Optimum Launches $5 Advanced Security for Connected Homes

Key Takeaways

• Optimum Advanced Security adds network monitoring, threat blocking, parental controls, and customizable profiles for $5 per month.
• Four new bundles combine security with Whole Home WiFi, Total Care, or Total Care Plus at prices ranging from $10 to $25 per month.
• The launch reflects a broader shift among internet providers toward packaging digital protection as part of the core household connectivity experience.

Optimum has launched Advanced Security, a home internet security management service intended to protect connected devices without requiring customers to install additional hardware or complete a separate setup process. Available to new customers for $5 per month, the service builds on the standard DNS security included with Optimum Internet.

Advanced Security gives customers a dashboard for accessing settings, reviewing network activity, and viewing real-time information about blocked threats. It covers devices connected to the home network, including phones, laptops, televisions, gaming equipment, doorbell cameras, and other smart home technology. Optimum said the service can identify unusual activity and alert users when potential risks appear.

Parental controls are part of the package. Parents can filter inappropriate content, pause internet access during selected periods, and manage usage for individual household members. Up to five profiles can be created within one dashboard, allowing different security and access settings for adults, children, or other users.

That degree of centralization matters because consumers do not necessarily maintain consistent protection across every device. The Consumer Reports 2025 Consumer Cyber Readiness survey found that only 28% of Americans take three or more actions to protect their online privacy, while 32% take no protective actions at all. A network-level service can reduce the amount of device-by-device configuration required, although it does not replace secure passwords, software updates, multifactor authentication, or careful handling of suspicious messages.

Broad consumer data reinforces this demand. Pew Research reported in 2026 that 73% of U.S. adults have experienced at least one type of online scam or attack, with 21% reporting financial losses. This underscores a growing consumer appetite for stronger protective services embedded directly into everyday digital life.

The wider risk picture supports this direction. A longitudinal study from the National Cybersecurity Alliance and CybSafe reported that cybercrime victimization reached 44% of respondents by 2025, the highest level in its five-year dataset. As online threats become routine, broadband operators are increasingly integrating network protection directly into their core offerings rather than treating it as an optional add-on.

Optimum is also packaging Advanced Security with its existing support and WiFi products. SecureWiFi+ costs $10 per month and combines Advanced Security with Whole Home WiFi. SecureCare costs $15 per month and pairs Advanced Security with Total Care. SecureComplete, priced at $20 per month, includes Advanced Security, Whole Home WiFi, and Total Care. SecureComplete+ costs $25 per month and adds Total Care Plus to the all-in-one package.

These bundles give Optimum more ways to increase revenue per customer while presenting WiFi coverage, technical support, and threat protection as one managed experience. Kinetic and Comcast/Xfinity have also been positioning consumer digital safety more prominently, while Bitdefender and NortonLifeLock support carrier partnerships and white-label services. Security is becoming a distinct point of broadband product differentiation.

The underlying model combines familiar internet controls with network-wide visibility. DNS filtering can prevent connections to known malicious destinations, while TLS/HTTPS protects web traffic in transit. Broader architectural ideas from NIST SP 800-207 Zero Trust Architecture encourage systems to evaluate access rather than automatically trusting a device because it is inside a network. Consumer services are generally simpler than enterprise zero-trust deployments, but the principle of treating every connection cautiously remains relevant.

The chief product and technology officer at Optimum said families need security that is "simple, seamless, and built into the way they already use the internet at home." Advanced Security supports that goal by moving protection closer to the network and placing controls in one interface. For Optimum, the larger bet is that customers will increasingly judge connectivity providers not only by speed and price, but also by how well they help manage a crowded, risk-exposed digital household.