In 2018, an estimated 23 billion connected devices around the world will be connected to the internet. To put that in perspective, that’s 127 new devices coming online every second, and many of them will be in the home. As consumers start adding multiples of the same device to their home WiFi network – like speakers, cameras, thermostats, smartphones and laptops – it’s no surprise that the process of naming, managing, and personalizing these things could be really frustrating.

To address this emerging issue, today we’re announcing a new Xfinity xFi feature that automatically imports the names given to devices as they are connected to a customer’s home WiFi network. For example, rather than listing the device on xFi with its unfriendly 12 character MAC address, an xFi user will now see the personalized name given to that address during set up, like “Sonos Kitchen” or “Eric’s iPad.” 

From there, Xfinity customers can more easily assign devices to an xFi owner or profile. For newly connected devices, we will also detect and import the brand, type, and operating system of that device directly into xFi. Doing so makes it even easier to identify and personalize things. So, when it’s time to pause your son’s iPad during dinnertime you’ll know you’re pausing the right one. You can also use many of xFi’s other control features to more easily set up a bedtime rule during school nights, monitor how much time is being spent gaming during the weekend, or quickly connect Grandma’s smart phone if she has trouble connecting to WiFi during visits.

Today, xFi is available to more than 15 million Xfinity customers, and our engineers are constantly rolling out new features to give our customers the best in-home WiFi experience. Stay tuned for more updates.