Comcast today announced that it will be extending its network-monitoring service to all its Internet customers for free.
Comcast Advanced Security, which the company launched last January, uses machine learning to look at Wi-Fi activity, and block any suspicious traffic. At the time of its release, Advanced Security was a $5.99 upgrade, but now Comcast is making it free for all its Xfi Internet customers.
The one catch: You have to use an Xfinity gateway, such as the Xfi Gateway (which costs $14 per month), or its just-announced Xfi Advanced Gateway, a Wi-Fi 6-certified device that will be available later this year.
Advanced Security will be available immediately for new Xfi customers, and will roll out to Comcast's existing customers over the following weeks.
In addition to blocking suspect traffic, Advanced Security also provides customers a daily log of what actions it took; blocking visits to potential phishing sites; blocking remote access to smart home devices from suspicious sources; and sending customers an alert when a smart home device is behaving unusually, such as sending data to a strange site.
So, while you won't be able to use this service with your own cable modem, it's nice to see that Comcast is now offering what was a paid service for free.
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