Recently, I was invited to my first mommy blogger event by Kristin of Misadventures in Mommyhood. She was hosting an evening with Comcast Greater Boston to introduce us to a variety of new Xfinity features.
I admittedly went to meet other mom bloggers in the area and for the goodie bag which included a nest thermostat. I have been a Comcast user for as long as I’ve used email so what was there to learn?
A lot, apparently.
X1 is the new platform. You know you have it if you can see what programs are “trending” on twitter as a guide option or you can scroll through On Demand while still watching Live TV. I didn’t realize I had X1 already.
I swore allegiance to Comcast back when I was scarred by insufficient wifi 5 years ago. They literally are the only internet provider in Boston with service fast enough for a YouTuber.
The highlight for the moms was the new KIDSZONE. I watch TV with Tommy a couple of times a week when I need to distract him or I need a break. KIDSZONE is a safe and secure place for kids to independently explore their favorite content and discover new programming. I had been using it thinking it was a great way to find age appropriate shows for T!
Parents can filter programs by age, categories (like princess or talking animals, lol) check ratings by CommonSense Media, set a timer for when the TV shuts off and more. Since all programs are offered free on demand in KIDSZONE, parents can just hand over the remote. You can enter a passcode to exit to regular TV, too. We aren’t there yet, but I thought this feature was great for my nephews who run wild on YouTube.
Next, we were shown Xfinity Home, Comcast’s home security. When we moved last year, our unit was set up with another security company. They wanted to charge us over $500 to reinstate service and charge over $100 a month. Xfinity Home has a promotion going on right now that gives you 3 door sensors and security camera for free and just $19.95 a month until the end of September. It proved 24/7 monitoring, ability to control lights and thermostat remotely and my favorite, allows you to see what’s going on at home while you are away! You can monitor your dog walker or even babysitter…
With a child now, security is something I want and this is a much more affordable option for us!
Lastly, we were given a little round up on the Xfinity apps.
I didn’t realize that if you are a Comcast subscriber, you can watch live TV anywhere from your phone!
You can even download a show and watch it later so that you don’t have to stream it. The Xfinity TV app makes all this possible and a savior for parents with children who love to scream in the car.
There were more features we learned about but these were the ones that I thought were really cool and didn’t know about.
I got my NEST thermostat on the way out (which works with Xfinity Home) and also picked up a new voice recognition remote. If you are already a subscriber, they are free so call to get one! You won’t have to look up a channel again, just tell the remote you want to watch Homeland!
After the event, we headed over to Kirkland Tap & Trotter where we shared mommy stories including pregnancy, labor and delivery… Fun things to chat about over food! It was refreshing to not have to talk about fitness to be honest. But don’t worry, I woke up the next morning and took Tommy to spin class.
Got a favorite hidden feature I didn’t mention? Leave it down below. My favorite however might be the Xfinity hot spots all over town. Makes working not so bad if Tommy falls asleep at the park and I can pick one up on my laptop!
I partnered with Comcast Greater Boston on this post. Opinions are all my own. I was not compensated to write this post but I did get my fun swag bag.
All I can say is that the xfinity app is what got me through all my middle of the night feedings with my newborn! Literally a life saver for me!
I guess I have the new xfinity, who knew! but that’s exciting. With a 3 month old kids zone is a little early but I’m siked to explore it so when she is old enough to have some tv time we can control the content she’s watching.
Also, that’s so fun you got to go meet up with a bunch of mommy bloggers. It’s really nice to talk to people going through similar experiences and stages in life.
Apparently I too have X1! I had no idea, either. 🙂 That is really cool about the kids zone. My 3month old is starting to stare at the tv while we are watching at night so I know we will need to utilize the kids zone when she gets a little older!
Also, that must of been fun hanging out with a bunch of other moms. It’s so nice to talk to people who are going through similar experiences.