Integrating YLYK01YL Remote with Home Assistant Without a Xiaomi Gateway

In this guide, we’ll go through how to integrate the YLYK01YL remote directly with Home Assistant (HA) without needing a Xiaomi Gateway. The process uses a Python script and Bluetooth MAC address sniffing.

Featured image source: Yeelight

Prerequisites

  1. Python installed on your system.
  2. Passive BLE Monitor custom integration: BLE Monitor GitHub.

Steps:

1. Sniff the MAC Address

  1. Open a terminal and run: 
    bluetoothctl
  2. Enable Bluetooth and start scanning: 
    power on
scan on
  3. Look for yee-rc in the output to get your remote’s MAC address.

2. Obtain the Beacon Key

  1. Put the remote into pairing mode by pressing the off and M buttons simultaneously until the indicator LED blinks slowly.
  2. Use Method 5 as outlined here, but opt for the previous version of the script, which uses bluepy.
  3. Run: 
    python get_beacon_key.py <mac_address> 339
    • Replace <mac_address> with your remote’s MAC.
    • 339 specifies the device model (YLYK01YL).
  4. Save the output key for later.

3. Add Device to BLE Monitor

Add the following to your configuration.yaml:

ble_monitor:
  devices:
    - mac: "<mac_address>"
      name: "yeelight remote"
      encryption_key: "<beacon>"
      reset_timer: 1

4. Validate in Home Assistant

After restarting HA, navigate to:

  • Settings > Devices & Services > Passive BLE Monitor
  • Find your new sensor.ble_remote_yeelight_remote entity.

Automation

Use these states for automations:

  • single press on, off, m, sun, +, and -

Example YAML for automations:

alias: Yeelight Remote Automation
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: sensor.ble_remote_yeelight_remote
    to: single press on
    id: single_press_on
  # Repeat for other states
action:
  # Define actions, e.g., turn lights on or adjust brightness

For help configuring automation, I used ChatGPT to streamline the process.