How to share access to Xiaomi Home camera: the complete guide

Modern video surveillance systems are no longer the domain of professionals and large companies, becoming available to every smartphone owner. Xiaomi Mi Home ecosystem offers powerful tools for monitoring housing, allowing you to check what is happening at home at any time while you are at work.

The built-in functionality of the Family Sharing or Share app allows you to flexibly manage user rights, separating them into administrators and guests. This is critical for security, since the main account contains all the history of events and settings of the smart home that should not be available to outsiders. In this article, we will discuss in detail the process of setting up shared access, examine the differences between the versions of the application for different regions and solve typical connection problems.

It should be noted that the procedure may differ slightly depending on which version of the firmware your camera uses and through which server your account is authorized. The global version of the application and the Chinese localization have different interfaces, but the logic of the work remains the same. Correct setting of access rights is the foundation for safe operation of smart devices in the family.

Preparation of the main account and device

Before you start transferring rights, you need to make sure that the camera is properly installed and running normally from the main smartphone.The device must be tied to your main Xiaomi or Mi Account account, which will act as an administrator. If the camera has just been unpacked, perform the initial setup via Bluetooth or QR-code, making sure that you have a stable connection to the Wi-Fi network.

An important step is to update the camera software to the latest available version. Manufacturers regularly release security patches and improvements to the Sharing functionality, so you should not ignore this step.

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Make sure that the main smartphone has enabled push notifications for the Mi Home app to see the connection status of new users.

You should also check your cloud subscription status if you plan to share access to the archive of records. Without an active Mi Cloud subscription, new users can only see online streams, but will not be able to view the history of events, a restriction related to the company's licensing policy and data protection.

• 📱 Make sure the main Mi Home app is updated to the latest version via Google Play or App Store.
• 📡 Check the stability of the Internet connection: the speed must be at least 5 Mbps to transfer video to the Internet HD.
• 🔋 The camera must be connected to the power source, since setting access rights requires stable operation without going to sleep mode.

After completing all the preparatory procedures, you can go directly to configuring access rights for other users, and ignoring this step can lead to errors when adding devices to the family group.

Creating a family group in the Mi Home app

The centerpiece of the sharing system in Xiaomi’s ecosystem is the concept of “Family” or “Home,” a virtual space that connects devices and users who have the right to control them, and you need to create such a group to get started if it does not already exist by default.

Open the app and go to the Profile tab or click on the home icon in the top left corner of the screen. In the menu that opens, select the Home Management or Home Management option. This displays all the locations you have created. Press the Add New Home button and give it a clear name, such as Apartment or Country.

Once you create a location, the system will suggest adding family members, and that's where the camera rights are transferred, and you can invite users to the phone number associated with their Mi Account or email, and it's important that the user you invite also has a registered account and an app installed.

⚠️ Note: Guests will have full rights to control all devices in the created Family unless you set individual limits.

There is also the possibility of using QR-This is a method that is convenient when people are nearby, and avoids errors when entering a phone number. Once the code is scanned, the user automatically sends a request to join the group, which you will need to confirm.

Step-by-step: transfer of rights to the camera

The process of transferring rights to a particular camera can be done in two main ways: by adding the device to an already created family or by directly transferring rights to the menu of a particular camera.

Go to the settings of the previously created “Family” and select “Add Device”. The system will suggest selecting devices from your main account that are not yet distributed to other groups. Choose the desired camera from the list and confirm the action. After that, all members of this “Family” will automatically access the video stream.

The second method involves using Share directly in the camera interface. Open the video stream, click the three dots in the upper right corner to enter the menu, and select Camera Settings. Find Family Sharing or Sharing and click the add button.

When you add a user, the system will request permission confirmation. You can choose the access level: full control or only view. Full control allows the user to turn the camera (if there is motorization), enable two-way communication and even delete records from the memory card. View only limits the ability to observe.

After setting the rights on the device of the invited user will be notified of the new available device, he needs to go to the application, accept the invitation, and the camera will appear in the general list of devices on his smartphone.

Configure access levels and restrictions

The flexibility of Xiaomi Home is to fine-tune rights for each user individually, especially if you want to give access to a nanny, housekeeper or elderly relatives who do not need complex management functions.

To change the access level, go to the Family menu, select a specific user and click on their name. In the menu that opens, you will see a list of all the devices available to that person. By clicking on the camera icon, you can detail the permissions: allow or deny audio playback, access to the microphone, control IR lighting.

Special attention should be paid to accessing local records on a microSD card. By default, new users may not see the archive, even if they have access to an online stream.

If you use a camera to monitor pets or children, it is helpful to limit the two-way feature for some users to avoid accidental or intentional sound interference, such as a grandmother can only watch, and parents can talk to a child through the camera.

• 🔒 Check the list of users who have access to your cameras regularly and remove those who no longer need access.
• 🔔 Set up customized notification scenarios: let one user receive traffic signals during the day and let the other only at night.
• 👁️ Use the “Privacy” mode on the camera to temporarily block access to all users, including the administrator, when you are at home.

The right configuration of restrictions allows you to create a safe environment where each family member has exactly the level of access that he needs, without violating the privacy of others.

Work with different versions of the application and regions

One of the most common problems in setting up shared access is the incompatibility of server regions: Xiaomi ecosystem is divided into geographical zones: China, Europe, Russia, the United States and others. The camera, tied to the server "China", will not be able to transfer access to a user whose account is registered on the server "Russia" or "Europe".

To check the region, go to Profile -> Settings -> About the application or look at the top of the home screen, which usually indicates the selected country. If the regions do not match, access transfer will not be possible, in which case the user receiving the access will have to change the region in the application settings.

⚠️ Warning: Changing the region in the Mi Home app may cause previously added devices to disappear from other areas.Before changing the region, make sure you don't lose access to other important gadgets.

There is also a difference between Mi Home (for the global market) and Mi Home China (for the domestic market of China), the interfaces may differ, but the sharing functionality is implemented in a similar way, but cross-platform access (between the Chinese and global application) often works unstable or requires additional settings through the binding of accounts.

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For stable family access, all members of the group must use accounts registered in the same server region.

If you are faced with a situation where the camera is Chinese version, and users want to use a global application, consider re-binding the device. 5-10 seconds) and add again, selecting the scan QR-region-specific.

Fixing Connection Problems and Errors

Despite the fact that processes are fine, users may encounter errors when trying to share access, one of the most common problems is the message “Device failed to add” or endless waiting for confirmation, most often due to an unstable Internet connection from one of the participants in the process.

Another common reason is the outdated version of the app, where developers are constantly making changes to the video stream encryption protocols, and older versions of the software may not "understand" new authorization requests.

You should also consider the limits of the system: a limited number of video streams can be opened simultaneously on one camera (usually up to 5-6 simultaneous connections). If one of the family members is already watching the video and you are trying to start the stream on a third device, the system may give an error or break one of the connections.

• 🔄 Reboot the router and camera: banal power outage often solves problems with hanging network sockets.
• 📵 Turn it off. VPN On both devices: Virtual Private Networks can change IP-address and interfere with local device detection.
• 🗑️ Clear the cache of the Mi Home app on both smartphones through settings Android/iOS, If the interface is not working properly.

In rare cases, the problem is a crowded memory card, so if the card is packed and the camera can't record a new event, it can block new connections, try formatting the card through the app or replacing it with a new one.