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Real-Time Monitoring
Voltage, current, power, power factor and energy, shown live in the browser as the device reports them.
the result
This is what Power Trace shows for a GR2PWS: live readings, charts for any period and the cost of what you used.
The ATORCH GR2PWS is a DIN-rail smart energy meter with a built-in relay. It measures voltage, current, power and accumulated energy, protects the circuit against over- and under-voltage and against current or power overload, shows the readings on its colour screen, and can switch the load on and off from the Tuya or Smart Life app.
Many owners want more than the numbers on the screen: they want the measurements on their own computer — stored locally, drawn as charts and turned into a bill. There are several ways to get there. Home Assistant with Tuya Local or LocalTuya is one. ESPHome or another custom firmware flashed onto the device is another. Power Trace is a standalone alternative for people who want the monitoring without running a full home-automation platform. This page walks through the options and shows where Power Trace fits.
Power Trace is independent software. It is not affiliated with ATORCH, Tuya,
Home Assistant, LocalTuya or Tuya Local. It has been tested with the ATORCH GR2PWS; other
Tuya-compatible devices may expose different data points and behave differently.
the device
What can you do with an ATORCH GR2PWS?
On its own the GR2PWS is a meter and a protective switch: live values on its screen and in the Tuya app. What people usually want from software on top of it is the same data over time.
Voltage
Current
Power
Power factor
Energy (kWh)
Electricity cost
Consumption history
Any of the approaches below can get the readings off the device. They differ in what else you have to run, whether the data stays on your network, and whether you get a monitoring screen out of the box or build one yourself.
options
How can you monitor an ATORCH GR2PWS?
Four common routes, side by side. None of them is “the right one” — it depends on what you already run at home.
| Method | Home Assistant required | Local operation | Dedicated monitoring dashboard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuya / Smart Life app | No | No | Yes |
| Home Assistant + Tuya Local / LocalTuya | Yes | Yes | Depends on your Home Assistant setup |
| ESPHome / custom firmware | Usually — depends on setup | Yes | Depends on setup |
| Power Trace | No | Yes | Yes |
If you already run Home Assistant, Tuya Local or LocalTuya may already provide everything you need. Power Trace is intended for users who want a standalone monitoring application — instead or alongside: its readings can be shown in Home Assistant too. The ESPHome route means replacing the firmware on the device itself; the other three leave the device as it came.
what you get
ATORCH GR2PWS Monitoring with Power Trace
A single application that reads the meter, keeps the history and shows it in the browser.
Energy History
Every reading is kept, so you can look at today, yesterday, a month, a year or any custom range as charts.
Electricity Billing
Cost is calculated from the tariff you enter in Settings — a single rate or a two-zone day/night tariff, in your currency.
Local Storage
Measurements are stored in an SQLite database next to the program, on your own PC or Raspberry Pi.
Browser Dashboard
The monitoring interface is a web page: open it in any browser on your network, on a desktop or on a phone.
No Cloud Monitoring Backend
Power Trace does not send your recorded measurements to a Power Trace cloud service, and there is no account. An optional update check can be switched off in Settings.
Remote Access
To open the dashboard from outside your home, Power Trace works with private networking tools such as Tailscale. Tailscale guide
Ready-to-Use Packages
A Windows installer and packages for Debian/Ubuntu and Raspberry Pi. No Python to install, nothing to build.
Analysis Report
On request, a built-in engine turns the recorded data into a report: a health score, voltage sags, load patterns and plain-language insights.
analysis
Not just charts: what is going on with your supply
The dashboard shows how much you use. The Analysis page explains what is wrong with those numbers and where to look for the cause. It answers questions charts cannot:
- →Are there voltage sags and spikes — how often, how deep and how long?
- →Can your supply handle the load — and when do you get close to the limit?
- →What switches on, when, and how much energy it uses — the background of the house against the boiler or the washing machine.
- →What consumption to expect next — a forecast from the recent days.
- →When the relay switched off and what the voltage did before it.
- →And all of it together — a health score from 0 to 100 that says what lowers it and what to check.
From the author’s own setup. Within a month the Raspberry Pi logged 23 large voltage sags. The analysis also showed that the voltage drops when a heavy load switches on, so the next step is to check the house wiring.
A month’s analysis report: health score, key insights and events.
Analysis is a hint where to look, not a certified test of your supply. It runs on your PC or Raspberry Pi from the same local data, and its thresholds can be changed on the Rules page.
How to read the analysis report →
under the hood
How does Power Trace connect to ATORCH GR2PWS?
Monitoring data stays local. Power Trace does not send your recorded measurements to a Power Trace cloud service. The Tuya cloud is needed only once, to get the Local Key: by signing in with Smart Life or with a Tuya IoT Platform account. An optional update check can be disabled in Settings.
- The GR2PWS joins your Wi-Fi through the Tuya or Smart Life app, as usual, and gets an address on your local network.
- Power Trace opens a connection to the device at that address using the device’s Local Key — the same local protocol Tuya devices speak on the LAN — and listens for the readings the device sends.
- Each reading is written to the local SQLite database.
- The built-in web server serves the dashboard to your browser and pushes new readings to it live.
Important: device update frequency. How often the numbers change is set by the
device, not by Power Trace. In our testing, the GR2PWS typically reports a new set of measurements
approximately every 60 seconds. Actual update frequency may vary with device firmware, network
conditions and operating mode.
One-time setup: the Local Key. The Local Key is needed once. The easiest way is to
sign in from the Power Trace Settings with a QR code in the Smart Life app: the device and its key are
filled in for you (experimental — Tuya may change it). The fallback is a free Tuya IoT Platform
account and the Scan Devices button. If you already have the Local Key, enter it by
hand. The Tuya / Smart Life app keeps working alongside. All the ways are in the
Local Key guide →
a common question
Do I need Home Assistant for ATORCH GR2PWS?
No.
Home Assistant is one possible way to integrate the GR2PWS into a larger smart-home system. Tuya Local, LocalTuya and ESPHome-based approaches are also used by the community for local integration, and they are good at what they do.
Power Trace is intended for users whose goal is primarily energy monitoring rather than building a complete home-automation system. If you only want to see how much electricity a device is using, you may not need a complete home-automation platform.
And if you already run Home Assistant, Power Trace can work alongside it: the current readings reach Home Assistant as ordinary REST sensors, and the Power Trace dashboard itself can be opened as a page in its side menu. There is no dedicated integration or MQTT yet; it works on your home network or through Tailscale. How to connect Power Trace to Home Assistant →
getting started
How to use Power Trace with ATORCH GR2PWS
Five steps from an unboxed meter to a live dashboard.
Before you start
You will need:
- ✓an ATORCH GR2PWS connected to your Wi-Fi network;
- ✓a Windows PC, Linux machine or supported Raspberry Pi;
- ✓access to the device’s local network;
- ✓a Smart Life / Tuya account with the meter added to it (see the setup guide).
1
Connect the GR2PWS to Wi-Fi. Pair the meter with the Tuya or Smart Life app the way its manual describes.
2
Make sure the device is reachable on the local network. The meter and the computer or Raspberry Pi that will run Power Trace must be on the same network. A DHCP reservation in your router keeps the meter’s address from changing.
3
Install Power Trace. Run the Windows installer, or install the Linux or Raspberry Pi package. Download page
4
Configure the device connection. In Settings, sign in with the Smart Life QR code or enter your Tuya IoT credentials and press Scan Devices; pick the GR2PWS, the ATORCH GR2P-W/S profile and save. Tuya setup guide · Configuration guide
5
Open the web dashboard in your browser. Readings appear as soon as the meter sends them. Dashboard guide
honest fit
Who is Power Trace for?
It solves one problem well. If that is not your problem, something else will serve you better.
Power Trace may be useful if:
- ✓you own an ATORCH GR2PWS
- ✓you want local energy monitoring
- ✓you do not want to run Home Assistant
- ✓you want a dedicated dashboard
- ✓you want historical energy data
- ✓you want electricity cost calculations
- ✓you prefer keeping monitoring data locally
- ✓you have Home Assistant but want separate charts, costs and analysis
You may not need Power Trace if:
- –sensors in Home Assistant are enough for you, and you need no separate history, costs or analysis
- –Tuya Local or LocalTuya already gives you everything you need
- –you specifically want a complete home-automation platform
- –you want to modify the device firmware yourself
faq
Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to what GR2PWS owners ask before installing.
Does ATORCH GR2PWS work with Power Trace?
Yes. The GR2PWS is the device Power Trace was developed and tested with, and a ready-made profile for it (“ATORCH GR2P-W/S”) is included.
Does Power Trace require Home Assistant?
No. Power Trace is a standalone application with its own dashboard. If you already run Home Assistant, Power Trace can work alongside it; and if sensors are all you need, Tuya Local or LocalTuya may be the more natural fit.
Can I show Power Trace data in Home Assistant?
Yes. Home Assistant reads power, voltage, current, power factor, frequency and the relay state as REST sensors, and can work out energy from power for its Energy dashboard. The Power Trace dashboard itself can be added to Home Assistant as a webpage. There is no dedicated integration or MQTT yet; it works on your home network or through Tailscale.
Can I monitor ATORCH GR2PWS locally?
Yes. Power Trace reads the meter over your local network using the device’s Local Key. The meter and the machine running Power Trace need to be on the same network.
Does Power Trace use the Tuya cloud?
Not for monitoring: Power Trace reads the device and stores the data locally. The Tuya cloud is needed only once, to get the Local Key — by signing in with a Smart Life QR code or with a Tuya IoT Platform account. The Tuya / Smart Life app keeps working alongside.
Can I monitor ATORCH GR2PWS from a PC?
Yes. On Windows, Power Trace runs as a tray application and the dashboard opens in your browser. The same dashboard is reachable from other computers and phones on your network.
Can I run Power Trace on Raspberry Pi?
Yes. Install the Raspberry Pi package, configure the device and open the dashboard in your browser. A Pi is a good place for it: it stays on all the time and uses little power.
Can I see historical energy consumption?
Yes. Every reading is stored locally, and the dashboard shows charts for today, yesterday, a month, a year or any custom range. The built-in analysis engine can turn the same history into a report.
Can Power Trace calculate electricity costs?
Yes. Enter your tariff in Settings — a single price or a two-zone day/night tariff — and the dashboard shows the cost for every period next to the energy figure.
Does Power Trace support other Tuya-compatible meters?
Power Trace ships with profiles for the ATORCH GR2PWS, AT2PL, AT4PW, S1BW and S1WP. Other Tuya devices may expose different data points or behave differently, so compatibility with them is not guaranteed.
Is Power Trace free?
Yes. Power Trace is free of charge — no licence fee, no subscription, no account.
Is Power Trace an official ATORCH application?
No. Power Trace is an independent third-party application and is not affiliated with ATORCH, Tuya, Home Assistant, LocalTuya or Tuya Local.
next step
Have an ATORCH GR2PWS?
If you already own an ATORCH GR2PWS and want a standalone way to monitor it locally, try Power Trace.