Xiaomi Smart Home - where do you use it?

So over the last few months, I've seen a huge popularity of Xiaomi smart home (and other) products on OzBargain. I'm yet to enter the Xiaomi Smart Home world, and I see a lot of posts tempting me to enter.

But I'm not sure what or how I can use them for.

So if you do have these smart home devices, can you describe what all you have and how are you using them (scenarios)? I read somewhere you need Raspberry Pi to take advantage of Google Home integration so it will be cool to hear where all you are using it for.

Comments

  • +2

    I have a few rules setup:

    Door sensor on bedroom door to work between 10pm-6am, when the door is opened turn on the bathroom light at 20% brightness until door is closed again.

    Wireless power adapter plugged into my dogs water fountain so when motion is detected on the motion sensor, the water fountain turns on for 5 minutes.

    Also had a motion sensor and smart plug to work the same as above but for the Christmas tree lights.

    Also, since the Xiaomi bulbs aren't zigbee and are wireless, you don't need the smart hub to operate, and therefore can integrate the lights with Google home. I have 3 lights in the living room which is can adjust at the same time by saying "hey google change the lights to cool white" or "hey google change the lights to 25% brightness"

  • +2

    Current gear

    Bedroom
    - 3x window sensor
    - 1x door sensor

    Hall
    - Front door sensor
    - Rear door sensor
    - Gateway

    Lounge
    - Powerpoint (Xmas Tree)
    - Powerpoint (Decorative LEDs)
    - Powerpoint (HDMI splitter)
    - Click switch
    - PIR Sensor

    Extras (unused)
    - 2x more xiaomi power points
    - 3x sonoff power points (not flashed yet)
    - 2x xiaomi philips led bulbs (e27)

    Further items in transit via post
    - NodeMCU with sensors and reed switch for garage and some other misc electronics
    - Raspberry Pi case and memory card and psu
    - Dafang camera
    - Tempature sensor
    - Air purifier
    - B22 to E27 adapters for LED bulbs
    - Xiaomi yeelight bulbs
    - 2x google home mini

    Current usage (Quite basic)
    - Gateway = automatic night light
    - Xmas tree / Decorate lights = Turn on when motion in the lounge in the evening, turn on if front door opens in the evening, toggle on/off witch click switch, turn off if no one in lounge for 30 minutes.
    - Gateway = make knocking sound when front door opens
    - long click the clicker to power cycle my HDMI splitter (It sometimes goes purple and needs power cycle to fix)
    - short click the clicker to toggle xmas and decorate lights

    Near future usage (Rasp Pi / Home Assistant)
    - Turn on air purifier if evening if the bedroom doors/windows are shut
    - If windows / door open the evening remind to close so can use air purifier
    - Turn air purifier on quiet mode when sleeping
    - Turn off air purifier when open door in the morning
    - If leave house and left window/door open then remind me to close
    - If not home and windows / door / motion detected then alert me so can view cameras
    - Automatic lights for watch movie
    - Turn off lights at night, turn on with motion if dark
    - Control subwoofer in ceilings
    - Voice control via google home minis

    Far future usage
    - NodeMCU with relays and water pumps to water the conservatory plants and empty the saucer of water when full (trees are really heavy to lift off the saucer to empty water from). Smart watering based on temperature in conservatory and maybe soil capacitance (moisture)
    - Install outside garden watering system and use NodeMCU to control watering system
    - Some kind of PIR or laser trip wire etc with a nodeMCU to squirt neighbours cat with watering system when he passes through boundary

    Contemplating
    - Install sonoff or similar chinese electroncs into the 240 volt mains behind the light switches??? (Void insurance)
    - Buy a NZ compliant wireless light switches to replace the existing fixtures ($$$ expensive $$$)

  • Mine arrived just the other day. I quickly found mihome dodgey and limiting so went into the rabbit hole of HomeAssistant

    My button now uses Wake on land to turn my home media of on and off, my motion/light sensor turns on a stairway light at night my door sensor tells me if someone is going into the garage (usually my cheeky 2yo) and my remote plug sits idle while I debate whether I trust it's circuitry and curse the fact it only seems to allow 3 prong electronics and not just 2 prong…

    • Bend a piece of stiff thin cardboard to push the 3rd hole (plastic cover thingee) in then plug a 2 prong plug in and pull out the cardboard.

    • Sonoff might be more trust worthy. Their power plug seems more solid but haven't seen a teardown for it.

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