through outside walls) and not as impacted by interference that may be outside.

In addition, if you have our xFi Gateway (which is required for Self-Protection and recommended for Pro Protection and Pro Protection Plus) and are mounting a camera in an area with a weaker WiFi signal (such as on the other side of a larger house from where the Gateway is positioned), you can use an xFi Pod.  Our xFi pods, Gateways and Cameras were designed to work together to ensure a stable connection.

I hope that helps!

Contributor

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41 Messages

1 year ago

Thanks for reply, that said 3 camera will be mounted outside home and run through window for AC power. The 4th will be mounted under deck and has outside weather resistant outlet. I may be able to extend power lead depending on AC supply cable is made up? Is it just 2 wire (+ &-) or 3rd wire as antenna? I'm currently using the ARRIS surfboard SVG2482AC, does that meet the requirements? does the system record video to view or download later to ID a person if needed? BTW we also have phone through the ARRIS, And TV service!

thanks

(edited)

Official Employee

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494 Messages

@PA_WOODCHUCK​  Good questions! 

Placing the power adapter inside a weather-resistant outlet isn't generally recommended, as it could degrade the WiFi signal (especially if the casing of the weather-resistant box is metal) - but every setup is unique, and you might find that it works just fine for you.

The cable running between the camera and the power adapter is a custom PoE (Power over Ethernet) cable, which wasn't designed to be extended by our customers.  Xfinity Home technicians have special couplers that are used to extend the cable when needed.  

The Arris SVG2482AC would meet the requirements if you're thinking of getting Xfinity Home Pro Protection or Pro Protection Plus.  With these services, the Xfinity Home Touchscreen can be paired with both customer-owned Gateways/Routers and leased xFi Gateways.  The Touchscreen has firmware that would help to facilitate the secure connection between your cameras, the Gateway, and and our back-end systems.

If you are interested in Self-Protection, you would need to replace the Arris SVG2482AC with a leased xFi Gateway from us, as Self-Protection is not designed to work with customer-owned Gateways or Routers.  In this setup, the xFi Gateway's firmware would facilitate the secure communication.

Both Self Protection and Pro Protection Plus offer the ability to review 7 days of video in the cloud through the Xfinity app, which offers filters to identify People, Vehicles, Pets and Deliveries (if you have the Xfinity Video Doorbell).  You can download ~ 2 minute clips to save them beyond the 7 day window, and send them to folks via e-mail, etc.  And, since you're an Xfinity TV subscriber, you would be able to view your cameras right on your X1 TV Boxes.

A nice overview of our packages is available here: https://www.xfinity.com/learn/home-security

By the way - at the risk of sounding like a sales person (which I'm most definitely not - just love our stuff!)... if you were thinking of switching to a leased xFi Gateway (there's an additional cost - but it may be worth it), it would also handle your phone connection, plus you would see additional benefits... such as the ability to use xFi Advanced Security - which would help to protect all of the devices on your network.  Leasing would also allow you to switch to newer Gateway models as technology improves (or get a replacement  at no additional cost if it were to ever fail, instead of needing to purchase a new device yourself).

Let us know if you have more questions! 

I am an Official Xfinity Employee.
Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.
Was your question answered? Please, mark a reply as the Accepted Answer.tick

Problem Solver

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519 Messages

Great question. All requirements can be found by clickingTurn 24/7 Video Recording On or Off - Xfinity Support. I hope this helps. Let me know if you are able to access the link. @PA_WOODCHUCK

I no longer work for Comcast.

Contributor

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41 Messages

I been away for a few weeks and need to look at above info. That said does the camera have "night vision" and auto recording when something is detected? also where is video recorded to? Nure sure yet but may opt for self-monitoring?

thanks

Official Employee

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494 Messages

@PA_WOODCHUCK  Yes - our cameras have Night Vision that kicks in automatically when it gets dark. With 24/7 Video Recording, the cameras are always recording (unless you turn recording off), and you can easily jump to various clips where motion was detected (and filter clips by People, Vehicles, or Pets).

The video is recorded to our cloud servers, and you can download clips to your device if you wish to save footage for longer than 7 days. 

Self-Monitoring automatically comes with 24/7 Video Recording.

I am an Official Xfinity Employee.
Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.
Was your question answered? Please, mark a reply as the Accepted Answer.tick
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