Smart Life integrates compatible smart devices to a centralized point. Smart Life facilitates linking your devices to your home network and provides a medium to control them. Smart Life finds, registers, and initializes your device during the setup process. However, sometimes you can experience the “device adding timeout on the Smart Life app.”
So, why is your connection timing out, and how do you go about it? Stick around as we help you troubleshoot and fix the connection problem. Thus, getting your device hooked to your network and controllable from the Smart Life app.
Device Adding Timeout Smart Life
A Smart Life timeout during the initial device setup occurs when the app can’t find the device on your network or won’t access the cloud servers to register the device to your account. A weak Wi-Fi network signal, server outage in your select location, or software issues on the Smart Life app cause this. Therefore, Smart Life fails to add your device.
Smart Life requires a stable and robust network connection to sync the smart device to your account and the cloud servers.
That being said, here is a list of factors that could cause Smart Life timeout during device setup;
- Using a poor Wi-Fi network connection
- Running a VPN on your mobile device – prevents Smart Life from identifying devices on your network.
- Connecting to a 5 GHz Wi-Fi network
- The device not being in pairing mode and power issues affecting it
- The device isn’t within your Wi-Fi network range
- Smart Life server outage
Once the Smart Life app encounters one of such factors during the device connection stage, it times out as it can’t find and register the device within the stipulated two minutes. The device addition ultimately fails.
Fixing Smart Life Failed to Add Device
If the app is timing out and failing to your device to the Smart Life account, a quick troubleshooting should help you identify the cause and fix the issue. Thus, adding your device to your Smart Life app.
Before getting into the thick of things, ensure that your device is compatible with Smart Life.
Check the device’s manual and confirm that Smart Life is listed as a compatible app. Some products won’t allow you to add them to the Tuya ecosystem after registering to their cloud servers.
Again, ensure that your mobile device is connected to the same network you intend to connect to, and VPN is disabled. If you have an Ad guard app, disable it too.
Try out these troubleshooting tips to get your device to connect to Smart Life.
Read Also: Smart Life Device Offline
Power Cycle Your Devices
Rebooting a device helps clear out software bugs or conflicting files affecting its connection. Therefore, restart your network router, phone, and smart device.
Unplug the router, give it 20 to 30 seconds, and plug it back. Once the router restarts, wait for it to initialize the Wi-Fi network and test that you can access the internet.
Now, restart your smart device, unplug it from the power outlet, wait 1 minute for it to discharge, and reconnect it to power. Finally, restart the mobile device and reconnect to your Wi-Fi network.
Launch the Smart Life app and test whether the device connects. Ensure the device and your mobile device are close to the router for a strong Wi-Fi signal.
Check Your Wi-Fi Network Settings
Smart Life devices connect to the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band like most smart home devices. Therefore, ensure that your router is set to broadcast this frequency. If your router broadcasts the 5 and 2.4 GHz frequencies in a single SSID, turn off the 5 GHz option on the router’s admin portal.
Alternatively, separate the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies into different entities and connect your mobile device to the 2.4 GHz frequency when setting up the smart device.
Login to your router admin panel and manage your Wi-Fi network appropriately – have distinct SSIDs for 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies.
While on your router’s portal, ensure that MAC address filtering is off. This option can prevent your router from allocating unrecognizable devices’ IP addresses.
Also, ensure that your Wi-Fi password doesn’t contain any special characters that could be interpreted differently by the Smart Life app. Avoid characters like “ \ { } $ * ) # on your Wi-Fi password.
Finally, ensure your Wi-Fi network encryption is set to WPA2-PSK and the authorization type is AES.
Ensure your Wi-Fi network isn’t hidden. Smart devices won’t connect to hidden networks.
If your Wi-Fi network is overcrowded – by connecting many devices, power off or disconnect some devices and power cycle your network router. Once it restarts, connect your mobile device and try adding your device to the app.
If you make any changes on the admin portal, forget the Wi-Fi network on your mobile device, restart the devices and connect to the updated Wi-Fi SSID. Now try connecting your device to test the connection.
Troubleshoot The Smart Life App
Prolonged cache build-up on the Smart Life app can lead to dysfunction. Clear the app cache on your app and try reconnecting your device.
To clear cache, open the Smart Life app > tap the “Me/account” icon > Select the top right “Settings” icon > Tap Clear Cache under settings.
If cache clearing doesn’t suffice, uninstall and reinstall the Smart Life app from your respective store. Try connecting your device.
Connect the Device in AP Mode
AP mode allows you to connect to the device’s hotspot during the setup process. This is handy in identifying faulty smart devices.
If the smart device can’t broadcast a hotspot when pairing in AP mode, chances are that it’s faulty and needs replacing.
Here is how to connect a Smart Life device in AP mode;
- Launch the Smart Life on your mobile device
- Tap the “+” icon or “Add Device” button to add a new device
- Select the Device category on the left. Tap the appropriate category for your device—for example, Lighting.
- Select the correct device type based on its features. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, etc. device.
- Connect to your network. Choose a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network and enter the correct password. Tap Next.
- Pairing mode. Tap the confirm button if your device LED blinks, or follow the in-app instructions to reset the device.
- Choose the blinking mode. The quick flashing allows you to connect in EZ mode without pairing to the device hotspot, unlike the AP mode (slow flashing). Tap the first option (Slow Flashing) to connect the device through AP mode.
- Device hotspot. Tap the “Go to connect” button to load up your phone’s settings and connect to the “SmartLife-XXXX” network. Return to the Smart Life app and confirm the hotspot connection to proceed.
- Connecting device. Let the app find, register, and initialize your smart device.
- Name the device. Use an English name or regular characters to name your device.
Access the device on the home screen for customization and control. Test that the device responds to the app.
Setup on A Different Mobile Device
If your network is on point and the device is reset, but it still won’t connect, it is time to focus on your mobile device. There could be something wrong with the mobile device you are using to set up the device on smart life.
Try a different mobile device, probably running on another operating system. If you were using an android device, switch to an iOS one and vice versa.
Install the Smart Life app on the new device, log in to your account, put the device in pairing mode, and try adding it to your account.
Try Again Later
The app could be timing out due to a server outage on your select location or miscommunication between Smart Life and the cloud servers.
Taking a break and retrying the connection process after a couple of hours could be helpful. Once the server has been restored to full functionality. Let things cool down and retry.
Final Thoughts
It can be frustrating when you can’t link your smart device to your home setup. Without smart controls and internet access, smart devices aren’t smart. Through these troubleshooting guidelines, your device should connect in a bit.
Also, in nothing helps, try setting up the device on the parent brand app. If the device connects and can be controlled from the app, it could have compatibility challenges with Smart Life.
