Yeelight, the Budget WiFi Bulb

Smart-lighting is a popular way to get in to Smart-Home technology. I was able to control my lights with my previous set up, but I was missing out on some cool features that smart bulbs are capable of. The bulbs I was using in my Living Room and Bedroom Lamps were not very bright. I thought this presented a good opportunity to try both, the Multicolor Yeelight and the Soft White Dimming Yeelight. The bulbs connect to WiFi, are compatible with Alexa, natively, and can also be connected to Home Assistant. You can also set each bulb’s default state that the bulb will revert to when power is disconnected, which I thought was a really cool feature.

This guide includes:

  1. How to set up the Yeelight Bulbs
  2. How to use the Yeelight with Alexa
  3. How to connect and use the Yeelight Bulbs with Home Assistant

Lets get started!


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Setup the Yeelight Bulbs

IMG_20171215_214057.jpg

  • Setting up the Yeelight Bubs is pretty straightforward.
  • First, you’ll need to download the Yeelight App from the Google Play Store or iTunes.
  • The process for setting up both bulbs is identical.

Multicolor Yeelight Bulb

Soft White Dimming Bulb

  • Now you’ll be able to control the light from the Yeelight app!
    • Be sure to change the names of the Bulbs to what you would like to call them.
  • I also recommend giving the bulbs static IPs, using your router.
  • The Yeelight app has some cool settings. Sunrise and sunset effects, candle flicker, and home are among the settings. The color bulb can also, obviously, change color.
  • When disconnected from the power, the bulb will reset to a Default State
    • You can set these bulb’s “Default State”
      • Choose your bulb in the app
      • Access the settings in the bottom right hand corner of the screen
      • Select “Default State”
      • Select “Set default light”
      • In here, set the light to it’s new default (I like the “Home” setting)
      • Press “Save in the top right corner.

Using the Yeelight with Alexa

  • The Yeelight bulbs are natively compatible with Alexa, so this part will be super easy.
  • First, you’ll need to enable the Yeelight Alexa Skill.
  • Log into the Skill using your Mi Account.
  • Then Discover devices.
  • Now you should be able to control your bulbs with Alexa.
    • “Turn on/off the lamp”
    • “Make the lamp blue”
    • “Set the lamp to 80%”
    • “Dim/brighten the lamp”

Using the Yeelight Bulbs with Home Assistant

  • These Bulbs are also pretty easy to connect with Home Assistant.

Screen Shot 2017-12-15 at 6.40.01 PM

https://gist.github.com/smarthomehobby/99fc99a2013a983b5521fced7abf3331

  • In your configuration.yaml file, add the Yeelight Platform.
  • Then, add the light to whatever groups you want it in.

Screen Shot 2017-12-15 at 6.48.43 PM

Screen Shot 2017-12-15 at 6.48.57 PM

https://gist.github.com/smarthomehobby/7062d4e48c63de03cb83d394419fdb43

  • Since the Bulbs are voice controlled using the Yeelight Skill, be sure to hide the lights if you’re using the emulated hue component.

Some notes after using them for a few weeks

  • Using Effects from a script seems to crash the bulbs.
  • The bulbs also crash when using a transition that is too long.
    • Because long transitions don’t work, creating a “wake-up light” was frustrating. I had to break it down to smaller timeframes and delays. I made a script that brightens up slowly in around 4 minutes.
    • It looks pretty convoluted, but works well. You can see it here.
  • The scenes in the Yeelight App don’t seem to be compatible with Alexa or Home Assistant.

Screen Shot 2017-12-15 at 8.37.43 PM

https://gist.github.com/smarthomehobby/d09f92bd5916f522f7ac0427479a9387

  • I found it helpful to make a script to reset the lamp to my preferred setting.
  • The bulbs aren’t perfect, but they’ll do about 95% of what I wanted in a smart bulb and are much cheaper than it’s competitors.

These bulbs are great way to get started with smart-lighting at a reasonable price. I like that they work with a phone/tablet, an Echo, and Home Assistant; all independently of each other. This makes them a great place to start for anyone at any level of Smart-Home interest. They are also easy to setup and easy to use. If these guides have been helpful to you, please share them! If you have any questions, please reach out to me in the comments. Thanks for visiting!

6 thoughts on “Yeelight, the Budget WiFi Bulb

  • December 17, 2017 at 5:13 am
    Permalink

    oh sorry i didnt read all long, yep the yeelight scenes dont seem complatible only some effects with home assistant: like christmas…
    but you easily can create scenes all along by setting up the color you want with the yeelight app then look them up with states: light.xxx and then the rgb_color

    Reply
  • December 17, 2017 at 6:08 am
    Permalink

    hey you easly can use your scenes with google home or alexa if you set it up in your custominze,yaml file: scene.tv_modus:
    emulated_hue: true
    emulated_hue_name: “TV Modus”
    I set up my emulated hue like this in the configuration,yaml:
    emulated_hue:
    host_ip: !secret hue_ip
    off_maps_to_on_domains:
    – script
    – scene
    expose_by_default: false

    Reply
  • July 10, 2018 at 8:06 am
    Permalink

    I really like these bulbs too, but I’ve heard the app update broke them. I have’t updated my app, so haven’t had any issues. They also do not require a hub. I got some for my dad and he just has them connected to the WiFi and controls them with is echo dot.

    Reply
    • August 23, 2018 at 2:07 pm
      Permalink

      Yes. Your Dad loves his Yeelight. I also use my Alexa app to control it. I hated every night having to go back into the living room and turn off the lights. Alex set it up so that at 4pm the light goes on. @ 9 pm the light goes to 50% brightness and at midnight it turns off. He also added a script so if I go to bed early all I have to do is say Alexa Goodnight and it turns the light off from my bedroom or from the living room so I don’t have to go out and turn it off. I of course love playing with the different colors (1.2M different colors I believe) Red & Green for Christmas, Orange Thanksgiving, though my wife is not too happy about that part, it keeps me entertained.
      [ I think the part I like best is I can say Alexa change light to green, pink, blue whatever color I could imagine and that’s all it takes. Alexa turn on light, Alexa turn off light, Alexa light at 50%, 25% 36%, simple commands].
      We also spliced a wireless extension cord (can’t remember the brand) and have it in the front room using the same commands as above all tied in to Alexa together.(Though it is just a regular bulb) I can’t wait to come up with a few more things to connect. I think my bedroom ceiling fan might be next. I grew up in Electronics and Engineering, went to school for 1.5 years to become an Electrical Engineer before I changed my Major. It is great having a son that is smarter than the parent.
      Signed, Your Dad!

      Reply

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