SmartLife: Why Sunrise/Sunset Automations Not Working?
Some beginners want to set up automation for sunrise/sunset for convenience, but unfortunately it did not run successfully. Here are some typical reasons that I have compiled, which may help you solve this problem.
Reason Why Smart Life Sunrise/Sunset Automation Is Not Running
The sunrise/sunset automation of Smart Life did not execute as expected, which may involve triggering conditions, home location, time zone, effective range of automation, device status, network connection, other automation conflicts, and app or cloud anomalies.
The official support document for Tuya specifically states that the sunrise/sunset trigger time depends on data from third-party weather platforms and may also be affected by the home location and time zone settings in the app; For automated execution failures, the official recommendation is to prioritize checking the execution logs and device online status.

1. Sunrise/Sunset Trigger Condition Issue
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Possible Reasons |
Specific Manifestations |
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Choosing the wrong trigger type |
Setting up sunrise, actually hoping to execute at sunset, or vice versa |
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Sunrise/Sunset offset time setting error |
Setting advance or delay time, actual execution time is different from expected |
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Incorrect setting of home location |
App calculates sunrise/sunset time based on incorrect city |
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Third party weather platform data abnormality |
The sunrise/sunset time is not updated in a timely manner or the calculation is inaccurate |
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The triggering condition has not been recognized by the system |
Automation did not generate the expected trigger records |
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Automation not saved successfully |
After modifying the conditions, it was not saved correctly and still uses the old configuration |
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Automation not enabled |
The rule exists, but it is actually closed |
Tuya confirm that sunrise/sunset is not a fixed daily time; You can set the advance or delay time in the conditions, with a support range of 5 minutes to 5 hours.
2. Time Zone, Daylight Saving Time and Time Caculation Issues
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Possible Reasons |
Specific Manifestations |
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Mobile system time zone error |
Newly configured devices may adopt incorrect time settings |
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Smart Life personal center time zone error |
Scheduled tasks may be executed earlier or later |
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Time zone error in device information |
The execution time of the device is inconsistent with the local time |
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Time not synchronized after switching to daylight saving time |
Possible occurrence of one hour ahead or behind schedule |
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Retain the old timing rules even after changing the time zone |
The new time zone is inconsistent with the original task configuration |
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The time information was not updated correctly after the device was reconfigured |
Scheduled or sunrise/sunset missions may still be abnormal |

If automation runs every day but always advances or postpones a fixed time, prioritize checking time zones, daylight saving time, and old rules instead of suspecting switch hardware first.
3. Effective Scope and Conditional Logic Issues of Automation
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Possible Reasons |
Specific Manifestations |
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The effective range setting is incorrect |
Automation is only allowed to execute during specific time periods |
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The effective range at night does not match the triggering time |
When the sunrise/sunset is triggered, it is not within the time period allowed by the rules |
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Set additional time conditions |
When sunrise/sunset occurs, additional time conditions are not met |
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Multiple conditions selected the wrong logic |
Misuse All conditions are met or Any condition is met |
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Equipment status conditions not met |
For example, if a switch is required to be OFF, but it is actually ON |
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Condition device offline or status not updated |
The system is unable to determine the triggering conditions as expected |
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Failed to save again after modifying the conditions |
The actual rules executed are inconsistent with the expected display on the page |
Smart Life supports setting multiple triggering conditions and selecting to meet any or all conditions; Automation can also set an effective time range.
4. Equipment, Network and Gateway Issues
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Possible Reasons |
Specific Manifestations |
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Smart switch or socket power failure |
Automation has a chance to trigger, but the device cannot perform the action |
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Wi-Fi devices offline |
App shows offline or device cannot be remotely controlled |
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Home Wi-Fi is unstable |
Automation execution failure or response delay |
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Temporary router or internet failure |
Cloud based automation may not function properly |
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Zigbee gateway offline |
Devices under the gateway are unable to receive control commands properly |
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Bluetooth device beyond effective communication range |
The device cannot receive scene control commands |
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Abnormal connection between gateway and sub device |
Other devices are functioning normally, but specific devices are unable to respond |
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The device did not synchronize the time correctly after power failure and restart |
The timing function may be affected |
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After the device is reconfigured or reset, the old task is abnormal |
Automation still exists, but device associations or task configurations may not be functioning properly |
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Device firmware or hardware abnormalities |
Both manual control and automation control may experience malfunctions |
Check the power supply, online status, and network stability of the equipment first when there is an automation exception, and then check the execution log; If it still fails, you can try creating the task again.
5. Other Automated Coverage or Interference Equipment Status
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Possible Reasons |
Specific Manifestations |
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Other automation systems have turned off the same light |
At sunset, the lights turn on, and then they are turned off by other rules |
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Multiple automation systems simultaneously control the same equipment |
Repeatedly sending switch commands according to different rules |
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Timed tasks conflict with sunrise/sunset automation |
Fixed time tasks have changed the device status |
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Countdown task changes device status |
After the device is turned on, the countdown time will automatically turn off |
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The sensor automation triggered the opposite action |
Rules such as door magnets and human body sensors have turned off the lights |
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Automated conditions trigger each other |
After a rule changes the device state, it triggers another rule |
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Other family members manually control the device |
Manual operation changed the expected state of automation |
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Other user operations in the device sharing account |
Other users may change the device status through the app |
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Changes in device status after power outage recovery |
After the device is powered on again, the status may change |
For the issue of device self switching, existing timing, automation, countdown tasks, shared user operations, and firmware status should be checked.
Special distinction needs to be made: Other automation systems usually do not directly stop triggering sunrise/sunset rules, but they may change the state of the lights after triggering, causing users to mistakenly believe that the original rules are not running.
6. Smart Life App, Abnormal Cloud and Rule Configuration
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Possible Reasons |
Specific Manifestations |
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Temporary abnormality of the app |
The automated page displays normally, but the execution behavior is abnormal |
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Cloud service or task synchronization temporarily abnormal |
Automation occasional failure, to be restored later |
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Damaged or abnormal automation configuration |
Other rules are normal, but one rule continues to fail |
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Abnormal association between equipment and automation |
Manual control is normal, but scene control fails |
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App version or firmware compatibility issues |
Abnormalities occur after the update, or specific device functions are unavailable |
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Automated execution record error occurred |
Failed links can be further located through logs |
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The scene task was not saved correctly |
The triggering condition exists, but the actual execution action is incomplete |
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Automated duplicate creation or residual old rules |
The same device is repeatedly controlled by multiple rules |
Among these reasons, cloud anomalies, configuration synchronization issues, etc. need to be confirmed through execution records and actual testing, and cannot be judged solely based on automated pages.Suggest checking the task execution log first, and then checking the device or recreating the task based on the results.
How to Quickly Locate Faults Based on Their Manifestations?
Scenario 1: Running at the wrong time every day
Prioritize checking home location, device time zone, app time zone, and daylight saving time settings.
Scenario 2: Completely not running
Prioritize checking whether automation is enabled, effective range, triggering conditions, execution logs, and device online status.
Scenario 3: The light is turned on first and then turned off again
Prioritize checking other automation, fixed timing tasks, countdown, and sensor rules.
Scenario 4: Manual control is normal, automation is abnormal
Prioritize checking automation conditions, execution records, equipment associations, and task configurations.
Scenario 5: Multiple devices malfunction simultaneously
Prioritize checking the home network, gateway, time zone, home location, and whether there are common automation configuration issues.
Recommended Troubleshooting Sequence
As a beginner, you may be at a loss when troubleshooting. To avoid modifying too many settings at once, here are suggestions for the order of troubleshooting:
1. View automation execution logs: Confirm if the rule has been triggered and if execution has failed.
2. Check the home location and time zone: Especially when the sunrise/sunset time is incorrect.
3. Check the valid range and conditional logic: Confirm that the sunrise/sunset rule is indeed allowed to be executed.
4. Manually control the target device: Confirm that the device is online and able to respond normally.
5. Temporarily disable automation that controls the same device: Observe if the problem disappears.
6. Re-save or rebuild problematic rules: If everything is normal before, consider this step again.
7. Contact Tuya or device manufacturer support if the issue is still unresolved: Provide device ID, time of failure, and execution log.

