Sad.
This is why I no longer buy ANY smart crap that does not have an open, local API.
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There’s another thread laying around about this… and @stockmopar had some crazy magic that he worked up to use local control, which I’m guessing can be worked into a SmartApp.
I think we’ve all just been too lazy to try. 
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I tried, but SmartThings did not support the protocol that was required for it to work. I believe it was just that they did not support a HTTPS local request, but it’s been so long that I can’t remember for sure.
Well D-Day is in a week… so I guess everyone that still relies on TCP bulbs will either have to start loving the TCP app or find another route.
I personally have 10 bulbs or so in the house – it’s not that many, considering the amount of house – but it’s still going to be painful to have to come up with a different solution.
Are you still using your local setup and what exactly is it made of? And hopefully they won’t break it when they make changes next week.
Who doesn’t love the TCP app!! 
Guess I only bought expensive LED bulbs with some bonus features. 
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Sadly, TCP Connected Smart LED Bulbs will no longer work with SmartThings and will be removed from SmartThings Labs as of the deprecation date.
Yep. TCP integration was a lab rat. It was born in the lab and died in the lab. It doesn’t get sadder than this. 
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Well it could get sadder, if someone else decides to go the same route and the bulb choices get smaller.
It adds weight to the argument that switches and dumb bulbs the way to go though. Having smart bulbs that require a third party hub is just asking for trouble.
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No. Having smart bulbs that require the cloud with no local API is trouble. So is any cloud dependant hardware. Hue requires a hub, but has a local API, so their app and cloud could disappear tomorrow and they would still be fully functional locally.
IMHO, this is the criteria for any smart device choice going forward given the easily offered up “we’re done” mentality that exists in IoT startups.
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Actually TCP works the same way though. This is how the bulbs will continue to work even after the cloud service is turned off.
The hub is accessible locally by the app using the calls I posted, and changes are that local control can still be achieved with a third party app that simulates those calls.
But it looks like without someone taking the time to dig into how to write this integration ST will just remove the bulbs and the app and people with TCP bulbs will just have to use the app or find other bulbs.
Huh? Being dependent on a deprecated mobile app is not the same as having a local API.
The TCP app just makes HTTP calls to the hub. After you sort out the token all you need is a pinch of json to control and manage all your gear. The app could disappear tomorrow and you would still be able to do this with just the hub.
Now it’s not the same in the way any solution you develop would be unsupported, and that the whole thing is hacked together and most likely incredibly fragile, but even today you’re not bound to the app itself.
The solution that the ST folks developed is the issue, apparently because of a limitation of the ST hub itself. They send the same calls to the TCP cloud, which then sends them down to the TCP hub.
I dumped my TCP kit long time ago, but if I understand correctly, they switched local API from HTTP to HTTPS at some point. ST hub does not support HTTPS via sendHubAction, so there’s no chance it can talk to the TCP hub locally.
It might learn HTTPS through a middle man (aka Raspberry PI) but we’re already going long. It’s sad though when things regress, rather than progress… Oh well… note to self about buying any TCP bulbs… (was just about to)
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I got this email from the folks at TCP:
“We are able to offer you the API for the Gateways so you may program them yourselves to integrate with any other smart home devices.”
They sent me the document. Anyone interested in seeing it. Not sure I can upload it here.
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Good news. Wonder if they are talking to ST directly about this.
Why not share the doc here, unless they said it’s confidential. Ask them if you can share it publicly, or at least with ST.
Thanks!
I have no trouble sharing it. Their help desk sent me the file.
It won’t let me upload files here…or I just don’t know how to do it.
I can email it to anyone who wants it…it’s 1.5MB.
Email me at rchang1221@hotmail.com.
I think you can upload it to dropbox or box.com public folder and share the link here. It’ll be of little use for me as I don’t code, but hopefully some smart people here would know what to do with it
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Robert - I just send you an email as I’d like to see the TCP API.
Thanks!