What Are Tuya Smart Devices & How Do They Work?

If you've searched for smart devices on Amazon, there's a good chance you've come across products with the Tuya label. At first glance, it may appear that Tuya is a product line. After all, its name is often prominently featured in the product titles of a range of devices, including smart bulbs, plugs, cameras, and other home gadgets. Indeed, Tuya provides the technology behind some of the best smart devices on the market, according to Amazon reviews. The company provides artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) platforms that make it easy for manufacturers to add smart features to their products, like remote control, scheduling, and compatibility with voice assistants.

Tuya got its start back in 2014 when it was founded by Jerry Wang, who'd previously held senior positions at Alibaba Group. The company, headquartered in Hangzhou, China, has experienced significant growth since it went public in 2021, with its technology being used to power over 100,000 smart devices and its IoT development platform supporting more than 384,000 businesses worldwide. 

By all accounts, Tuya has been a modern-day tech success story. However, the company isn't without critics, mainly due to concerns about privacy after reports surfaced that Tuya had servers based in China. Still, unlike the much-talked-about TikTok ban, there have been no serious calls to limit Tuya-powered devices in major markets like the U.S. or Europe. In fact, Tuya may already be working quietly in the background, powering some of your smart devices.

The next time you see a smart device, you might want to ask yourself, Is it powered by Tuya? You might be surprised to learn that Tuya's technology is behind many products across the smart home ecosystem. If you search Amazon, you'll encounter products like Daybetter Tuya smart light bulbs and Tuya Wi-Fi smart plugs. Given that the Tuya label is featured prominently in the product titles, many would believe that the company produced these products. However, that's not the case. While Tuya's technology powers some of the many must-have smart home devices, the company doesn't make these devices itself. Instead, manufacturers use their platform to add intelligence to everyday items — think smart bulbs, plugs, cameras, door locks, thermostats, air purifiers, and even kitchen appliances.

Just about every type of smart device you can think of could have a version powered by Tuya, even if it's sold under a completely different brand name. When looking at a smart device, if you see the words powered by Tuya, it means the device runs on Tuya's platform and gets its smart features, like app control and voice assistant support, from their technology. These Tuya-powered devices work with Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings, making it easy for users to connect and control devices from different brands in one place. You'll often find Tuya-powered devices sold under generic or regional brand names like Eightree in the U.S., Brilliant in Australia, Calex in Europe, and SMD in South Africa. 

Tuya describes itself as a global IoT development platform that "enables businesses to create a new revenue stream by taking products start to finish from unconnected to connected." Tuya's platform works much like other Platform as a Service (PaaS) solutions, providing businesses with a suite of tools, including embedded hardware, cloud services, AI capabilities, and user-friendly applications to help them develop smart features for their products and bring them to market faster. A manufacturer can use Tuya's hardware modules in its products to enable connectivity via wireless protocols such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Matter. That flexibility means Tuya can be used in all kinds of devices—from lights and appliances to security systems.

Once a device is equipped with Tuya's modules, it's ready to connect to Tuya's IoT Cloud Platform, which includes services like device management, scenario automation, and data analytics. Thanks to the cloud, these devices can be controlled from anywhere, set up to run automation routines, and even share helpful data about how they're being used. If you have a Tuya-powered smart device in your home, you'll most likely use the Tuya Smart App or another compatible app to control it. These apps act like a central hub, making it possible for you to manage multiple devices, create automation routines, and check on things in real time. You can set up your devices to use with voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant.