“Home” and “Away” are modes you can set in the Xfinity App and are available for customers who have purchased Self Protection and activated sensors, or for customers who have enabled WiFi Motion. Depending on your Home or Away status, you can receive push notifications containing information about motion within your home.
Learn the difference between Home and Away modes and how to customize your notification and device settings to get the notices most important to you.
Note: Home and Away modes are not provided as part of a home security service. They are designed to provide you with information. Whether in Home or Away mode, your home is not professionally monitored and Xfinity is not monitoring motion within your home or the notifications sent to you.
What you’ll need
- Xfinity Internet with WiFi Motion enabled
or - Xfinity Home Self Protection with sensors activated
Note: Xfinity Home Pro Protection customers are not eligible.
Enabling Home and Away modes
The Home and Away settings are available in the Security tab of the Xfinity App for all customers who have WiFi Motion enabled or Xfinity Home Self Protection with activated sensors. The setting is set to Home mode unless you change to Away.
Using Home and Away modes
The Home and Away settings are located in the Security tab of the Xfinity App. You can toggle your status between Home and Away by sliding the white button with the home icon on it. Home and Away modes allow you to tailor the notifications you receive about motion within your home.
You should change your status to Home when you expect motion within your house and do not want to receive notifications each time motion is detected. Away mode is for when you do not expect motion in your home, like when everyone is out of the house. Use Away mode when you want to receive alerts when motion is detected.
Push notifications in Home and Away modes
Whether you have WiFi Motion enabled or Self Protection with activated sensors, we use push notifications to notify you of motion within your home. There are two types of push notifications you may receive from us. We call them either “Alerts” or “Notifications.” As a reminder, whether you have toggled to Home or Away mode, your home is not professionally monitored, and Xfinity is not monitoring motion within your home or the notifications sent to you.
What is an alert?
Alerts are push notifications that you receive when you are in Away Mode and do not expect motion in your home. They are designed to notify you of unexpected behavior. Alerts are on by default in Away Mode and are delivered via iOS or Android push notification. An alert looks like this:
iOS
Android
- For customers with iOS devices, Alerts leverage Apple’s Critical Alert capabilities. Critical Alerts appear on the Lock Screen and play a sound even when Do Not Disturb is on or your iPhone is on silent. For customers with all other types of phones, Alerts come through as standard push notifications.
- Clearing an Alert will switch you from Away Mode to Home Mode, turning off further Alerts until you toggle Away Mode back on. |
What is a notification?
Customers may receive notifications when they are in Home Mode. Notifications are off by default in Home Mode. If turned on, they are delivered via iOS or Android push notification. You can choose to enable notifications when in Home Mode to be notified when motion is detected. A notification looks like this:
iOS
Android
| Away Mode (Alerts) | Home Mode (Notifications sent only if turned on) | |
| WiFi Motion |
|
|
| Self Protection with door and window sensors activated |
|
|
| Self Protection with motion sensors activated |
|
|
Clearing an alert
Clearing an Alert will switch you to Home Mode, turning off further alerts until you decide to turn on Away Mode again.
- If you receive an alert, tap the push notification to be taken to the Security tab.
- Select Clear alert.
- You’ll then be prompted to Clear alerts or Keep alerts on.
- Selecting Clear alerts will switch you to Home mode, which turns off alerts.
- If you want to stay in Away Mode and continue to receive Alerts, select Keep alerts on.
Manage the notifications you receive for Home and Away modes
To manage the push notifications you receive for both Home and Away modes, launch the Xfinity app and select the Security tab, then select the gear icon on the right-hand side of your Mode status.
The types of settings you’ll see on the Mode Settings page will depend on what devices you have.