Comcast is beginning to give its Xfinity Internet customers an additional “xfinitywifi” SSID in-home that is completely separate and distinct from the family’s private and secure home WiFi signal. The move, in effect, creates millions of hotspots for Comcast customers, available all over the country for no additional cost.
The connectivity is offered at no additional cost to Xfinity Internet residential customers. Comcast’s newest Wireless Gateway broadcasts two discrete WiFi signals. By default, one is securely configured for the private use of the home subscriber. The other creates an extension of the Xfinity WiFi network and will allow visiting Xfinity Internet subscribers to sign in and connect using their own usernames and passwords.
Comcast started a neighborhood hotspot trial last year in parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Northern Virginia and the Greater Washington, DC metro area. Currently, more than 100,000 Xfinity Internet subscribers already regularly use these WiFi access points being offered by other subscribers.
