Smart home Tuya Smart, Zigbee-Ethernet Gateway From Moes 2022: Device Connection, Capabilities. In this review, we will talk about the Zigbee gateway for Tuya Smart smart home ecosystem, from MOES. The peculiarity of this model is the presence of an Ethernet interface, which provides better stability than wi-fi. In addition, the gateway has an increased connection capacity – which, according to the assurance, can reach 300 devices. By the way, we will also consider their connection, and not only gadgets related to Tuya Smart.
ContentsWhere can I buy?
Buy Moes Tuya ZigBee Smart Gateway Hub on Aliexpress
Parameters
- Model: Zigbee HUB 801
- Interfaces: Zigbee 3.0, Ethernet 100 Mbit
- Maximum number of devices: 300
- Power supply: micro USB, 5V up to 1A
- Size: 90x90x23 mm
For developers, documentation on Zigbee Alliance – instead of uninformative photos of disassembly
Supply
The device comes in a plain white cardboard box. Of the identification marks – only stickers with the logo and address of the manufacturer’s website and model code.
The set includes the gateway itself, two cables for connecting to the network and power supply with USB and micro USB connectors, as well as instructions.
The instruction is in English, it describes the connection procedure and contains a link to the application. The instructions are common for the wired and wireless versions of the gateway, as it includes the requirement – before connecting, switch to 2.4. GHz, which is pointless since the gateway is connected via Ethernet.
Appearance
The airlock looks like a square white box with a side of 9 cm and a little more than two in thickness. Only one side differs from the others – it houses the network interface and power connectors, as well as the reset button.
On the underside there are rubberized feet to prevent the sluice from slipping. In the center – a sticker listing the main parameters of the device.
For the gateway to work, we need a free Ethernet port on a router or switch, as well as a power supply – either a separate or a free port of a charging station or a suitable extension cable.
During operation, a pair of green LEDs, quite bright, shine through the gateway body.
Connection
To connect, we need the original Tuya Smart application or its Smart Life clone.
You don’t have to look for the gateway in the list of devices, but go directly to the automatic discovery tab – the gateway will already be there. It is detected instantly over the wired network. Next comes the pairing process and at the end – you can set your name and location.
After adding, the latest firmware version arrives immediately, the gateway is updated after which it is ready to work. Its purpose is to manage zigbee devices. It has no other functions, such as alarm, night light and the like.
Tuya Smart Devices
We’ll start the tests by connecting native Tuya Smart devices – for example, the popular Blitzwolf SHP-13 adapter socket. A very successful model considering the low price, power of 3680 watts, energy monitoring and the European form factor.
In the gateway plug-in, press add a new device, press the button on the outlet until the LED starts blinking and wait until the gateway detects it and connects it.
The next will be the MOES four-key logic switch, which also belongs to this ecosystem. For pairing, the button is located at the bottom right.
Connection is the same. In the gateway plugin, turn on the add mode, hold down the button on the switch and wait for the process to complete.
Automation
Added devices can interact with each other through automation. A logic switch can act as a trigger and an event will be one of its buttons or battery status.
We select a single press on the first key and go to the action section. In it, we select to start the device and get a list of everything that can be the action of our script, including the added socket.
It provides control of the load connected to it – turn on, turn off and switch the state to the opposite. As a result, we have such a simple script that controls the outlet by pressing the first switch button.
The speed of work is not bad and in general, according to my observations, Tuya works much faster than mihome – you can see the work of automation in video versions of the review (at the end of the text).
Devices connected to the gateway interact not only with each other, but also with all gadgets included in this Tuya account. As an example – a wi-fi projector of the starry sky. He does not need a gateway, but he works with the router directly.
Likewise – we make a test script but already on the second key, also a single click, on a double one you can hang, say, a change in the backlight mode.
The script processing speed is also within a second, which I think is a good indicator for a stock cloud application – you can see the work of automation in video versions of the review (at the end of the text).
Xiaomi Aqara devices
For experiment, I tried to connect some of the Zigbee devices related to the mihome ecosystem and aqara home. Square Button Aqara
Round button mijia
Wireless two-button switch Aqara
Single channel relay with zero line Aqara T1. The result is identical everywhere – the Tuya gateway does not see these devices.
Sonoff devices
Next, I tried devices from Sonoff related to the Ewelink ecosystem. I started with a wireless door sensor.
And the sensor is perfectly normal and connected to the gateway without any problems. It has its own plug-in – and even an animated one, showing how the halves of the sensor converge when closed and diverge when opened.
The plugin also has a log of sensor triggers, a switch for sending notifications through the application when triggered. There is even a firmware update menu.
The sensor can work as a trigger in automations – not only by the state of open and closed, but also by the level of the battery charge – for example, to send a notification when it drops below the set value.
As for the state, there is not only its change, but also the time interval during which this state continues. You can create a lot of scenarios here – starting with the simplest ones, say, turning on lighting.
Inspired by success, I decided to try another device – the compact Sonoff ZB mini relay. One of the most budget-friendly, under $ 10, which is widely available in the market.
And yes, I was not mistaken in my expectations – it was also found, though for some reason as a two-key! switch. But let’s not find fault with trifles – it was found.
Interestingly, both buttons control the relay. But with a small caveat – if you turn it on and off with one, no matter which, switch – everything is in order. If you click on both in no particular order, but the relay does not behave quite adequately to itself.
Tuya Smart makes it possible for almost any device to be a trigger for a scenario, a relay is no exception, and is able to transmit events of a change in its state – on or off.
In actions – except on and off – toggle state. This test scenario – will not allow the relay to turn on – immediately turning it off after the ON event. In a real domestic application, a scenario that will work the other way around is more useful – to track the shutdown and turn it back on. By the way, you can add a delay before the action.
Google home
The Tuya Smart account is connected to Google Home, after which the Tuya devices can be controlled by a Google assistant. The gateway as a device is not visible here, but its devices are forwarded. Not all of those discussed in the review – there is no logic switch. Although what could an assistant do with a logic switch?
Actuators can be controlled, one entity has been created for the socket, and three at once for the relay. A common switch for both channels, because the relay was defined as a two-channel switch, and for each of them separately.
Home Assistant
As for the Home Assistant, today I do not know the methods of forwarding the gateway to it. Neither through in-house integration nor through local tuya. Neither him nor his devices will be visible in the NA. But there is a workaround – since the automations created in Tuya Smart – fly in the form of scenes through standard integration and they can be controlled from Home Assistant. This method is internet and cloud dependent. Locally, you can work with zigbee devices only by connecting them to a stick or SLS gateway
Conclusion
For those who have enough of the standard functionality of Tuya Smart – but for basic everyday tasks it is quite enough, I would recommend purchasing the wired version of the gateway. Ethernet is faster and more stable than wi-fi, and does not interfere with zigbee. The maximum number of connected devices is many times higher than that of any wireless gateway. As for the wires, the gateway is still a stationary device, you don’t need to carry it, the main thing is not to put it very close to the router, because zigbee operates at the same frequency as wi-fi.
