Hoping to drive more broadband usage this holiday season, Comcast (News - Alert) Corp., one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communications products and services, is giving away free 802.11N based wireless routers. The cable company announced on Monday that new customers of its broadband service will be offered new Xfinity Wireless Gateway (News - Alert), which includes a cable modem, Wi-Fi router and voice-over-IP (VoIP) adaptor, all in one box.

According to Comcast, the Xfinity Wireless Gateway gives today’s connected home everything needed to create a fast, efficient and secure home network. Additionally, with a variety of support plans offered via Xfinity Signature Support, customers can call on their own personal IT department for help with any aspect of their connected home – from networking, to virus removal, to software and hardware troubleshooting, said the service provider.

A recent study by market research firm Forrester and Yankee Group (News - Alert) estimates that by 2015, Comcast customers will own more than 234 million Internet connected devices, or up to six per household. Whether tablets, gaming consoles, smartphones or connected TVs, American homes are becoming more connected with more devices, says the research firm.

“Just in time for the holidays, the new Xfinity Wireless Gateway helps power the connected home with a fast, easy and convenient way to get connected,” said Cathy Avgiris (News - Alert), senior vice president of Communications and Data Services at Comcast, in a statement. “As consumers bring more wireless devices into their homes, the Wireless Gateway ensures these customers get the speeds they need to have a great experience,” added Avgiris.

Specifically, according to Comcast, the Xfinity Wireless Gateway includes a wireless router (802.11 Wi-FiN) to create a fast home network and support dozens of connected devices, a cable modem (DOCSIS 3.0) to enable access to Xfinity Internet service, and a voice adapter (VoIP) for Xfinity voice services.

Since the gateway will be maintained by Comcast, the service provider said that it will free customers from worrying about replacing or repairing their own routers or modems. Plus, it eliminates a number of devices from cluttered desktop areas by combining what were formerly three different devices into one, added Comcast.