Home Layout Xiaomi – What is it and how does it work in the Mi Home ecosystem

If you own Xiaomi smart home devices, from Yeelight light bulbs to Mi Robot vacuum cleaners, you’ve probably come across the Home Layout app, a little-known but extremely useful tool that helps visualize the location of gadgets in your home, optimize their interactions, and even automate routine tasks, but many users still don’t understand why it is needed and how to use it.

In this article, we will take a closer look at what the Home Layout is in the Xiaomi ecosystem, how it integrates with the Mi Home and Mi Home App, what features it hides and how to set it up correctly. You will also learn about the typical app bugs and how to fix them. If you want to make the most of your smart devices, read on.

What is a Home Layout and Why You Need It

Home Layout is a supportive app from Xiaomi that allows you to create an interactive map of your home with the exact location of smart devices. Unlike the standard Mi Home interface, where gadgets are displayed by a list, here you can:

• 📍 Place devices on a virtual layout of rooms (for example, a lamp in the living room or a motion sensor in the corridor).
• 🔄 Set up location-based automation (turn on lights when entering a room).
• 📱 Manage devices directly from the map, do not search for them in the menu.
• 🛠️ Test the sensor coverage areas (for example, check if the door opening sensor is working).

The app is especially useful for owners of a large number of Xiaomi devices, as it makes navigation and control easier. For example, if you have 10 light bulbs in different rooms, you will have to flip the list in Mi Home, and in Home Layout you just need to tap on the desired room.

It's important to understand that the Home Layout is not a standalone application, but an additional module that runs inside the Mi Home, which is not a replacement for the main software, but an extension of the main software, and without the Mi Home, you can't run it.

How to install and run Home Layout

Installing Home Layout does not require a separate download APK-File - the module is already built into the Mi Home, but it needs to be activated:

1. Upgrade the Mi Home to the latest version (at least 6.5.400).
2. Open the application and go to the Profile section → Settings → Laboratory.
3. Find the Home Layout option and turn it on.
4. Return to the main screen and tap on the icon of the house in the upper right corner – a new section Planning will appear.

If the option "Laboratory" is not available, it means:

• 📱 Your version of Mi Home is outdated (update via Google Play or APKMirror).
• 🌍 You are using a region where the feature is not yet available (try changing the region to China or India in your account settings).
• 🔧 Your account is not tied to the Xiaomi ecosystem (you need to log in).

Once activated, you'll be asked to create a layout for the house, you can choose a template (apartment, cottage, office) or draw it manually, and we suggest starting with a template, which will save time.

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If you have multiple floors, create a separate layout for each floor, which will help avoid confusion when setting up automation.

Home Layout: What the App Can Do

Home Layout offers several key features that favorably distinguish it from the standard Mi Home interface.

One of the most useful features is automation zones, for example, you can configure a scenario where you:

• 🔦 When entering the bathroom, the lights are turned on and the hood starts.
• 🚪 When the front door is opened, the camera is turned on and a notification is sent.
• 🌡️ If the temperature of the child falls below 20°C, the heater is switched on.

This requires:

1. Select a room on the map.
2. Add a device (e.g., a Yeelight lamp).
3. Set up a trigger (such as a motion sensor).
4. Save the script.

Compatibility with Xiaomi devices: what is supported

Not all Xiaomi gadgets work with Home Layout. the app supports devices connected via Zigbee, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Mesh protocols, but there are nuances:

• ✅ Full support: Mi Home devices (sensors, lamps, sockets), Yeelight, Aqara (if tied to Mi Home).
• ⚠️ Partial support: Some Redmi devices (such as smart speakers) are displayed, but not all features are available.
• ❌ Unsupported: Devices connected via Google Home or Apple HomeKit, and third-party gadgets (such as Tuya) if not integrated into Mi Home.

To check the compatibility of your device:

1. Open Mi Home and go to the Devices section.
2. Select the gadget and check if there is an option to Add to the card in its settings.
3. If there is no option, the device is not supported.

⚠️ Note: Aqara devices connected via Aqara Hub may not appear in Home Layout unless they are linked to a Mi Home account.

If your device is not supported but you want to add it, you can use a workaround:

1. Create a virtual device through IFTTT or Home Assistant.
2. Link it to Mi Home via Webhooks.
3. Add a virtual device to the map.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

When using Home Layout, users often encounter bugs and problems, and here are the most common problems and ways to solve them:

If the device is added to the card but does not respond to commands:

• 🔌 Check its network connection (for Wi-Fi devices).
• 📶 Make sure it is within the hub range (for Zigbee devices).
• 🔄 Reboot the device (remove/insert the battery or disconnect from the network).

⚠️ Warning: If the Planning section is gone after the Mi Home update, try changing your account region to China or India.

To diagnose problems with automation:

1. Open the event log in Mi Home (profile) → Journal).
2. Check if the sensors are being detected.
3. If there are events, but the script does not work, recreate it.

Home Layout Comparison with Alternatives: Which Is Better

Home Layout isn’t the only solution for visualizing a smart home, but let’s look at how it compares to the competition:

Home Layout wins against competitors in two ways:

1. If you only have Xiaomi devices, the integration is as deep as possible.
2. If you want simple visualization without complex scenarios.

For advanced users, Home Assistant is better, but it requires technical knowledge. + Philips Hue, Google Home or HomeKit.

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Home Layout is the best choice for owners of exclusively Xiaomi devices who want simple and visual control without unnecessary settings.

Hidden chips and life hacks for Home Layout

Many users use Home Layout for basic visualization only, but there are a few hidden features:

• 📏 Precise Positioning: Hold your finger on the device to move it to within a centimeter.
• 🔍 Device search: enter the name of the gadget in the search bar – the map will automatically scroll to it.
• 🎨 Change icons: long press on the device → Change the icon (you can choose from the library or download your own icon).
• 📊 Usage statistics: tap on the device → Journal to see the history of the positives.

There are a few unobvious tricks to automating:

• 🕒 Delayed execution: In the scenario, you can add a pause (for example, turn on the light 30 seconds after the sensor is triggered).
• 🔄 Cyclical scenarios: set up repetitive actions (e.g. flashing a lamp every 5 minutes).
• 📴 Conditional notifications: only send push if the condition is met several times in a row (for example, 3 sensor activations in 1 minute).

If you want to automate your home as much as possible, try combining Home Layout with a home. IFTTT:

1. Create an applet in IFTTT trigger-driven Xiaomi device.
2. As an action, select Webhooks and send a command to Mi Home.
3. Set up a reaction to this event in Home Layout.

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To speed up the application, turn off animations in your phone settings (For developers) → Window animation = 0.5x). This is especially useful if you have a lot of devices on the map.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Home Layout