Xiaomi Mi Column: A Complete Guide to Setup and Use

Xiaomi Mi Smart Speaker (or Mi) AI Speaker is not just a music playback device, but a full-fledged assistant in the Mi Home ecosystem, which can control a smart home, respond to voice commands, tell the weather and even read stories to children. But to unlock the full potential of the device, it needs to be properly configured – and here many users have questions.

In this article, we will discuss all the steps of working with the Xiaomi Mi Column, from the first connection to the delicate settings of the voice assistant. You will learn how to sync the speaker with other Xiaomi devices, adjust multi-room sound, fix problems with connecting to Wi-Fi and even restore the health after resetting to factory settings if the device stopped responding to commands.

1. First connection: step-by-step instruction

Before you start setting up, make sure you have:

• 📱 Smartphone on Android 5.0+ or iOS 10.0+ with Mi Home installed (you can download it from Google Play or App Store).
• 🔌 Rocket 220V near the place of installation of the column (power cable is not detachable, length) ~1.5 m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m).
• 📶 A stable 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network (5GHz not supported!) The network password must be in Latin.

If everything is ready, follow the instructions:

1. Connect the speaker to the socket, and when it's turned on, it will sound and flash orange (waiting mode).
2. Open Mi Home, press. + → Add the device → Smart column (or type in Mi search) AI Speaker).
3. Select your Wi-Fi network and enter your password. The column will issue a voice confirmation connection.
4. Wait for the firmware update (if available). This can take up to 10 minutes - don't turn off the speaker!

Check that Wi-Fi is running in the 2.4GHz band|

Restart router and column (turn off power for 30 seconds)|

Make sure that there are no Cyrillic characters in the password.|

Update the Mi Home app to the latest version-->

Once successfully connected, the speaker will automatically be added to the Mi Home device list, and you can now start setting up the voice assistant.

💡

If the speaker makes intermittent sounds when connected, try changing the Wi-Fi channel in the router settings to 1, 6 or 11 – they are less prone to interference.

2.Setting up the Xiao voice assistant AI

Xiao's voice assistant AI (Or Zhenya in Russian firmware) is a key feature of Xiaomi Mi Columns. It understands commands in Chinese, English and Russian (with restrictions:

Go to Mi Home, select your column and open Settings. → Voice assistant, you can do it here:

• 🎤 Change the voice of the assistant (male/female).
• 📢 Adjust the sensitivity of the microphone (useful if the speaker reacts to extraneous sounds).
• 🔇 Turn on/off the "Do Not Disturb" mode (e.g. overnight).
• 🌐 Choose the main language (Russian is partially supported, some teams work only in English).

List of supported voice commands:

Important: Russian-speaking teams only work in firmware with Russia or Global, and if your column is purchased in China, you may need to reflash it.

Xiao AI (jen)|

Alice (Yandex) |

Google Assistant |

Siri|

Not using.-->

3. Sync with other Xiaomi devices

One of the key features of Xiaomi Mi Columns is the ability to control a smart home.

1. Make sure all devices (lamps, sockets, sensors) are added to the Mi Home and are on the same Wi-Fi network as the speaker.
2. In the column settings, enable the option to control a smart home.
3. Check that the devices are combined into one room (e.g., "Living Room").

You can then use voice commands such as:

• 💡 "Turn on the bedroom light (if you have a Yeelight smart lamp installed there).
• 🔌 "Turn off the socket in the kitchen" (for a smart socket Xiaomi Smart Plug).
• 🌡️ "What is the temperature in the nursery? (if you have an Aqara Temperature Sensor).

If the column does not see the device:

⚠️ Attention: The problem may be in different regions of your accounts, for example, if the speaker is tied to your China account and the lamp is tied to Russia, they won't interact. Solution: Move all your devices to one region through Settings. → Region in Mi Home.

4. Multi-room sound and music streaming

Xiaomi Mi Column supports synchronization with other Xiaomi speakers (such as Mi Smart Speaker Pro or Redmi Speaker) to create a multi-room audio system.

1. Make sure all speakers are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Open Mi Home, select the main column and go to Settings → Multi-room sound.
3. Click Add Device and select the second column from the list.
4. Select the mode: Stereo pair (for two columns) or Multi-room (for 3)+ device).

You can use the following to play music:

• 🎵 Local files (via Mi Home or Xiao) AI App).
• 🎧 Streaming services: QQ Music, KuGou (Chinese), Yandex Music (requires customization via Yandex Alice).
• 📱 Bluetooth (but in this mode, the voice assistant is turned off!).

An important nuance: when you connect over Bluetooth, the speaker behaves like a regular speaker — voice commands and smart home control become unavailable. To return functionality, turn off Bluetooth in the settings.

💡

For stable multi-room audio, all speakers must be connected to Wi-Fi, not Bluetooth, otherwise there will be a noticeable latency between devices.

Typical problems and their solutions

Even after setting up the Xiaomi Mi correctly, the column can malfunction. Let's look at the most common problems and how to fix them.

5.1 The column does not respond to voice commands

Possible causes and solutions:

• 🔇 Microphone turned off: check the physical switch on the back (if any) or in the Mi Home settings.
• 🗣️ Low Microphone Sensitivity: Increase it in Settings → Voice assistant → Microphone sensitivity.
• 🌐 Internet problems: voice commands are processed on Xiaomi servers, so without a network, the speaker will not be able to execute the command.
• 🔄 Older Firmware: Update the software through Mi Home.

5.2. The column does not connect to Wi-Fi

If the indicator flashes orange, but the connection does not occur:

1. Reboot the router.
2. Try connecting to another 2.4GHz network (e.g. from a mobile phone in access point mode).
3. Reset the column to factory settings: Press the reset button (usually on the back) for 10 seconds until the red indicator flashes.

5.3 The column makes extraneous sounds (hisping, crackling)

This may be related to:

• 🔌 Unstable power: Try another power supply (original adapter on the power supply) 5V/2A).
• 📶 Interference from other devices: Move the speaker away from the router, microwave or wireless headphones.
• 🔊 Damage to the speaker: if the sound is distorted even at a minimum volume, contact the service.

💡

If the column starts to stutter when playing music, try changing the bitrate in the source settings (for example, in Spotify or in the Spotify version). VLC). Sometimes switching from 320 kbps to 192 kbps helps.

6. Reset to factory settings and flashing

If the Xiaomi Mi Column has stopped responding to commands or is constantly rebooted, a hard reset may be required.

1. Turn off the power column.
2. Press the reset button (usually marked) RESET) And without letting go, plug in the power.
3. Hold the button for 15-20 seconds until the indicator flashes red.
4. Release the button - the column will reset and go into settings mode.

If the reset didn't work, you might need to flash it back, which is true for Chinese firmware speakers that don't support Russian.

1. Download the latest global firmware for your model (for example, for Mi Smart Speaker Art or Mi). AI Speaker Play from the official Xiaomi website or trusted forums (e.g., the official Xiaomi website, 4PDA).
2. Connect the speaker to your PC via USB-Type C (if you have a port).
3. Use MiFlash or Fastboot to install the firmware.

⚠️ Warning: The wrong firmware can turn a column into a brick. If you're not sure about your skills, contact a service center. IR — They often have unique drivers for the IR port.

7. Model Comparison: Which Xiaomi Column Should You Choose?

Xiaomi has several smart speakers with different capabilities. Here's a comparison table:

For a full-fledged smart home, you should choose the Mi Smart Speaker Pro, which supports all the functions of the Mi Home ecosystem and has the best sound quality. If you need a display to display the weather or notifications, Mi Smart Speaker Art is suitable.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi Mi Column