Tuya Universal - Setup Guide

Custom Control Drivers LLC - control any Tuya / Smart Life device from RTI.

What it does

Controls your Tuya / Smart Life devices - plugs, switches, multi-gang power strips, bulbs and LED strips, curtains/shades/garage, fans, and more - from your RTI system. It runs in one of two modes, Cloud or Local. Read the next section, pick one, then follow Part 1 plus the part for your mode.

Which mode should I use?

Cloud (easiest - recommended for most). One instance controls your WHOLE Tuya account over the internet and finds your devices automatically. Works with EVERY device type, including Zigbee, Bluetooth and battery devices that have no address of their own. Needs internet. Setup = paste two credentials and name your devices.

Local (fastest, works offline). This instance talks DIRECTLY to ONE Wi-Fi device over your network - instant response, no internet needed. Best for Wi-Fi, mains-powered devices. Setup is per device (each needs its ID, key and IP).

You can use both - e.g. Cloud for everything, plus Local for a couple of speed-critical lights.

Part 1 - Tuya account setup (BOTH modes, one time, ~10 min)

Both modes use a free Tuya developer project. Do this once; it covers all your devices.

1a. Create the account. Go to platform.tuya.com and sign up for a free developer account. This is the web portal - separate from your phone-app login.

1b. Create a project. Cloud > Development > Create Cloud Project. Set Industry = Smart Home, Development Method = Smart Home, and Data Center = your region (e.g. Western America for the US, Central Europe for the EU). Click Create. On the "Authorize API Services" pop-up, keep the defaults and Confirm.

1c. Link your phone app. Open the project > Devices tab > Link App Account > Add App Account - a QR code appears. In your Smart Life or Tuya Smart app (either works): tap Me, then the scan icon (top-right), and scan the QR. Your app's devices are now linked to the project.

1d. If it says IoT Core is expired: click the orange Subscribe to Resource Pack > IoT Core > Trial Edition (free, 1 month) > Buy Now. It re-activates instantly ($0). Do not use the slow "Extend Trial Period" form.

Now do Part 2 (Cloud) OR Part 3 (Local).

Part 2 - Cloud setup (whole account, easiest)

2a. Get your credentials. On your project's Overview tab, find the Authorization Key box. Copy the Access ID / Client ID and the Access Secret / Client Secret (click the eye icon to reveal the secret). Note the Data Center shown here (us / eu / cn / in) - that is your Region.

2b. Fill the driver settings. Set Connection Mode = Cloud (whole account). Paste Cloud Access ID and Cloud Access Secret, set Cloud Region, and leave Cloud Seed Device ID BLANK (the driver auto-discovers your account).

2c. Name your devices. Set Number of Cloud Devices to how many you want to control (1-24). For each, set Device N Name to the device's EXACT name as it appears in your Smart Life / Tuya Smart app (e.g. "Office Strip"). Save - the driver connects, discovers your account, and fills those named devices.

2d. Bind buttons and sliders. Use the Cloud functions - each has a Device parameter (1-24) that picks which device it controls (Power On/Off, Set Brightness, Set Color, etc.). Do NOT use the plain Local functions in Cloud mode (they do nothing here). Feedback variables are per device, numbered from 0: device 1 = Power0 / Brightness0 / Online0..., device 2 = Power1..., and so on.

2e. More than 24 devices? Add another instance of the driver (in the system tree add Tuya Universal again), set it to Cloud, enter the SAME credentials, and name the next set of devices. There is no overall limit - one instance per 24 devices. The single License Key covers every instance on the processor, so 50 devices cost the same as 5.

Cloud needs internet; since Tuya has no live push it polls about every 30 seconds for changes you make in the app, while your own commands update instantly. Then skip to Wiring color sliders below.

Part 3 - Local setup (one Wi-Fi device, direct LAN)

Local mode needs FOUR things per device: Device ID, Local Key, IP address, and Device Type. Get them in this order - you need the Device ID before you can look up the Local Key.

Step 1 - Device ID. In your Smart Life / Tuya Smart app, open the device > Edit (pencil) > Device Information > Virtual ID. (Or on platform.tuya.com > your project > Devices > Device List, the Device ID column.) Copy it.

Step 2 - Local Key (needs the Device ID from Step 1). The Local Key is NOT shown on the app's device page. Two ways to get it:

- Easiest (tinytuya): on any PC with Python, run pip install tinytuya, then python -m tinytuya wizard. It first asks for an "API Key" and "API Secret" - these are just other names for your Access ID and Access Secret (get them on platform.tuya.com > your project > Overview tab > Authorization Key box; the eye icon reveals the secret). It then asks for any one Device ID (from Step 1) and your region (us / eu / cn / in). It writes a devices.json file listing EVERY device with its name, Device ID and Local Key, and scans your LAN to show each device's IP (Step 3 done too).

- No Python (API Explorer): on platform.tuya.com go to Cloud > API Explorer > Device Control > Get Device Details, paste your Device ID, and Submit. The response includes local_key - that is your Local Key.

Step 3 - IP address. The device's IP on your LAN (tinytuya's scan shows it, or check your router's DHCP client list). Set a DHCP reservation so it never changes.

Step 4 - Fill the driver settings. Set Connection Mode = Local, then enter Device IP Address, Local Key, Device ID, and pick the Device Type that matches your device (Light - color, Light - older type, Switch / Relay, Smart Plug, Cover / Shade / Garage, Fan, or multi-gang). Generic always works via the Data Point functions. Save.

One instance = one device. For each additional local device, add the driver again with its own IP, Local Key, Device ID and Device Type.

Heads-up: the Local Key CHANGES if you remove and re-pair a device in the app. If you ever reset or re-add a device, pull its Local Key again (Step 2).

Multi-gang switches & power strips (Local)

Pick Device Type = Switch / Power Strip - multi-gang. Each gang/outlet maps to a data point: Gang 1 = DP1, Gang 2 = DP2, ... Gang 6 = DP6. For each button use Gang On / Gang Off / Gang Toggle with the Gang parameter set to that outlet's number, and bind feedback to the matching Gang 1-6 variable.

Wiring color sliders (both modes)

For a slider you must set BOTH its Command and its Value (feedback) to the matching channel - if the Value points at the wrong variable the thumb jumps back when you release it. (In Cloud mode use the Cloud version of each command, with the Device parameter.)

Red / Green / Blue sliders: Command = Set Red / Set Green / Set Blue; Value = the matching Red / Green / Blue variable; range 0-255.

Color Brightness slider: Command = Set Color Brightness %; Value = Color Brightness %; range 0-100. Brightens/dims the current color while keeping its hue - use this if your colors look dim.

White slider: Command = Set White %; Value = Brightness %; range 0-100. By design this switches the light to white mode (replaces the color).

Data Points (advanced - control ANY device)

Every Tuya device is controlled through numbered data points (DPs). When the typed Device Type doesn't cover a control, drive any DP directly: Set Data Point - On/Off (boolean DP), Set Data Point - Number (numeric DP like brightness 0-1000), Set Data Point - Text (string/enum DP like a mode name), or Set Data Points (JSON) to set several at once, e.g. {"20":true,"22":500}. To discover what your device supports, set Debug = High and watch the DP1..DP30 and All Data Points (JSON) variables - they show every DP the device is reporting.

Supported devices & network notes

Cloud mode reaches everything in your account, including Zigbee / Bluetooth / battery devices behind a hub.

Local mode is for Wi-Fi, mains-powered devices only. The device and the RTI processor must reach each other on the LAN - no Wi-Fi client/AP isolation between them. Battery / deep-sleep devices are not reachable locally; use Cloud for those.

License

Leave License Key blank for the 2-hour trial; paste your key to license this processor. One license covers every Tuya Universal instance (local and cloud) on the same processor - buy once per processor, control as many Tuya devices as you like.

Support

support@customcontroldrivers.com - customcontroldrivers.com