
mihai.dinculescu.dev
October 6, 2026
11 min read
51/100
Summary
Your script has been switching a Tapo plug on and off for months. Then the plug quietly updates its firmware, and the next request comes back with 403 Forbidden . Nothing in your code changed. The cause is a switch called "Third-Party Compatibility", tucked away in the Tapo app under Me > Third-Party Services. Since firmware 1.4.0, a plug only talks to third-party clients the way it used to while ...