Create Products

Product creation is the first step in product development. A smart product has a globally unique identifier—Product ID (PID). The product contains all the metadata of the smart device set you can deploy in the actual scenarios, including the core and basic functional attributes in product development. The metadata also includes customized support services. Based on products, the entire process of product development goes from product creation to production scheduling.

This topic describes how to create a smart product on the Tuya IoT Development Platform.

Before you start

1. Learn about product solutions. Before creating a product, you can visit Solution Center to learn about Tuya’s product development solutions, find out more about features of a specified product category, and look for alternative product solutions.
2. Learn more communication protocols. IoT protocols and standards are classified into:
   • Network protocols: Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Bluetooth, Long Range (LoRa), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), cellular networks (such as 5G), Tuya Beacon, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Modbus, serial port types (such as RS-433, RS-485, USB), and more. During product creation, the support for network protocols varies depending on the product category.
   • IoT data protocols: HTTP/HTTPS, Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP), Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT), Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP), Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP), and Java Message Service (JMS), and more.
3. Learn about device integration methods. The integration methods, also known as smart modes, determine the two-way communication method between your product and Tuya IoT Development Platform. For more information, see Smart Mode.

Prerequisites

A developer account is registered on the Tuya IoT Development Platform and the account identity is verified.

Procedure

Step 1: Select a category

1. Log in to the Tuya IoT Development Platform.

2. On the homepage, click Create.

   

3. On the Standard Category or By Business Type tab, select your desired category.

   • Method 1: Select the level-1 and level-2 categories, and then a specified product. For example, click Electrical and select Socket under Plug & Outlet.

     

   • Method 2: If you are not sure which category a product belongs to, you can click the search icon in the top right corner, and enter a category name in the search box.

     

Step 2: Select a smart mode

Smart modes are used to distinguish the device integration methods. TuyaOS and TuyaLink are available for you to choose from. For more information about their definitions and difference, see Smart Mode.

Step 3: Select a solution

Based on the smart mode you have selected, you can continue to select a solution with varied development difficulty and flexibility.

• No-Code Development: You only need to create a product and purchase the corresponding module to complete the development.

  • Only TuyaOS smart mode supports no-code development.
  • No-code development solutions only apply to some product categories, such as electrical, lighting, sensor, IP camera, voice & control panel, outdoor travel, and gateway control.

• Custom Solution: You need to implement product application logic by yourself, and use MCU SDK, TuyaOS, or TuyaLink to manage connections between the device and the cloud.

  As a more flexible development method, custom solutions apply to a wider range of categories and achieve more diversified features. However, it is more difficult to deal with custom solutions.

Step 4: Complete product information

You can describe the product and confirm its communication type. The product information varies depending on the smart mode and solution you have selected. Meanwhile, the product category you have selected also affects the product information options. The actual instructions on the page shall prevail. Here are some examples.

• No-code development:
  

• Custom solution:

  • TuyaOS:

    

  • TuyaLink:

    

The following table lists the description of product information:

Next steps

After a product is created, you can perform the following actions based on your selected smart mode:

• TuyaOS: You can add functions to this product, including standard functions, custom functions, and advanced functions. For more information, see Product Functions.
• TuyaLink: You can define functions for a TuyaLink-based product. For more information, see Function Definition.