How to set up a timer on the Xiaomi camera: auto-start, delayed shooting and timelapse

Xiaomi cameras are some of the most popular smart home and mobile photography devices, but not all users know how to make the most of their features. A timer is not just a selfie selfie, but it's also a powerful tool for making timelapses, postponing recordings, or taking photos at a given time. (Mi Home Security Camera, MiJia 360)°, Xiaomi Smart Camera, etc., settings may differ, but the general principles remain similar.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you activate a timer, from basic auto-starts in a mobile app to hidden firmware features for advanced users, and learn how to program your camera to shoot on schedule, set up interval timelapse, or use voice commands through a timer. Alice/Google And what models support these features out of the box and which will need to be updated.

If you’ve never used a timer on a Xiaomi camera, start with the first section. Experienced owners can jump straight to advanced settings or model compatibility tables.

Basic timer settings in the Mi Home app

The easiest way to set a timer is through the official Mi Home app (or Xiaomi Home for newer versions), which works for most cameras, including the Mi Home Security Camera 360.°, MiJia Smart IP Camera and Xiaomi Smart Camera C300. You will not need root access or third-party software.

Open the app and select your camera from the device list.

Go to Camera Settings → Shooting timer (or Automation) → Schedule in new versions).
Activate the option to turn on the timer.
Select the type of timer: 🕒 Auto-start – delay before shooting (2-30 seconds). 📅 Delayed shooting – recording at a given time (for example, at 20:00 every day). 🎥 Timelapse – interval shooting with a given interval (from 1 second to 24 hours).

Set up the settings (time, date, repetition) and save.

For support cameras AI-Recognition (e.g. Xiaomi Smart Camera) C400) an additional option to shoot on the event may appear in the timer menu - recording will begin automatically when movement or sound is detected.

Update the Mi Home app to the latest version|Connect your camera to a stable Wi-Fi|Check the battery charge (for wireless models)|Make sure there is enough space on the memory card.-->

⚠️ Note: If the app does not have a "Timer of Shooting" option, update the camera firmware through Settings → Update for models older than 2020 (e.g. Mi Home Camera) 1080p) You may need to use the Mi Home Developer Mode.

Auto-discharge for selfies and group photos

The auto-rescuer feature is useful not only for selfies, but also for shooting without trembling hands or group photos. On Xiaomi cameras with a display (for example, Mi Smart Band Camera or Xiaomi Mijia). 4K Action Camera: The timer is turned on directly in the device interface:

Click on the icon. ⏱️ top-right corner of the camera screen.
Choose the delay: 3 seconds, 10 seconds or Custom time (up to 60 seconds).
Press the down button and the countdown will start automatically.

For non-screen cameras (such as Mi Home Security Camera Basic), the auto-reset is configured via the app:

Open Mi Home and select the camera.
Go to Photo Mode. → Timer.
Set the delay and number of pictures (up to 10 frames in a row).

Some models (such as the Xiaomi MiJia Mini) support voice self-start, and say, “OK, Google, take a photo on Xiaomi’s camera in 10 seconds” (you need to connect to Google Assistant).

Selfie-driven selfie|Delayed shooting on schedule|Timelapse (interval shooting)|Voice control|Not using.-->

Delayed shooting on schedule

If you want the camera to automatically start recording at a certain time (for example, to watch your pet during the day or to capture a sunset), use the schedule feature, which is available in most models other than budget ones (for example, Mi Home Camera). 720p).

Instructions for setting:

In the Mi Home app, select the camera and go to Automation. → Make a rule.
Click Add condition → Time and point: 🕐 Single-use event (for example, January 1 at 00:00). 🔄 Repeated (daily, weekdays, weekends).

Action.

Start recording

Take a photo.

Enter the duration of the recording (from 1 minute to 24 hours).

Keep the rule.

For cameras with support for driving areas (e.g. Xiaomi Smart Camera) PTZ) You can combine the schedule with triggers, for example: Start recording at 18:00 if there is movement in the area of the Door".

Camera model	Auto-launch	Schedule	timelapse	Voice control
Mi Home Security Camera 360°	✅ (2-30 sec)	✅ (weekly)	✅ (1 sec)	✅ (Google/Alice)
Xiaomi Smart Camera C300	✅ (60 sec)	✅ (flexible)	✅ (display-tune)	✅
MiJia 4K Action Camera	✅ (3/10 sack)	❌	✅ (60 minutes)	❌
Mi Home Camera 1080p (2018)	✅ (only 10 seconds)	❌	❌	❌

⚠️ Note: When using a timetable on battery-powered cameras (e.g. Xiaomi Mi Smart Camera) 2K) Make sure the device is connected to the network or charged at least 50% otherwise the recording may be interrupted due to the discharge.

Timelapse: Interval shooting for video

Timelapse allows you to create accelerated videos from a series of photos. This is ideal for shooting sunset, construction, plant growth or street traffic. On Xiaomi cameras, timelapse is adjusted either through the application or in manual mode (for action cameras).

For the Mi Home Security Camera and similar models:

Open Mi Home and select the camera.
Go to Settings. → timelapse.
Set the parameters: 📸 Shooting interval: from 1 second to 1 hour. ⏱️ Duration: from 1 minute to 24 hours. 🎞️ Video resolution: 720p, 1080p or 2K (model).

Start

For Xiaomi Mijia 4K Action Camera and the like:

Turn on the camera and go to Timelapse (icon) mode ⏳).
Select the interval: 0.5 sec, 1 sec, 2 sec, 5 sec, 10 sec, 30 sec, 60 sec.
Press the recording button – the camera will save the frames to the memory card, and then automatically merge them into the video.

On cameras with HyperTimelapse support (e.g. Xiaomi Smart Camera) C400) Video can be accelerated by 32 to 128 times, which is useful for capturing clouds or traffic flows.

How to speed up timelapse rendering?

If the camera is processing timelapse for a long time, try: 1. Reduce the resolution of the video to 720p. 2.Use a class memory card UHS-I (Record speeds from 30MB/s. 3. Connect the camera to the socket (for models with a battery). 4. Process video on a PC using programs like LRTimelapse or Adobe Premiere (export frames in the format of LRTimelapse). JPG camera).

Advanced settings: scripts and API

If the standard timer functions are not enough, you can use the API Xiaomi or third-party scripts for automation. This is relevant for integrating the camera into the Smart Home system or creating complex scenarios (for example, shooting when the weather changes).

The work will require:

🔑 Camera Token (can be obtained through the Mi Home app or the miio utility for Python).
💻 Knowledge Python/Bash Automation Service (Home Assistant, Node-RED).
🌐 Local area network (camera and control device must be in the same subnet).

Example of a Python script to run a timer record:

from miio import ChuinmiCamera


Connect to the camera (replace IP and TOKEN)



camera = ChuinmiCamera(ip="192.168.1.100", token="YOUR_TOKEN_HERE")




Starting the recording for 30 seconds



camera.start_record()




time.sleep(30)




camera.stop_record()

For integration with Home Assistant, add to the configuration:

camera:


- platform: xiaomi_miio




host: 192.168.1.100




token: YOUR_TOKEN_HERE




name: "Xiaomi Camera Living Room"

After that, you can control the camera through the Home Assistant interface, creating automations such as: “If the motion sensor is triggered and the time between 20:00 and 22:00, start recording for 2 minutes.”

⚠️ Attention: Use of informal API It may violate the warranty of Xiaomi, and after updating the firmware of the camera, the token may reset, and you will have to re-receive it.

💡

If you don’t want to mess with scripts, try the Xiaomi Home Automate app (available on Android), which lets you create complex rules for cameras without programming.

Solving Timer Problems

If the timer on Xiaomi’s camera doesn’t work, check out the following:

🔌 Power: Battery cameras can shut down when the charge is low (less than 20.
📶 Wi-Fi: Unstable connection can reset settings. reconnect the camera to the router at 2.4 GHz.
🗓️ Time zone: if the time on the camera and in the app is not synchronized, the schedule will work incorrectly. → Date and time.
🔄 Firmware: on older versions of software (until 2021), the timer may not work properly. Update the camera via Mi Home.

If the camera doesn’t respond to the timer commands via the voice assistant (Alice or Google Assistant), check:

Is the camera connected to the same account as the assistant?
Is voice control enabled in the camera settings?
Updated skills/actions for Xiaomi in the Assistant app.

For Mi Home Camera models 1S Mi Home Camera 2 is known for the problem of "hanging" the timer after a long time:

Restart the camera (turn off power for 10 seconds).
Reset the settings to factory (Settings) → General. → Reset).
Turn off Cloud Storage – it may conflict with the local timer.

Comparison with other brands’ cameras

The timer features on Xiaomi cameras are often compared to those of Hikvision, Ezviz or TP-Link Tapo. Here are the key differences:

Function	Xiaomi	Ezviz	TP-Link Tapo	Hikvision
Auto-launch	✅ (2-60 sec)	✅ (30 seconds)	❌	✅ (Only in the firmware 2022+)
timelapse	✅ (flexible settings)	✅ (Only in premium models)	❌	✅ (requires iVMS-4200)
Voice control	✅ (Google/Alice)	✅ (Alexa only)	✅ (Google/Alexa)	❌
API automation	✅ (informal)	✅ (formal)	❌	✅ (business-only solutions)

Xiaomi beats competitors in price/functionality, especially in the smart home segment. However, for professional video surveillance (for example, for offices), it is better to consider Hikvision or Ezviz, they have more reliable algorithms for motion recognition and support. ONVIF.

💡

Xiaomi cameras are optimal for home use due to integration with the Mi Home ecosystem, flexible timer settings and affordable price.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the timer on Xiaomi cameras

Can I put a timer on the camera without the Mi Home app?

Yes, but only on models with a screen (e.g. Xiaomi Mijia) 4K Action Camera or through API. For most people. IP-The camera (Mi Home Security Camera) is a must-have app.

Why is the timer not working on time (with delay)?

The reasons may be: Time zone is incorrectly configured in the app or on the camera; the camera is connected to an overloaded Wi-Fi network (try switching to 5GHz if the model supports); Power saving mode is turned on (turn it off in the camera settings); and check if the schedule conflicts with other automations (for example, geofences).

How to make a night sky timelapse?

To capture stars or clouds: Set the camera on a tripod and point to the sky. In the timelapse settings, select the interval 30 seconds and duration 2–3 Turn off the auto exposure and manually set the shutter speed. 10–20 Seconds (if the model supports manual settings) Use a memory card at least 64 GB (night timelapse takes up a lot of space). For best results, use large aperture cameras (e.g. Xiaomi MiJia) 4K s f/2.0).

Can I export timelapse videos to 4K?

It depends on the model: Xiaomi Mijia 4K Action Camera – Yes, it is supported by the 4K Timelapse: Mi Home Security Camera 2K — timelapse — 1080p. Xiaomi Smart Camera C400 — 2K 5 seconds apart, if the camera does not support 4K, You can make a high-resolution timelapse on a PC by exporting individual frames.

How do I turn off the timer sound?

In most models, the auto-return sound is turned off as follows: In the Mi Home app, select the camera. Go to Settings → Sounds and alerts. Turn off the timer sound signal option. On Xiaomi Mijia Action Camera, the sound is turned off in the camera menu: Settings → Sounds. → Timer signal.