Xiaomi Goes Home Automation With Smart Plugs and Sensors

home automation xiaomi

The Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi is also into home automation, with a full catalogue of sensors, security cameras and smart plugs. They have even teamed up with big western companies like Philips and Honeywell to co-brand Alexa/Google Assistant compatible devices. Building a smart home can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. By starting small and focusing on one thing at a time, you can build your own connected ecosystem over time.

In this article, we will look at a few key Xiaomi products that make it easy to start your own DIY smart home. We will also take a look at the Mi Home app, which is the platform that allows you to connect all these devices together and control them from a single interface.

A lot of people may be turned off by Xiaomi’s smart home offerings due to the fact that they aren’t available in North America (where Apple’s HomeKit dominates). That doesn’t mean that you can’t use them, though. Xiaomi’s devices are often cheaper than their competitors, and they offer a lot of the same features. They just don’t have the branding and name recognition of a global tech giant.

For the most part, you can set up most Xiaomi devices using the Home Assistant UI. Some require a bit more work, such as the Mi Home app and certain device trackers, but for the most part they can be configured with the same process. If you don’t want to use the Xiaomi app, then you can also set up most of these devices using a third-party app such as Home Assistant or Roborock.

Some of Xiaomi’s most useful devices are their sensor products. They include door and window sensors that can activate an action when triggered, such as switching on a light if someone opens the door or turning off the air conditioning if someone leaves the house. They can also trigger an action when motion is detected, such as triggering a Xiaomi camera to record.

The Xiaomi temperature sensor is another great product to add to your home automation system. It can help you save money on your heating and cooling costs, as well as keep an eye on the status of your indoor plants. It can tell you when the plant needs watering by detecting a drop in humidity or by sending you a notification if it is too hot.

The Xiaomi Yeelight dimmer is a nifty little gadget that you can stick to the wall and then use to control your Xiaomi lights. It can be used to dim the lights, change their color and switch between daylight and moonlight. The Yeelight dimmer can also be used in combination with other Xiaomi sensors, such as the movement sensor or the temperature sensor to enable automatic actions to be taken. It can be used to automatically turn on a smart speaker or the robot vacuum cleaner when you’re going to bed, for example.