Add: Instructions about Third Party Integration in official Tapo App

[JurajNyiri]

Victory for Local Control: TP-Link Enables Third-Party Compatibility

On November 5, 2023, I reported a security vulnerability to TP-Link. They addressed the issue, but by April 2024, users began reporting that their Tapo cameras had stopped working with this integration (see issue).

Thankfully, a temporary workaround was discovered soon after: disabling the cameras' internet access and performing a factory reset restored full functionality.

Then, on May 8, 2024, I was personally affected by this change. Motivated to find a lasting solution, I developed a proof-of-concept (POC) just a week later. Within two days, the POC was polished and ready for use. This solution worked but required the integration to communicate with the TP-Link cloud temporarily. I reached out to TP-Link to ensure they were comfortable with exposing details of their cloud functionality.

Throughout this period, I maintained active communication with TP-Link, seeking a mutually agreeable solution. TP-Link proposed a dedicated cloud endpoint for integration but ultimately decided against implementing it. By October 2024, my proposed solution was also declined.

Finally, the breakthrough came this month: as of December 2024, TP-Link has introduced a toggle in the Tapo app that re-enables local communication. This new feature, available on any firmware version and with internet-enabled cameras, allows seamless integration with Home Assistant and other third-party tools implementing the local protocol.

To activate this feature, simply go to your Tapo App and then click on:
Me > Tapo Lab > Third-Party Compatibility > On.

This is the best outcome we could have hoped for. It restores full local control, reaffirms TP-Link’s commitment to the open-source community, and ensures continued compatibility with Home Assistant.

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TL;DR:

Cameras are now fully functional online with the latest firmware. Enable Third-Party Compatibility in the Tapo app to integrate seamlessly with Home Assistant and other third-party tools.

[mikeharty]

Thanks for your diligence working with T-Link on this fix!

[andreas-wolf]

I've tried to enable "Third-Party Compatibility" in the Tapo app, but it's missing. Latest Version in App store from December 11th: 3.7.811
Only Lab Entry is Geofencing.
Even tried a "new" installation on a device it's never been on before. So no cache/old config problem.
Any hints what's going wrong? Does my Appstore contain an old version?

[5rom]

I've tried to enable "Third-Party Compatibility" in the Tapo app, but it's missing. Latest Version in App store from December 11th: 3.7.811 Only Lab Entry is Geofencing. Even tried a "new" installation on a device it's never been on before. So no cache/old config problem. Any hints what's going wrong? Does my Appstore contain an old version?

I have same problem.

[cadegorawrz]

I've tried to enable "Third-Party Compatibility" in the Tapo app, but it's missing. Latest Version in App store from December 11th: 3.7.811 Only Lab Entry is Geofencing. Even tried a "new" installation on a device it's never been on before. So no cache/old config problem. Any hints what's going wrong? Does my Appstore contain an old version?

I have same problem.

Also getting the same issue.