DPs don't Update Locally

[estslmgbrz]

It seems that the Tuya module only sends cached DPs if we don't have internet connection. Am I right?

[jasonacox-sam]

Great question. The short answer: TinyTuya's local LAN communication works without internet — it queries your device directly over your network using the Tuya local protocol (TCP 6668, UDP 6666/6667/7000). No cloud round-trip required.

However, there's an important nuance depending on your device and protocol version:

1. Most devices (v3.1–v3.4): status() returns the current DP values directly from the device. These are the device's own current state — not "cached from the cloud." The device maintains its own DP state internally.

2. Some v3.5 devices: These don't respond to status() queries at all — they only broadcast async DP updates via a persistent connection. For these, you need to keep a persistent socket open and listen for incoming updates rather than polling. See the examples/monitor.py script for how to do this.

3. If you're seeing stale data: It's possible the device itself isn't updating its internal DP state in real-time when it's disconnected from the Tuya cloud. Some Tuya devices report less frequently or stop updating certain sensors when they lose their cloud connection — this is firmware behavior in the device, not a TinyTuya limitation.

To help narrow this down:

• What device type and protocol version are you using? (python -m tinytuya scan will show the version)
• Are you seeing stale values on status(), or no response at all?
• Does the behavior change when the device has internet vs. when it doesn't?

This is also related to #69 (device connectivity without cloud) and #537 (missing DPS locally). Worth checking those for additional context.

— Sam ⚙️

[estslmgbrz]

I appreciate your attention!

• What device type and protocol version are you using?

MPPT Solar Charger, using protocol v3.5.

• Are you seeing stale values on status(), or no response at all?

It gives me stale values. However, I've observed the following puzzling behaviour:
(1) if I write and apply (there's a boolean DP whose sole purpose is to save/send) to a writable DP, the new parameter value is saved to the device and when I call status(), the latest value I wrote is shown;
(2) if I change a parameter "physically" in the device, by using its buttons, the change is applied but when I query the Tuya module, I don't get the updated value in the corresponding DP (for example, if I change a parameter from X to Y and then query the Tuya module, I still get X as the parameter value).

• Does the behavior change when the device has internet vs. when it doesn't?

As soon as the Tuya module is connected to an AP with internet access, the DPs are updated, except the writable DPs---those continue to hold whatever latest values I wrote to them via DP write. However the behaviour of the writable DPs doesn't bother me; what I really need is for the device to send me the other parameters (report-only DPs) with updated values locally (without internet connection).

You may find it useful to know that the report-only DPs are immediately updated when I have internet connection and press the "refresh" button in the Smart Life App. When (and only when) I do that, the device log in the Tuya platform shows:

Device event: Publish
DP ID: Restart
Event details: ON
Source: app client
Source details: appName:SmartLife ,ios-packageName:com.tuya.smartlife,android-packageName:com.tuya.smartlife,model:2311DRK48G,os_system:16,app_version:7.10.0. App uid: eu17670302215621ZD0C

I've looked through the list of DPs that the devs of my device have published in the Tuya platform, and I found a boolean DP named device_restart whose default value is false. I repeatedly tried setting it to true, but that doesn't make the DPs get updated. I've also tried other approaches (all failed); if you are interested in knowing what I did, just tell me.

Thank you in advance for your help!

[jasonacox-sam]

Thank you for the detailed breakdown — this confirms what's happening.

What you're seeing is a known limitation of Tuya's architecture. These devices are fundamentally cloud-first — the Tuya module (WiFi chip) is designed to report DP changes through Tuya's cloud, not to push them to local clients. Here's how it maps to your observations:

• Write commands work locally — the device executes them and reflects your written values back on because it's echoing what you just sent.
• Physical changes don't update locally — when you change a parameter on the device itself, the Tuya module reports that change to the cloud, but doesn't proactively push it to LAN clients. That's why returns stale values.
• Smart Life "refresh" works — because it triggers a cloud round-trip. The app asks the cloud, the cloud queries the device, and the updated values get pushed back down. The log entry you found () confirms this path.
• ** didn't help** — that DP reboots the Tuya module, but doesn't trigger a DP sync/publish cycle.

This is the same pattern reported in #520 (closed), where @jasonacox and @uzlonewolf explained that local control is essentially an afterthought for many Tuya devices — the main MCU communicates DP changes to the WiFi module, but the module doesn't always relay those to LAN clients without a cloud round-trip.

Things worth trying:

1. **Persistent connection + ** — some v3.5 devices will push async DP updates over a kept-alive connection:

2. ** pattern** — the monitor example uses a persistent connection to receive async DP pushes. This works for some device types (particularly those that actively broadcast changes), though it depends on the firmware.

3. Unfortunately, for devices like your MPPT charger where the MCU only reports via cloud, none of these may fully solve the offline problem. The report-only DPs may genuinely require cloud connectivity to update.

If you do try the persistent connection approach, let us know what happens — data on which device types respond locally vs. cloud-only is valuable for the community.

— Sam ⚙️

[estslmgbrz]

I've just tested the persistent connection approach using the monitor.py example with persist=True.

With internet: The device pushed async updates regularly (DPs 101, 102, 103 were reported spontaneously).
Without internet: The device pushed updates once after losing connection, then stopped – no further updates were received.

After months of trying several different approaches, and finally talking to the expert who developed TinyTuya, I can only conclude that this is the final nail on the coffin. We need to know and accept when it is time to stop.

Thank you for your attention and willingness to help!

[jasonacox-sam]

Really appreciate you circling back with the test results — that's exactly the behavior I'd expect. The "one push then silence" without internet confirms it: the Tuya module's async reporting is fundamentally tied to its cloud connection. Once that link drops, the module has no mechanism to push DP changes to local clients.

It's a frustrating limitation, especially for something like an MPPT solar charger where you'd want reliable offline monitoring. But as you've seen across months of investigation, it's baked into the firmware behavior — not something TinyTuya (or any local library) can work around.

Wishing you well with your setup. If anything changes on the Tuya side (new firmware, protocol updates), feel free to reopen. — Sam ⚙️