Xfinity Holiday Mode and How to Pause WiFi on Any Router: eero, NETGEAR, TP-Link, ASUS and Google Nest Wifi

Last updated: November 2026

This guide is for anyone who wants to pause WiFi for specific people or devices during the holidays, whether or not they are an Xfinity customer. It explains what Xfinity's new Holiday Mode does and who can use it, then gives the pause steps for eero, NETGEAR Nighthawk and Orbi, TP-Link Deco and Archer, ASUS, and Google Nest Wifi routers, plus a router-independent method that works on any network. Steps were checked against each vendor's current support pages on November 11, 2026.

Key Takeaways

• Xfinity Holiday Mode, announced November 9, 2026, is a one-tap pause inside the Xfinity app for "eligible" customers. Comcast's announcement does not say whether it works with a customer-owned modem and router, and Xfinity's support pages list WiFi management and parental controls as features of Xfinity gateways.
• Every major consumer router brand already has a pause button in its app. eero, NETGEAR, Google Nest Wifi and TP-Link let you pause a device or a profile without a paid subscription; TP-Link's timed Family Time feature needs its paid HomeShield tier.
• A pause stops traffic on your home WiFi only. A phone with a cellular plan keeps working, and a device with a randomized MAC address can slip out of a profile, so set those up before the first dinner you want to protect.

What is Xfinity Holiday Mode?

Holiday Mode is a feature in the Xfinity app that pauses WiFi on selected devices or people with one tap and restores it with a second tap. Comcast announced it on November 9, 2026 alongside a television campaign starring John C. Reilly as the "Ghost of Christmas Very-Recent-Past."

According to the announcement, the steps are: open the Xfinity app, select Holiday Mode, choose the devices or people to pause, tap once to pause, and tap again to reconnect. Comcast says the feature is "available starting today through the Xfinity app for eligible" customers. It does not define eligible.

Comcast paired the launch with a Morning Consult survey it commissioned of 3,001 US adults, fielded October 8 to 11, 2026. The company reports that 83 percent of respondents would use a way to pause the internet on their kids' devices during moments like dinner or gift opening, and that 58 percent call getting kids off devices during family time a battle, rising to 73 percent among parents of children aged 5 to 13. The survey was paid for by the company selling the feature, so read the numbers as marketing research rather than independent findings.

Does Holiday Mode work with my own modem and router?

Comcast has not said. The announcement names only the Xfinity app, and two Xfinity support pages point toward the answer being no for most customer-owned setups.

Xfinity's gateway overview page, updated October 29, 2026, lists "WiFi management tools and parental controls" among the features of Xfinity gateways and warns that customers who buy third-party equipment "will miss out on the full suite of Xfinity services." Xfinity's Family Settings page, updated September 25, 2026, says that "feature availability may vary by Xfinity Gateway model, account role, and app experience." Holiday Mode is a packaging of the same pause control those pages describe, so if you connect your own router behind a customer-owned modem, Xfinity's app cannot see your devices to pause them.

That is not a reason to rent a gateway. The pause function is standard in every router app sold today, and owning your modem and router removes the monthly equipment charge. The rest of this guide shows where the button is.

How do I pause WiFi on an eero?

In the eero app, tap a profile on the Home tab and tap Pause profile, or find a device under Devices and tap Pause device. No subscription is required.

1. Open the eero app and stay on the Home tab.
2. To pause a person, tap their profile, then tap Pause profile. The word Paused appears under the profile name.
3. To pause one device, find it under Devices on the Home tab (or search in the Devices tab), tap it, then tap Pause device.
4. To schedule a pause, tap the profile, tap Add a scheduled pause, set the name, start time, end time and frequency, then tap Save.
5. To end early, tap the paused profile and tap Resume profile.

If the schedule fires at the wrong hour, check the network's time zone under Settings, then Nickname & location, then Timezone.

How do I pause WiFi on a NETGEAR Nighthawk or Orbi?

In the Nighthawk or Orbi app, tap the Device Manager tile, swipe right on a device, and tap the pause icon. NETGEAR's support page for this, last updated July 7, 2025, does not require a Smart Parental Controls Premium subscription for the basic pause.

1. Open the Nighthawk app or Orbi app.
2. Tap Device Manager.
3. Swipe right on the device you want to pause and tap the pause icon. Tap the play icon to restore access.
4. To pause every device at once, tap the Parental Controls tile, select the Home profile, and tap the pause icon at the top right.

Scheduled offline periods and content filters are part of NETGEAR's paid Smart Parental Controls Premium tier. If you only need an on-demand pause, the free steps above are enough.

How do I pause WiFi on a TP-Link Deco or Archer router?

In the Deco app (mesh) or Tether app (Archer routers), create a profile under the Parental Controls or Family tab, then use its bedtime or Family Time controls. TP-Link's HomeShield page, updated May 6, 2026, says a basic "No Internet" bedtime does not require a subscription, while customized weekday and weekend schedules, off time, and the timed Family Time feature require the paid HomeShield Advanced Parental Controls tier.

1. Open the Deco app or Tether app and go to the Parental Controls or Family tab.
2. Tap Get Started and create a profile for each person, assigning their devices.
3. For a nightly pause, set a bedtime on the profile.
4. For a one-off pause at dinner, tap the plus icon, choose Set up Family Time, add the devices, set the duration, and tap Start. This step needs the paid tier.

Parental controls on TP-Link routers work only in router mode. If your Archer or Deco is in access point mode behind another router, the Parental Controls menu will be unavailable.

How do I pause WiFi on an ASUS router?

In the ASUS Router app, go to Settings, then Family, create a profile for the person, assign their devices, and set an offline schedule. ASUS's support page for the app, updated March 3, 2026, describes schedules rather than a single pause button, so the quickest holiday option is a short offline schedule that covers dinner.

1. Connect your phone to the router's WiFi and open the ASUS Router app.
2. Go to Settings, then Family, and choose a profile level.
3. Enter the family member's name, tap Next, select their devices, tap Next.
4. Choose Setup Offline Schedule, set the start and end time, and tap Done.

ASUS says the feature requires a router that supports Parental Controls, current firmware, and router mode rather than access point mode. On the web interface, the same controls live under AiProtection, then Parental Controls.

How do I pause WiFi on Google Nest Wifi?

In the Google Home app, tap Home, then Wifi, then Family Wi-Fi, and tap Pause under the group name. Google's support page requires a Family Wi-Fi group to be created first and does not require a subscription.

1. Open the Google Home app, tap Home, then Wifi, then Family Wi-Fi, and create a group with the devices you want to control.
2. To pause the group, return to Family Wi-Fi and tap Pause under the group name. Tap Unpause to restore it.
3. To pause one device, tap Home, then Wifi, then Devices, tap the device, tap Pause device, choose a period, and tap Save.
4. To schedule, tap Family Wi-Fi, then Add, then Schedule, name it, select the group, set start time, end time and days, and tap Done.

Google notes that Family Wi-Fi does not work with devices using a private or randomized MAC address. Turn that setting off for your home network on the phones and tablets you want to control.

Can I pause WiFi without a router app?

Yes. A guest network with its own password, a smart plug on the router, or a schedule in a Pi-hole are each router-independent ways to cut access, and each has a trade-off.

The simplest is a second SSID. Put the kids' devices on the guest network and change its password or turn the guest network off from the router's web interface when you want quiet; most routers expose guest WiFi as a single toggle. A smart plug on the router or mesh base is cruder, since it drops everything in the house, including the TV. A Pi-hole can block all DNS lookups for a group of devices on a schedule, which stops most apps without touching the router; our Pi-hole setup guide covers group management.

None of these touch cellular data. A phone with its own plan will switch to LTE or 5G the moment WiFi disappears, which is why the Xfinity support page for pause features notes that pausing affects home WiFi only.

FAQ

Is Xfinity Holiday Mode free?

Comcast's announcement does not mention a charge, and the pause control it packages has been free inside the Xfinity app for gateway customers for years. Eligibility is tied to the account and equipment, not to a fee.

Can I use Holiday Mode if I own my modem?

Comcast has not said, and its support pages describe WiFi management and parental controls as gateway features. If you own your modem and router, use your router's own app; the steps for the major brands are above.

Does pausing WiFi stop a phone with a data plan?

No. A pause blocks traffic through your router. A phone with cellular service will keep working on LTE or 5G. For phones, a screen time setting on the device itself is the only reliable control.

Why does a paused device still have internet?

The most common cause is a randomized MAC address. Phones and tablets can present a different hardware address to each network, which makes the router see a new device that is not in the paused profile. Turn off private or randomized address for your home network on that device, then add it to the profile again.

Which routers pause for free?

eero, NETGEAR (basic pause), Google Nest Wifi, ASUS and TP-Link (basic bedtime) all include a pause or offline schedule without a subscription. Timed Family Time on TP-Link and scheduled offline periods on NETGEAR are part of paid tiers.

Does Xfinity Holiday Mode require the xFi Gateway?

The announcement does not say. Xfinity's own support pages tie WiFi controls to Xfinity gateways and say availability varies by gateway model, so a gateway appears to be required. If your Xfinity gateway is misbehaving, see our guide to Xfinity xFi Gateway not working.

Sources

• Comcast press release via Business Wire, November 9, 2026: Xfinity Wants You to Pause Your WiFi This Holiday Season (company announcement; survey commissioned by Xfinity)
• Xfinity support: Overview of Xfinity WiFi Gateways and Routers
• Xfinity support: Use Family Settings in the Xfinity app
• eero support: How do I pause or unpause devices on my network?
• eero support: How do I use schedules in Profiles?
• NETGEAR support: How do I pause or unpause a device in NETGEAR Smart Parental Controls?
• TP-Link support: Set up Parental Controls with TP-Link HomeShield
• ASUS support: How to set up Family (Parental Controls) via ASUS Router App
• Google support: Pause the internet on demand or on a schedule