One of the new products from the European brand Nous is the Nous B4Z 2-gang smart relay with energy monitoring, equipped with a Tuya Zigbee chip, designed for the smart control of roller motors, motorized shades, motorized curtains, and other bidirectional motors, even when installed behind light switch panels.
The Nous B4Z relay module contains a Tuya Zigbee chip and needs to be connected to a Tuya Zigbee gateway for remote control using the Tuya / SmartLife smartphone app.
What is the Tuya / SmartLife smart home platform and app?
Tuya is a popular cloud-based smart home platform that offers integrated solutions for various smart home devices and applications. The platform allows quick and easy pairing of devices, remote control, and management through a single app interface. Tuya, also known as SmartLife, provides users with a comprehensive smart home ecosystem, including devices from numerous manufacturers.
It supports voice control, remote access, and automated processes (scenes). The Tuya platform integrates with a range of other smart home ecosystems, such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and SmartThings, enabling Tuya devices to be used on these platforms as well. Tuya - similar to the global eWeLink platform - is also a cloud-based system, but the quality of available Tuya devices can vary significantly.
In the Tuya lineup, the European brand Nous offers stable quality Tuya devices. Their devices can be used with the Nous app or the standard Tuya app.
The Nous B4Z Tuya Zigbee smart motor control module is a 2-gang smart relay module with a built-in energy monitoring function, supporting 100-240V AC or 24-30V DC power supply. It can be connected to Nous' own Zigbee gateway or other standard Tuya Zigbee gateways via the built-in Tuya Zigbee chip.
The device can be controlled via the Nous app on smartphones, but it can also be used with the Tuya app, which offers more functionalities according to user experience.
Thanks to its small size, it fits into standard-depth wall outlet boxes, even behind traditional light switches. It has inputs for motor up/down (or open/close control), allowing smartified wall roller switches to remain usable as before.
The Nous B4Z is a relay module for the Tuya smart home system, primarily operating in cloud mode. However, for Tuya Zigbee gateways that can cache and execute automations locally, its automations can work without an internet connection.
When connected to a Tuya Zigbee gateway, it supports voice control via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and (for iOS phones) Siri.
Main Features:
- Tuya Zigbee chip connection: Connects to Tuya Zigbee gateways via the 2.4 GHz Tuya Zigbee protocol.
- Motor control: Controls the two circuits alternately (i.e., interlocking or changeover switching). Specifically suitable for roller and motor control.
- Energy monitoring: Accurate real-time energy consumption monitoring.
- Wall-mounted installation: The module can be installed behind switches, discreetly smartening up the selected traditional switch family.
- Voice control: Compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa systems, allowing control via voice commands (with Tuya Zigbee gateways).
