What Xiaomi Smart Storage is
Xiaomi Smart Storage is a home network storage device from Xiaomi, commonly called the “Xiaomi NAS” by users. It consists of a storage unit placed at home and a companion app: the official “Xiaomi Smart Storage” app is developed by Beijing Xiaomi Co., Ltd, and its App Store listing describes it as “a convenient, efficient storage center” that requires the Xiaomi Smart Storage hardware. It is positioned as centralized storage and sharing for family data rather than an extensible hobbyist server; NAS products from Synology (see Synology NAS) and UGREEN (see UGREEN NAS) belong to the same category.
Uses and boundaries
Per the official app listing, the main uses are:
- Automatic backup: backing up photos and videos from the phone to free space; iPhone Live Photos are kept in their original HEIC+MOV format;
- Multi-device access: accessing and managing files from phones, computers, and other devices;
- Family sharing: sharing albums, files, and movies with family members;
- Remote access: viewing and downloading photos, videos, and files on the home device while away;
- Home media and organization: smart album organization and a home cinema center that generates poster walls automatically.
The official listing emphasizes that data is stored locally on the home device and reached remotely through the app. Hardware specifications, capacities, and pricing are governed by Xiaomi’s official store pages.
Mentioned on the podcast
In Weekly #001, in the chapter “NAS 会不会成为个人 AI 上下文的家” (Will a NAS become the home of personal AI context?), Yangpan said he bought the Xiaomi NAS while it was still in beta. Guizang assessed it as a normal NAS without Docker, with modest specs, fine for just moving files around; he also sketched an advanced setup: writing his own mount tool to sync his local Memory file system onto the Xiaomi NAS, because multimodal data such as images and videos does not fit GitHub-style code hosting. In the context of Xiaomi’s upcoming in-house chips, Yangpan imagined keeping such devices together with a Xiaomi NAS at home as the place for personal AI data. These are the participants’ own experiences and ideas, not official capabilities or limits. This discussion is in the Chinese transcript; an English transcript is not available.
FAQ
What is Xiaomi Smart Storage?
It is Xiaomi’s home network storage device (often called the Xiaomi NAS), which, with the official app, provides automatic photo and video backup, multi-device access, family sharing, and remote access. See the official app listing.
How is Xiaomi Smart Storage different from a cloud drive?
Per the official app listing, data sits on the local device at home, and remote access goes through the app; a cloud drive hosts your files on the vendor’s servers. The storage location, capacity model, and privacy boundaries differ.
How do I back up phone photos to Xiaomi Smart Storage automatically?
After installing the official Xiaomi Smart Storage app and connecting to the home device, you can turn on automatic photo and video backup; iPhone Live Photos are kept in their original HEIC+MOV format. Exact settings are described in the app.
Does Xiaomi Smart Storage support Docker?
The official app listing does not mention Docker, virtual machines, or similar advanced uses. In Weekly #001, Guizang also noted it “has no Docker” — a participant’s remark. Users who need Docker or VMs can compare NAS products from UGREEN, Synology, and other brands.