Vincent says "Our cloud data is absolutely secure, so you don't need to worry"

What the fuck does a WiFi Access Point need a cloud connection and an account for? Other than spying on me?

Well, it was possible without this a few firmware updates ago.

I did some more research: The device has the exact same hardware as the 3x more expensive one you actually own, just other firmware.

https://blog.wyraz.de/posts/2026-10-06-converting-a-tp-link-festa-f52-outdoor-into-an-omada-eap225-outdoor/

Fuck you, TP-Link!

OC by @byte21516@leminal.space

Yea, this is part of my research when buying stuff anymore - do I control it or is it on their network.

I refuse to use their management - it makes no sense, especially since there are numerous remote access tools available today.

If they claim it is absolutely secure then they don't understand security at all and very likely have some very lax security practices.

Customer support is just repeating what they’re told.

Then it's an official stance of the company and the point stands reinforced.

I saw the light once I started moving shit onto my Home Assistant instance. It is vastly superior to anything the big tech companies have shat out. Whenever I buy a "smart" device, I make sure that it's either 100% hackable (ex.: ESP32-controlled AC or tower fan) or 100% local (ex.: Shelly devices).

What the fuck does a WiFi Access Point need a cloud connection and an account for?

Charging you money... That's why the on prem device is more expensive. They are both worth the same to sell.