I specially bought a Xiaomi mini WiFi router to prepare some detailed instructions for setting up this interesting router. By the way, judging by the reviews and comments in online stores, the Xiaomi router is very popular. And this is not even strange, for a small sum we get a beautiful, powerful and high-quality router. In addition, the router is dual-band, of course, with support for the 802.11ac standard, and even with a USB port. Yes, this is a Chinese router, but Xiaomi is a good company and very popular.
The router itself from Xiaomi is very beautiful, stylish and unusual. I will review this router in a separate article. And in this article, I want to describe in detail the process of first setting up a Xiaomi mini WiFi router. I will show you how to connect a router, set up a Wi-Fi network, and the Internet. In the near future I will prepare instructions for setting up file sharing on a USB drive, router firmware, etc.
Control panel in Chinese. What to do, how to change the language?
As for setting up Xiaomi mini WiFi, this is most likely the only point that can disappoint you in this router. The fact is that the settings of the router are in Chinese. There is no way to choose Russian, or even English. If you want the control panel to be in Russian, you will have to flash the router with third-party firmware (PandoraBox, Padavan). The firmware process itself is complex. Perhaps I will write about this in a separate article.
English can be added. You need to change the region to Europe in the Wi-Fi settings, and update the firmware. I will also write about this in a separate article. Well, I advise you not to bother, and just set up the Xiaomi mini router according to my instructions. Does anything change if the settings are in English? This is a router, you configure it, and forget about this control panel. And everything is exactly in what language. The main thing is that the Internet works well and stably.
Another point, the router can be configured from a smartphone or tablet through the Mi Router application. The application is in English, everything is clear there. We will also consider this option at the end of this article.
This instruction should be suitable not only for the Xiaomi mini model, but also for WiFi MiRouter 3, and Mi WiFi Nano.
Xiaomi Mi Router Mini: setting up Wi-Fi and the Internet
First, connect the power to the router, and connect the cable from the provider or modem to the "Internet" port.
Next, we need to go to the settings of the Xiaomi router. First, we will look at the first setup from a computer (laptop). You can connect your computer to the router either via cable (though there is no cable included) or via Wi-Fi. Immediately after turning on, a wireless network with the name "Xiaomi_some numbers" will appear. It is not password protected. We connect to it.
If you have the Internet right through your router, then it makes sense to configure it through the Chrome browser, or Yandex Browser. They know how to translate pages on the fly. And the control panel will be more intuitive. The translation there is not perfect, but still better than the Chinese characters.
1Open any browser, and go to the addressmiwifi.com (it is indicated at the bottom of the router). Or192.168.31.1... You can see the detailed article in which I showed how to go to miwifi.com. On the first page, just click on the big Chinese button 🙂 This is something like a license agreement.
2Next, you need to set the name of the Wi-Fi network and the password to it. Password must be at least 8 characters. Since the router is dual-band, the password will be the same for networks on two frequencies. It can then be changed in the control panel. We continue with the configuration.
3In the next window, we need to set a password that will protect the settings of the router. This password will need to be specified when entering the router settings. Enter the password and click on the button to continue. If you want the password from the router to be the same as the password from Wi-Fi, then you can just check the box. But I do not recommend doing that.
4 We see a message stating that the router will create two Wi-Fi networks at different frequencies, their names will be indicated there. The router will reboot.
After rebooting, a Wi-Fi network will appear with the name that we specified during the setup process. Connect to this network using the set password.
5In the settings window, if you have not closed it yet, you can click on the button and you will see a message prompting you to install a proprietary application on your smartphone to control the Xiaomi router. You can install this application in the App Store, or Google Play if you need it. It is called Mi Router. Below I will show you how to set up a router from your phone using this application.
An important point! If the Internet via the router is already working on your devices, then the configuration of the Xiaomi router is completed. If you want, you can go to its settings, I'll show you how to do it below.
If the Internet through the router does not work, then it needs to be configured.
Entering the settings of the Xiaomi router and setting up the connection to the provider
1 Again in the browser, go tomiwifi.com... A password prompt will appear. Enter the password that you set during the first setup. This is not a password from Wi-Fi, but from a router.
2To configure the Internet (connect to the provider), go to the settings on a separate page, as shown below. Select your connection type from the list. Most likely you need to select PPPoE. It's just that if you had a DHCP (Dynamic IP) connection type, then the Internet through a router would work without configuration. You can check the connection type with your provider.
3After choosing PPPoE, you will need to set the necessary parameters for connection. These parameters are provided by the Internet provider. Also, they are most likely indicated in the documents that were given to you when you connected to the Internet.
4If the provider uses MAC-address binding, then you can change it on the same page, below. Just write the required MAC. Or ask the provider to register the MAC address of your router, which is indicated in this field, or on the case of the device itself.
You need the router to connect to the Internet and start distributing it to your devices.
Configuring a 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz wireless network. Change Wi-Fi password
If you want to change the name of the Wi-Fi network, password, channel, or for example turn off the network at some 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz frequency, then go to the settings and go to the page as shown below.
If you scroll down the page below, then you will see the 5G Wi-Fi settings there, as far as I understand the guest network settings and the region change.
As you can see, nothing complicated. Even though the settings are in Chinese.
The first setup of a Xiaomi router from a phone or tablet (Mi Router)
You can also configure the router from a mobile device. First you need to install the proprietary Mi Router program on your phone. We install it from Google Play, or the App Store. If you do not want to install the application, then you can configure it through the browser of the mobile device, as I showed above.
Connect your smartphone to the Xiaomi router. The Wi-Fi network will have a standard name and will not be password protected. Also, do not forget to connect the Internet to the router.
On my iPhone, right after connecting, a window appeared with the settings for the router. And on Android, in the Mi Router program, you need to select the "Set up a new router" item. We indicate the place where the router is installed and press the "Next" button.
The router will check the Internet connection, and if your provider uses a DHCP connection, you will see a message that the Internet is connected. Like mine in the screenshot below. And if you have a PPPoE connection technology, then you will need to set some parameters (login, password).
The last step is to set a password for the Wi-Fi network, and change the name of the network. Provide this information and click the "Finish" button.
Please note that the password set on the Wi-Fi network will also be used to access the router settings when entering the control panel at miwifi.com.
That's it, the router setup is complete. If something did not work out, then go to the settings through the browser, and change the necessary parameters.
Even without the router's firmware in English or Russian, it can be configured without any problems, and everything will work. Yes, in the settings, which are very difficult to understand in Chinese. Even English would be easier. There is an English version of the original firmware, in a separate article I will show you how to install it.
I really liked the router, both externally and stable work. Write your feedback on this model, share tips, and ask questions. I am always glad to help with advice!
