Tapo (Rust/Python library) now speaks TP-Link's TPAP protocol(mihai.dinculescu.dev) |
Tapo (Rust/Python library) now speaks TP-Link's TPAP protocol(mihai.dinculescu.dev) |
I don't even really care AI or human if its written like this. I would rather do anything else than continue reading.
And there's no excuse now anyway the latest Opus/Astra models are actually tolerable. Use those if you must.
now all you need is IDA or Ghidra MCP, a binary and some vague sloppy instructions.
some more recent models even started instrumenting a running binary (when possible) to enumerate the protocol without being explicitly instructed to, which is even better.
> there isn't a whole lot of knowledge about how to use them in the training datasets
I don't use Ghidra but IDA Pro MCP works extremely well for me for all manner of tasks. for example, some software likes to call home for license checking (and I wish to run it with networking denied to it). it no longer does.
The short version: since late 2025, firmware updates have made Tapo devices refuse third-party clients unless you turn on a "Third-Party Compatibility" switch in the Tapo app. The switch works by bringing back the older login, KLAP. With it off, devices speak an undocumented protocol called TPAP, which logs in with SPAKE2+ (RFC 9383). The library now speaks TPAP, so the switch can stay off.
The part I found most interesting is the security difference. A recorded KLAP login can be used to test password guesses offline. With SPAKE2+ it can't, and learning the password later doesn't decrypt sessions captured earlier. So the "compatibility" switch is really a security downgrade, and TP-Link's own FAQ says enabling it "may reduce the security of your devices".
Not everything works with the switch off yet: some cameras, such as a C210 on firmware 1.5.2, still need it on.
Happy to answer questions about the protocol work or the library.
Is KLAP that old local-network UDP protocol with "XOR encryption" ? Or is that something else?
Does using TPAP with your library still require connecting the devices to their "cloud" (warning: surveillance!) ? Or does your library effectively restore the local-only workflow of never allowing the devices Internet access, and controlling them locally ?