In This Post: An Xfinity self-install review and video of setting up our xFi Gateway for Comcast’s gigabit internet and the X1 TV box. It was seriously so easy!
**This post is sponsored by Xfinity. Thank you for considering supporting the businesses that help me keep my business alive. All opinions are my own.**
Xfinity Self-Install Review
Setting up an Xfinity self-install kit might not sound like the most romantic thing to do the day after your wedding, but it had to be done! We had already survived two weeks in our new house without cable or internet and that was long enough. After a brief conversation with a sales associate at the Xfinity store, we went home with everything we needed to set things up ourselves.
Thankfully, working through each Getting Started kit was super simple and didn’t bring down the celebratory feeling of the weekend one bit. We filmed a video of the process to demonstrate just how easy this was, and I’ve written out an overview of the steps below, too!
Is Xfinity self-install easy?
I don’t really trust myself when it comes to setting up technology (as it never seems to go very smoothly for me). So, I would have leaned toward having a technician come to our home if it wasn’t for the pandemic and my tech-savvy husband, Shaun. However, please believe me when I tell you that would have been completely unnecessary as I could have done this all on my own.
Here’s what Shaun had to say on our experience:
“I definitely consider myself a DIYer; I like to try and figure things out on my own. With that being said, I was a bit skeptical about how easy this self-install kit would actually be. It turns out it was 1000 times easier than I could’ve ever imagined. Literally anyone can do this. The app and the instructions walk you through every step, and you don’t even have to do anything for several of the steps because the system does it itself. Even if the pandemic wasn’t a concern, I would recommend this to anyone. It’s that easy!”
To be transparent, Comcast can only offer self-installation in certain locations at certain properties, so be sure to check before you decide completely on this route. I ran into a store before we moved and asked about our eligibility, which they were able to check immediately and it literally just took 2 minutes. I imagine that you can do this over the phone, too!
Luckily, we were able to do the Xfinity internet self-install kit for our 1 gigabit xFi Gateway as well as for the X1 cable box. Each kit came pre-wrapped with clear, concise instructions and simple, helpful imagery. Had we not been filming this process, it truly would have only taken us 15-20 minutes at most!
Is there a self-install fee?
To my knowledge, I don’t think we paid any kind of self-install fee. In fact, I would image that it probably saved us money on an installation fee to not have a tech come to our house. Plus, we were grateful that we were able to check this off our to-do list ourselves without having anyone extra enter our home during the pandemic.
What is included in an Xfinity self-install kit?
- The xFi Gateway kit included the xFi Gateway, a power plug, coax cable, Ethernet cable (which you only need for a wired connection), and a one-page set up guide.
- The X1 Cable Box kit included the X1 TV Box, the award winning Xfinity Voice Remote, coax cable, power adapter, HDMI cable, and a six-page guide.
xFi Gateway Self-Install Process
To set up the xFi Gateway installation, there were literally just 3 brief steps:
- Download the Xfinity App
- Open the app & sign in
- Follow the in-app instructions for activation
*Note: you need one coax connection for the xFi Gateway and one for the cable box, so you should plan to set them up in different rooms unless you’re using a splitter.
X1 Cable Self-Install Process
- Connect your TV box to a cable wall outlet via coax cable
- Connect your TV box to your TV with an HDMI cable
- Plug the power supply into the TV box
- Turn the TV on and match the HDMI input to the port you plugged the HDMI cable into
- Activate the Xfinity Voice Remote (which entails pulling the plastic tab on the back and following the directions on the TV – batteries are already installed!)
- Activating your service
Honestly, we didn’t have to contact support one time during the installation process, and we haven’t had to contact them since, either. Set up was super easy and our service has been so reliable, but I’m comforted by the fact that support is available 24/7 if we need anything!
Since completing the self-install process, we’ve been exploring the features of the app, playing around with the voice remote, discovering new movies to watch, and enjoying super fast internet. We’ll be back to share a full review of our Xfinity experience soon!
