Looking to integrate your Midea air conditioner locally into Home Assistant without relying on the vendor cloud, plugged in the SMLight SLWF-01Pro, but it doesn’t show up anywhere? Don’t worry: Before Home Assistant can discover the dongle, you need to connect it to your home Wi-Fi network. The adapter creates its own setup hotspot for this purpose.
What you’ll need:
- Midea air conditioner or compatible unit (e.g., Bosch CL3000i or Dimstal) with a suitable USB port
- SMLight SLWF-01Pro Wi-Fi dongle
- Smartphone, tablet, or laptop for initial setup
- Running Home Assistant installation
1. Check the USB Connection on the Air Conditioner
Plug the SLWF-01Pro into your air conditioner’s designated USB port. On many models, this port is easily accessible or routed via an internal USB cable where the original OEM dongle was previously installed.
2. Connect to the Dongle’s Hotspot
Once the air conditioner is turned on and the dongle receives power, it broadcasts its own Wi-Fi network. Open the Wi-Fi settings on your smartphone or computer and connect to this network.
3. Enter Wi-Fi Credentials via the Web Interface
Open your web browser and navigate to the following IP address:
192.168.4.1When prompted for a password, enter slwf01pro. Then select your home Wi-Fi network, enter the Wi-Fi password, and save the settings. The dongle will reboot and join your local network.
4. Add the Device to Home Assistant
Open Home Assistant and navigate to Settings > Devices & Services. Once the dongle is on the same network, it will typically be discovered automatically and can be added as a new integration with just a few clicks.
Does It Work?
Under Settings > Devices & Services > Devices, the air conditioner should appear along with its entities (such as the climate control entity). When you change the target temperature from your dashboard or switch modes from heating to cooling, the AC responds instantly and entirely locally.
Troubleshooting
- Looking for the wrong integration: Do not search for the cloud-based “Midea Smart AC” integration in Home Assistant. The dongle runs ESP firmware and operates locally via ESPHome. Check under Settings > Devices & Services to see if the device is already listed in the ESPHome section.
- Web page at 192.168.4.1 won’t load: Make sure mobile data is temporarily disabled on your smartphone. Some mobile devices automatically disconnect from Wi-Fi networks that have no internet access.
- Power or humidity readings remain at zero: On some units (as observed with certain Dimstal air conditioners), entities for humidity, power draw, or energy consumption may stay permanently at zero. Basic AC control will still function normally in most cases.
By integrating locally via the SLWF-01Pro, your air conditioning control runs completely independent of external vendor servers directly within your smart home.
Sources: Forum: Simon42 – Forum, community.simon42.com