I blocked my smart bulbs from the internet, and you can too

My home is full of cheap Wi-Fi smart bulbs that were hard to ignore because of how little they cost and how easy they were to set up. But as I got more into home labbing, I started questioning how much of my own setup was dependent on cloud services just for basic functionality.

When I learned there was a way to replace that cloud layer entirely with a local solution, I didn’t hesitate to rebuild my whole setup.

Why I wanted my smart bulbs off the internet in the first place

A light bulb shouldn’t need internet access

When you think about it, it’s kind of wild how much of the tech we use every day depends on the cloud.

I don’t really mind that on my PC or phone, since it usually adds convenience and reliability, but controlling something as simple as the lights in my own home really shouldn’t be cloud-dependent, especially when we’re talking about cheap, unbranded Wi-Fi smart bulbs that probably cost less than a decent meal.

Aside from the very real security concerns that come with these random smart bulbs I bought off Temu, it also just doesn’t make much sense to rely on an internet connection and some distant server just to turn lights on and off.

It’s something I didn’t think much about until I ran into it a few times during internet outages, where I could technically still see my lights, but couldn’t actually control them because they couldn’t talk to a server on the other side of the world.

Sure, cloud control is convenient in the rare case you want to do something remotely, like turning off a smart plug when you’re not home, which is why I’m only talking about smart bulbs here and not my plugs. But realistically, I’m only ever controlling lights when I’m home anyway, and no, I don’t really care if they stay on while I’m away as long as I’ve run my usual “everything off” automation before leaving.

Even when the internet is working, there’s still no guarantee the cloud side behaves properly or that every bulb actually responds. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve triggered an automation to toggle all four bedroom lights and only two or three actually did what they were told.

It’s worth noting that local systems like Zigbee and proper smart switches don’t really deal with these issues, but here I am still relying on Wi-Fi smart bulbs. Oh well.

Between the inconsistency, the dependency on external servers, and the occasional outright failure, it just made sense to finally try and get these smart bulbs offline.

Brand

Oraluce

Integrations

Tuya, Google Home, Alexa

The Oraluce Smart Light Bulbs are WiFi and Bluetooth-enabled E12 LEDs that are dimmable, color-changing, and easy to install. They’re compatible with Alexa, Google Home, and the SmartLife app, which makes remote control and smart home integration simple.

I moved everything into Home Assistant running on my NAS

Replacing the cloud with control

Credit: Ismar Hrnjicevic / How-To Geek

My unbranded Wi-Fi smart bulbs are actually Tuya-compatible, and luckily for me, my colleague Adam Davidson pointed out that he’s had good luck controlling Tuya devices locally at home using a Home Assistant integration called Tuya Local. I already had Home Assistant running in a Docker container on my DIY NAS, so this project was a perfect fit.

Tuya Local is pretty much exactly what the name implies—it allows Home Assistant to talk directly to the IP addresses of Tuya devices over my local network instead of relying on the cloud. This means the integration keeps working even when the internet is out, with significantly more responsive and reliable control. It effectively puts me in charge of being my own cloud.

Presumably, most of these unbranded smart home gadgets should be able to connect through Tuya Local even if they don’t explicitly mention Tuya support, so if you’re in a similar situation as me, it’s worth trying.

Note that there’s an older integration called Local Tuya that essentially does the same thing, which is also worth a shot if you’re having trouble with Tuya Local.

To set up Tuya Local, I first had to install the Home Assistant Community Store (HACS), which only took a few minutes. From there, installing Tuya Local was done in just a few clicks in HACS, and I was good to go.

Next up, I had to connect the bulbs to Tuya Local. There are a couple of ways to do this, and I opted for the automated solution that involves using the SmartLife app that came with my smart bulbs.

You can replicate it in Home Assistant by going to Dashboard > Settings > Devices & services > Add integration > Tuya Local. Select SmartLife cloud-assisted device setup, then follow the on-screen instructions to provide Tuya Local with the information it needs.

When you’re done, add your devices. You’ll need to identify the individual IP address for each device you want to control and set static IP addresses for them (which you can reserve through your router’s DHCP server).

And just like that, the bulbs are now controlled by your Home Assistant setup. Note that this doesn’t block the cloud, and the devices can still call home.

If you want to take them offline as I did, you’ll need to take a few extra steps.

I restricted their internet access through parental controls by blocking internet access from 00:00 to 23:59. I tried doing a more “proper” setup using a firewall, but unfortunately my router doesn’t have granular support and would just block them from accessing the network entirely, which broke the Tuya Local integration altogether.

If you run AdGuard Home or Pi-hole, you can use them to restrict access too. Parental controls definitely did the trick for me, though!

Local control turned out to be simpler than I expected

I’ll admit that at first I was a little intimidated by how complicated the setup for Local Tuya seemed. However, it only took about an hour from start to finish, and most of that time was spent setting static IPs and trying to block internet access through a firewall before realizing that parental controls were a much simpler option.

Now I get the benefits of the setup: instantly responsive offline control of my light bulbs, without having to worry about privacy or security concerns down the line.