So from what I understand from previous blog posts, Nabu Casa was working directly with Tuya for the new integration. But the results seem not as user friendly as we’re used to with many other builtin integrations…
Sorry, this is going to be a rant.
According to Tuya - Home Assistant I need to set up a Tuya development account and project first. Why? Shouldn’t be NabuCasa/Homeassistant be the ones setting up a dev project? But okay.
First I thought I could simply log in with my existing Tuya account. After many unsuccessful tries to reset my password, I saw the little tooltip telling me that the dev account is separate from my Tuya account.
Okay, I tried to set up a new dev account but never got the needed confirmation mail. Changing my address to a gmail one worked.
Next I have to “buy” a “Trial” account. That make me wonder how long this will be free. At least I didn’t have to give credit card details.
The next step says I need to add my devices by scanning the QR code in my Tuya Smart app. Hint: the scanner icon is in the “me” tab on the upper right.
Once scanned, it asks me if it should forward me to some web address. Uhm okay? This opens a website telling me to install another app called “IoT Device Management”. What? Why?
Clicking the link tries download an APK which I’m supposed to sideload. Chrome warns me about this potentially harming my device.
No. Sorry. That’s where it stops. I’m not side loading some app from china that I don’t even know why I would need it.
WTF is all this? This process is the result of directly working with Tuya? Why? It’s bad enough all the traffic of my (luckily single device) has to run through Tuya’s servers, but then at least I expect the convenience of a simple “user+password login and be done” integration.
Has anyone recently set this up? Where did I go wrong?
I experienced and reacted the same as you. I only have 4 little outlet switches from when I first set up HA and didn’t know any better. (they were cheap).
Now with a couple years under my belt, I have standardized with Zigbee for general stuff and Zwave for locks and deadbolts. I like the local-ness of it. I was always uncomfortable having to depend on “the cloud” and Chinese servers for my 4 outlets to function.
Thus, this help motivate me to replace those remaining 4 little Tuya outlet switches with Zigbee equivalents.
On the app to download. I did your same mistake the first couple of times.
The error is likely this:
When you are on the Devices, don’t click yet on the big blue button labeled Add Device. You have to first click a second level tab called Link Tuya App Account and only then, you have to click on the blue button, now labeled Add App Account. This will give you a QR code, than when scanned by the Tuya App, will correctly link your app with that project you are configuring (but since you were not a fan of the UX so far, you son’t like the fact that the message to accept is in Chinese).
I am tired with all these discussion and dumped the old integration as a custom component into a GitHub repository. Please check out if you are interested
Maybe those of you with Tuya products who feel like they have been disregarded with this new version should also make their displeasure known by dropping their Nabu Casa subscription.
There are many who subscribe just to support them, but at the moment they are not really supporting you.
Ahhh. Okay that’s where I went wrong. Thanks a lot.
My verdict remains: this is a shitty user experience. I’d be fine with this if it were a third party open source integration. But for an official thing by the manufacturer it’s a total mess.
I have to be honest the onboarding is crappy. Setting up the extra Dev account is perverse, and yes, I wonder when the “free trial” will turn into “please pay us”.
On the other hand, this is a formal supported API, unlike the old integration which whilst developed by someone at Tuya, quickly stagnated when they moved on. And apparently will be shut down by end of year.
It was very good that Tuya (as a corporation) created a communication channel here and we could ask them to keep the old one alive until new one is good enough. This could be just a wish and Tuya might say no, I will kill. Maybe all of these actually happened, but we do not know.
your question is about me and my fictional actions, what if situations, which is not unrelated at all. This should be cleared out did HA team ask Tuya if they can prolong the deprecation period until new one is good enough?
if Tuya said no, then it is a good reason for all user base to ditch tuya, if they want.
Hear me: I can understand the frustration, but it’s a situation that can / will arise for any cloud-based integration. Putting the blame on HA is quite unfair, here.
In hindsight, HA doing just plain nothing would have avoid them the blame.
They will remember that the next time such a occurence arise, trust me…
I tried to avoid speculation at all, just asking basic questions without putting answer, just pure questions. Apparently, we have different definitions for speculation. Even more, no blame at all in my posts, feel free to consume as you want.
EDIT: you maybe think that I am walking in speculation zone, I was referring to this message below, if it is going to be paid or when.
my main point;