mardi 26 février 2019

Best Xiaomi Smart Home devices: Our top 7

Xiaomi Home - Bedside Lamp

Like many major Android manufacturers, there's more to Xiaomi than just smartphones. The Chinese company has many business ventures, including its own huge range of smart home products under the Xiaomi Home brand.

Some of these are readily available in selected Western markets, like its Mi Home Security Camera and Smart Light Bulb, while others must be imported from China.

Editor's Pick

Because Xiaomi's devices tend to be well-priced, and its brand name carries a lot of weight, some people import these from abroad rather than buying home-grown equivalents.

If you're keen to start building a smart home setup based on the Chinese giant's ecosystem, here are some of the best Xiaomi Home devices to get you started.

What to consider when buying Xiaomi Home smart products

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that, while Xiaomi products shipped from China could be cheap, you may have to navigate Chinese instruction manuals to set them up (or find English equivalents online).

You'll likely want to use the Xiaomi Mi Home app to control them too, though some will be compatible with other digital assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Here you may encounter a further language issue.

Related: What's the best smart speaker you can buy?

In the Mi Home app, if you select your location as Europe or United States, you limit your options for compatible products.

If the products you want to use aren't compatible with the app in your region, you'll have to select mainland China instead (thankfully you can switch between these regions easily in Profile > Settings). 

You'll encounter some Chinese language here, but most of the menus are in English.

Download: Xiaomi Mi home

Best Xiaomi Home devices

Xiaomi Mi Smart Plug: $14.99

Xiaomi Mi smart home - Xiaomi Smart Plug smart home accessory

A good place to start with Xiaomi Home products is with the Mi Smart Plug. Why? Because this gadget can offer simple, smart functionality to any electrical product connected to it. 

With the Mi Smart Plug and the Mi Home app, you can control a household appliance from anywhere, and schedule it to turn on or off automatically. These plugs are cheap, don't require a dedicated hub, and you can be used with Google Assistant too. 

Buy Now: Xiaomi Mi Smart Plug at Walmart

Xiaomi Yeelight Smart Light Bulb: $19.99

Xiaomi Mi smart home - Xiaomi Yeelight Color Xiaomi smart light bulb

The Xiaomi Yeelight is an efficient, inexpensive smart light bulb that can be used without a hub. It supports 16 million colors and can be operated wirelessly with your voice or by using the Mi app. With the latter, you can alter its color, turn it on or off, and put it on a timer via your smartphone. 

Editor's Pick

Xiaomi says the Yeelight is good for up to 11 years of service, and its low wattage (9W) should help you save money while you're living a colorful smart home life.

You can learn more about this and the other lighting products in our list in our hands-on coverage here

Buy Now: Xiaomi Yeelight smart Light bulb

Mi Home Security Camera: $39.99

Xiaomi Mi smart home - Xiaomi Mi Security System Xiaomi smart home device

These wireless, indoor security cameras are great for monitoring rooms in your household. Featuring a 130-degree camera, motion detection, and night vision capabilities, this camera system will help keep your home secure day or night. 

Read next: best smart light bulbs for your home

The Mi security camera supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands, 1080p recording, and features two-way voice communication, so you can speak to and from it no matter which room you're in.

You can pick up the camera for $39.99 on its own, or splash out on expert installation with mounting and programming for an extra $159.

Buy Now: Xiaomi Mi Home Security Camera

Xiaomi Mi Bedside Lamp: $44.99

Xiaomi Mi smart home - Xiaomi Mi Bedside Lamp Xiaomi Smart Home product

The Mi Bedside Lamp may not be the most subtle of smart lamps, but it is one of the more intelligent and one of the best Xiaomi smart home products you can buy.

The lamp's main features — like its color, brightness, and white balance — are controlled with a few swipes on the top of the unit. You'll have access to these in the Mi Home app, but this lamp is one of the less common smart lighting products that include hardware controls for ease-of-use. 

Its soft hues make it an ideal light for a cozy bedroom and you can set it to turn on in the morning to wake you with a smile. Read our hands-on thoughts with it here.

Buy Now: Xiaomi Mi Smart bedside Lamp at Walmart

Xiaomi Mijia Smart Home Aqara Security Kit: $84.05

Xiaomi Mi smart home - Xiaomi Smart Home security system Xiaomi Smart Home device

The Aqara security kit combines a few of the best Xiaomi Home devices in one bundle. For starters, you'll get the Xiaomi Gateway, a hub for your smart home devices that's also an internet radio and night light in its own right.  

The Gateway supports the two window/door sensors that come with it — these can ping you when someone uses one of the aforementioned access points — as well as the Xiaomi Smart Switch (seen above right).

The latter item is a deceptively simply gadget that can be used to turn your smart devices on or off with a tap. If you want to check out that item on its own, you can do so at the top button below.  

Buy Xiaomi Mijia Smart Switch at Gearbest

Buy Now: Xiaomi Mijia Smart Home Security kit at Gearbest

Xiaomi Mi Smart Desk Lamp: $39.99 

Xiaomi Mi smart home - Xiaomi Smart Desk lamp Mi smart home product

The Xiaomi Mi Smart Desk Lamp is a minimalist, flicker-free light with simple controls. You can use the rotating knob to adjust the lamp's brightness and color temperature, offering comfortable lighting in various scenarios, such as reading or working at a computer. Or you can do it all in-app. 

Its modern design and fire engine red cable won't be suitable for all homes, but in the right spot, it will look the part while delivering the sumptuous smart functionality you won't get with boring-old regular desk lights. 

Buy Now: Xiaomi Mi Smart Desk Lamp at Walmart

Xiaomi Roborock S5:  $546.99

Xiaomi Mi smart home - Xiaomi Roborock S5 robotic vacuum Xiaomi smart home device.

Smart robots have come a long way in recent years, and Xiaomi's Roborock S5 isn't just a great Xiaomi product: it's one of the best robot vacuums you can get.

See also: Smart Home gadgets that are perfect for Android

The Roborock S5's 5,200mAh capacity battery is said to be good for 150 minutes of constant use, and comes with advanced features like map saving, no-go zones, and directional control. 

It can mount anything lower than 2cm and it comes with a powerful 3D cleaning system running up to 2000Pa. If you have the money, and a big house, this is definitely something for your wishlist.

Buy Now: Xiaomi Roborock Vacuum S5


Do you have a Xiaomi Home system in your household? What do you think are the best Xiaomi Home smart gadgets? Let us know in the comments. 

Affiliate disclosure: We may receive compensation in connection with your purchase of products via links on this page. The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. See our disclosure policy for more details.


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