Tuya

A moderator needs to check the page before this notice can be removed. Visit the noticeboard or the appeals channel in either Zulip or Discord to request removal. Tuya Inc. is a Chinese IoT platform developer and provider[ clarification needed ][[1]]( . Tuya's technology is included in many consumer devices, from cheap dollar-store electronics to high-grade designer lamps. It is often not visible from a product's description that Tuya components are used. In the majority of cases, Tuya-equipped devices require online registration before the smart device will connect to WiFi. As customers of the platform can rebrand Tuya's Smart Life cloud-connecting app, only by inspecting the chips on the circuit board can customers know whether Tuya components have been used. Tuya started out with devices built on the more common ESP8266 and ESP32 chips, but later switched to their own line of chips. Tuya's chip line is designed to be drop-in pin-compatible to ESP chips, but differs in its API. Tuya thus prevents users from installing ESP-compatible custom firmware, which is needed to use Tuya-equipped devices independently, without reliance on Tuya's servers. Not being able to install custom firmware means that the owner of such devices is totally reliant on controlling the devices via Tuya’s cloud service which means 1) risking monitoring, by Tuya, of appliances, 2) relying on the security of Tuya’s cloud services to prevent access to your in-home devices, 3) losing functionality if Tuya withdraws the cloud service or introduces new T&Cs with which you do not agree (see note below about the T&Cs update in February 2025). Being able to install alternative software (as was possible on early Tuya devices) allows the owner of the devices to be able to control those devices independently of Tuya’s corporate cloud servers. For example, it is possible to install new firmware and control early Tuya devices with, for example, ESP-Home / Home Assistant, without requiring access to Tuya cloud services. The open source project Tasmota offers the Tuya Convert utility for flashing firmware provided you have physical access to the ESP8266's serial pins.