Comcast adds new voice-controlled lighting devices to its Xfinity Home smart home system

Voice control is one of the most exciting new developments on the smart-home front. On Thursday, Comcast announced that it has added new voice commands to its Xfinity Home service--and subscribers won't need an Amazon Echo or Google Home digital assistant to use them. If you have an Xfinity Home system and any of Jasco's GE-branded in-wall smart light switches and plugs or Sengled's Element Touch smart bulbs, you can now hold down the mic button on the Xfinity remote and speak a command to turn your lights on and off. In-wall lighting controls deliver the most elegant smart-home experience, and they're the only way to go if your lighting is mostly in the ceiling. Smart plugs, on the other hand, are much easier to deploy if just need to control a lamp (or a small appliance) and you're not comfortable dealing with electrical wiring.