I was just wondering: are there any other developers that specifically buy unsupported devices to build the Homey apps for them, or am I the only one?
So for example: if you could choose between a well-supported smart plug (like the Tapo P100) for €12 but a cheaper alternative (without a Homey app) for f.e. €8, would you then buy the €8 smart plug and take the time to build a Homey app for it, or would you just buy the €12 smart plug?
if there is a well established homey app for 12 euro one I would definitely go for the 12 euro one from a user perspective.
From a developer perspective (which I am) I would first research what is available as an SDK/API for the non supported socket and look for example if Home Assistant has already an app for it.
If any of those searches come up positive I would take the chance and try to build an app for it.
If none turn up I wouldn’t consider buying it.
I always check the Android apps first by creating an account and intercepting the internet traffic on the Android emulator. That often tells a lot about how the app communicates with the server, even without having the device itself. It shows if there is any captcha or anything else that would make reverse engineering impossible.
Usually, devices don’t have an official API though, so I’d need to use the Android app in an emulator while intercepting the internet traffic, and I often also need to decompile the app to get sign headers or any other encryption that they use.
