Set-back back for Homekit as TP-Link abandons it for Kasa plugs

Gidster
Gidster Member Posts: 224
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edited August 13, 2019 in Devices & Security #1
Have you seen this news about TP-Link abandoning plans for Homekit support for it's Kasa Plug Mini smart plug, after previously announcing it in January?
https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/08/12/tp-link-cancels-homekit-plan-for-kasa-smart-plug-mini
From my experience at Hive, I understand the extra hoops you have to jump through and costs associated with Homekit. While Apple have tried to reduce the requirements, it can push out delivery times and up the cost. With the smart plug market so competitive (see here), I can sympathise with TP-Link's decision. Although this is undoubtedly frustrating for Homekit fans. 
More likely is that the hardware - already out there in the market - did not pass Apple's tests and couldn't be with changes to firmware alone.
Head of Product at Fing
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Comments

  • Pooh
    Pooh Member, Beta Tester Posts: 674
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    #2
    It's rather upsetting that even after Apple made it easier to certify devices with Homekit that many manufacturers still don't support it. I guess the main reason is that the protocol as I understand it is hard because it imposes more rigorous security requirements and security is hard.

    Which ultimately is what's so scary, so many companies shy away from security because it is so hard. And that really bothers me.

    Right now I'm spending weeks updating our DevOps environment to ensure everything that hits a production server is signed using a secure key. Without this requirement I could have all this up and running in a day or two, with security it's a very slow process of making sure I've secured every step. And that's something IoT manufacturers seem to balk at, hence why we continue to hear about breaches on an almost weekly basis...
    People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.
  • Marc
    Marc Moderator, Beta Tester Posts: 3,178
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    #3

    I will add that even with the iot vendors that have enabled it, reliability is spotty. Case in point wemo support of HomeKit on their mini’s. Sometimes it works, more often times it does not. I’ve had much better luck using them with Alexa. But as @Pooh mentioned, security is always a concern that they all loath to address properly in the name of simplicity.

    Thats Daphnee, she's a good dog...

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