< HomeKat Help

Tuya Outlets & IR Blasters

The Tuya device category exposes supported Tuya outlets and air conditioners controlled through a Tuya infrared blaster to HomeKit. Home Kat Bridge discovers the physical devices on your local network and uses a linked Tuya Developer cloud project to obtain the device information and local keys needed to communicate with them.

At present, HomeKit accessories are created for Tuya outlet devices and for air-conditioner remotes bound to a supported Tuya IR blaster. The IR blaster itself is kept as the host for those remotes and is not added as a separate HomeKit accessory. Other visible Tuya device types are shown for information but cannot be added.

Prepare your Tuya devices

First use the Smart Life or Tuya Smart app to add each outlet and IR blaster to a tuya account on the same local network as Home Kat Bridge. In that app, add and test the air-conditioner remote controlled by the IR blaster.

Next create or use a Tuya Developer cloud project, link the Smart Life or Tuya Smart app account containing these devices, and note the project's Access ID/Client ID, Access Secret and data-centre region. The data centre selected in Home Kat Bridge must match the one used by the linked project. This is a pretty complicated process, and is subject to change from time to time. Instructions valid at the time of writing are here.

Connect the cloud project

Open Settings, select Tuya Devices and switch Enabled on.

In Tuya Cloud, enter the project's API Client ID and API Access Secret from the developer account (not the user id and password from your Smart Life or Tuya app accounts), select the matching Data Center, then select Connect. Account information is stored in your private iCloud keychain. Saved accounts can be reentered using the key button. Use Logout to disconnect the current project or Delete Credentials to remove its saved secret.

The status at the top of the section shows whether Home Kat Bridge is connecting, has loaded the project, or encountered an error. A device marked Cloud project required has been seen locally but Home Kat Bridge does not yet have the cloud information needed to configure it. A device marked Not in cloud project is not linked to the selected project.

Add Outlets and Air conditioners

The Settings page separates devices into three lists:

  • Added Devices are already exposed to HomeKit. Press the minus button to remove one.
  • Other Visible Devices have been discovered on the local network. Press the plus button beside a supported outlet or air-conditioner to add it. An IR blaster has an infrared symbol rather than a plus button because it is used as a host, not as a HomeKit accessory.
  • Other Devices on Cloud Account are known to the cloud project but are not currently visible on the local network. Check that they are powered, online and on the same network.

When a linked IR blaster is found, Home Kat Bridge loads the air-conditioner remotes bound to it. Each supported AC remote appears as an Air Conditioner Controller and identifies its host blaster and address. If it does not appear, confirm that the remote works in the Tuya app, that it is bound to the visible blaster and that the cloud project is connected to the same app account.

Select any device row to inspect its identifier, type, address, LAN visibility, HomeKit status, discovery details and cloud-project information. For an IR blaster,

IR Database can browse the infrared categories, brands, remotes and keys available through the connected cloud project and send a selected command for testing. This is primarily a setup and diagnostic tool; add a bound AC remote for everyday HomeKit control.

Use Tuya devices

The Tuya page groups added accessories into Outlets and AC Units. Tap an outlet tile to switch it on or off. Where the device reports energy data, the tile also shows current power in watts and accumulated energy in kilowatt-hours. The energy information is reported to HomeKit, and s visible using the Eve app. The word Cloud in an outlet's status means that local communication is unavailable and Home Kat Bridge is using cloud control instead.

Tap an AC tile to switch it between off and automatic operation. The tile shows the current temperature and humidity reported by the controller. More complete AC control is available in the Home app: power, heating/cooling mode, target temperature and low or high fan speed. Commands are translated into infrared signals and sent by the associated blaster.

Infrared control is just one-way. If the air conditioner is changed with its original remote, the Tuya accessory may not know the new power, mode or target-temperature state. Use HomeKit or the Tuya remote consistently, or treat the state shown in HomeKit as the last command sent. Temperature and humidity readings depend on the sensors available to the configured Tuya controller.

Combine with a Smart AC controller in the Buttons category for a smarter automatic AC control, switching off the AC when it is not needed.

HomeKit hints

Assign each outlet and AC unit to the correct room and give it a distinct name. The blaster should have clear line of sight to the air conditioner's infrared receiver. Test it is working in the Smart Life or Tuya app first.

Tuya outlets can be included in scenes and automations like other HomeKit outlets. Rmember that an infrared command may be missed and that external remote use can leave HomeKit's displayed state out of sync. Home Kat Bridge must remain running, and local control requires the Tuya devices to remain reachable on the same network.

Subscription

Tuya Device Support requires a small six-monthly subscription. A one-week trial period is available so you can test it with your devices.

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