How to set up a dawn simulation on a Xiaomi lamp: a complete guide with step-by-step instructions

Waking up to natural light is a dream for many, but not everyone has the ability to sleep with their curtains open or get up at dawn. Xiaomi smart lamps solve this problem by offering a dawn imitation feature that smoothly increases the brightness of light 10 to 60 minutes before the alarm clock, which helps wake up easier, without stress for the body, and is especially relevant in the autumn-winter period when the sun rises late.

In this article, we will discuss how to set the dawn on different models of Xiaomi lamps - from budget Yeelight LED premium-to-mi LED Desk Lamp 1S. You'll learn what apps you'll need to do this, how to sync your alarm lamp to your smartphone, and what hidden settings will help make waking up even more comfortable. And if you've already had experience with this feature, you'll be invited to participate in the survey below!

What Xiaomi lamps support the function of dawn

Not all Xiaomi smart bulbs can simulate the dawn, a feature available in the following models:

• 💡 Yeelight LED (All models with Mi Home or Yeelight App support: Yeelight LED Color, Yeelight LED Ceiling, Yeelight LED Strip.
• 📖 Mi LED Desk Lamp 1S — table lamp with adjustable color temperature.
• 🛏️ Mi Bedside Lamp 2 – bedside lamp with night mode and alarm clock.
• 🎨 Xiaomi Mi Smart LED Bulb (some versions that require firmware through Mi Home).

If your model is not on this list, check the specifications in the official Mi Home app or on the Xiaomi website. Sometimes the dawn feature appears after a firmware update. LED Strip Plus didn’t get this option until 2023.

⚠️ Attention: Xiaomi Mi Smart lamps LED Bulb Essential (budget version) does not support smooth brightening. For them, you can only configure a sharp turn on on the timer.

Also, keep in mind that for the full operation of the function will require:

• 📱 Smartphone on Android 6.0+ or iOS 10.0+.
• 🌐 Stable Wi-Fi connection (Lamp and phone must be on the same network).
• 🔄 Latest versions of Mi Home or Yeelight.

Preparing the lamp for the setting of dawn

Before setting up a dawn simulation, make sure the lamp is properly connected and ready to go.

Place the lamp in a convenient place (for example, on the bedside table next to the bed)

Connect the lamp to the power supply network and turn it on

Download the Mi Home or Yeelight app (depending on the model)

Add the lamp to the application through the "Add device" section

Update the lamp firmware to the latest version (if available)-->

If the lamp is already added to the Mi Home but does not appear in the list of devices, try:

1. Reset the lamp (turn off / turn on the power for 10 seconds).
2. Update the Mi Home app to Google Play or App Store.
3. Reset the lamp to factory settings (usually by holding the power button for 5-10 seconds).

It is also useful for Yeelight models to install Yeelight, which has more sunrise settings than Mi Home, where you can choose the color gamut (warm, neutral or cold light) and the intensity of the increase in brightness.

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If the lamp flashes or does not respond to commands, check whether the router firewall blocks its operation. For stable operation of smart devices, Xiaomi recommends turning off filtering. MAC-addresses in the Wi-Fi settings.

Setup Dawn through the Mi Home app

Mi Home is a universal tool for managing Xiaomi smart devices, including lamps.

1. Open Mi Home and select your lamp from the device list.
2. Go to the Timer section. → Alarm clock.
3. Click Add an alarm and select the time to wake up.
4. Activate the option of Simulate Dawn (or Smooth Enablement in some versions).
5. Set the duration of dawn (usually 10 to 60 minutes).
6. Save the settings.

Depending on the lamp model, there may be additional options in the Mi Home:

If the option of imitation dawn is missing, check:

• 🔄 Is the lamp firmware updated (in the Device Settings section) → Update).
• 📱 Is your model compatible with this feature (see the list above).
• 🌍 Is the region in Mi Home right (some features are only available in China or Europe).

⚠️ Note: When using Mi Home in China mode, some lamps may lose communication with Xiaomi servers outside of Asia.If you do not live in China, choose Russia or Europe.

Advanced settings in the Yeelight app

For the Yeelight series, the branded app offers more features than the Mi Home.

• 🎨 The color scheme of the dawn (for example, the transition from red to white).
• ⏱️ Nonlinear increase in brightness (faster at the beginning, slower at the end).
• 🔄 Repeat cycles (for example, dawn only on weekdays).
• 🎵 Sound accompaniment (synchronization with the alarm melody on the phone).

To set the dawn in Yeelight App:

1. Open the app and select your lamp.
2. Go to the Timers section. → Alarm clock.
3. Click Create and select the type of Dawn.
4. Set start time and duration (from 1 to 120 minutes).
5. In the section Additionally adjust the color, brightness and repetition.
6. Save the alarm.

Yeelight lamp LED Color allows you to create up to 5 different dawn profiles with unique color and time settings, which is useful if you wake up at different times or want to test different scenarios (for example, “energy dawn” with cold light or “soft dawn” with warm tones).

Problems and Solutions: Why Dawn Doesn't Work

Sometimes the dawn function fails to work even after setting it up properly, and here are some common reasons and ways to eliminate them:

If the Yeelight lamp does not respond to commands from the app, try:

1. Remove it from Mi Home and add it again.
2. Reset the lamp settings (5 times to turn on / off quickly).
3. Change the region in Mi Home to China, set the dawn, then return it back.

⚠️ Note: Xiaomi lamps with firmware older than 2021 may not support smooth brightness change due to hardware limitations.

Alternative ways to adjust the dawn

If the standard Mi Home or Yeelight apps are not satisfied, you can use third-party services to automate:

• 🤖 Google Assistant: Voice commands to turn on a light with a dawn effect (for example: “OK, Google, turn on dawn in the bedroom at 7:00 am").
• 🔄 Home Assistant: An open platform for smart homes that allows you to create complex scenarios (such as dawn) + coffee-maker).
• ⚡ IFTTT: service for bundling devices (you can configure the start of dawn when the weather changes or the time of sunrise).
• 📱 Tasker (Android): an application for automating actions (for example, starting dawn when you turn off the Do Not Disturb mode").

To use Home Assistant, you will need:

1. Install the platform on a Raspberry Pi or computer.
2. Add integration Xiaomi Mi Home or Yeelight.
3. Create automation with a time trigger and action Smooth lighting of the lamp.

Example of code for Home Assistant (for Yeelight lamp):

automation:


- alias: "Dawn in the Bedroom"




trigger:




platform: time




at: "07:00:00"




action:




- service: light.turn_on




target:




entity_id: light.yeelight_spalnya




data:




brightness_pct: 100




transition: 1800 #30 minutes

If you’re not familiar with Home Assistant, start with simpler solutions like Google Assistant.

1. Link your Mi Home account to Google Home.
2. Create a routine in Google Assistant with the “Switch on Dawn” command.
3. Add to the routine action for the lamp with a smooth increase in brightness.

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For maximum reliability, use local scenarios (without the cloud). For example, in Home Assistant, the lamp will turn on even without the Internet, unlike Mi Home or Google Assistant.

Tips for a comfortable awakening with dawn

To make the imitation of dawn work more effectively, follow these recommendations:

• 🌅 Place the lamp at eye level (e.g., on the nightstand) and the light should fall on the face, but not blind.
• 🕖 Begin dawn 30 to 45 minutes before waking up, the optimal time to smoothly exit the deep sleep phase.
• 🎨 Use warm colors (2700–4000K) — They are less irritating to the eyes compared to cold white.
• 🔕 Sync with your alarm clock on your smartphone, but set the beep 5-10 minutes later than dawn.
• 🌙 Turn off night mode 1-2 hours before dawn to make light more natural.

If you sleep with a partner who wakes up at another time, set up a zonal light. LED Strip only from your side of the bed or direct the light of the Mi table lamp LED Desk Lamp in the opposite direction from the partner.

For those suffering from seasonal depression, you can combine dawn with light therapy:

• Set your maximum brightness (100%) by the end of dawn.
• Use a cold white light (5,000–6500K) cloudy.
• Add a Xiaomi lamp with a specialized light-treatment lamp (e.g., Beurer) TL30).

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If you travel frequently, bring a portable Mi Bedside Lamp 2. USB and supports the dawn function even without connecting to Wi-Fi (sets are stored in the device memory).

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting the dawn on Xiaomi lamps