Minimum Maintenance Access for Apartment Smart System – Decision Memo
Job description
A hallway T110 contact sensor (or T300 leak sensor) has stopped reporting. The building manager must replace the battery and, if necessary, re‑pair the device to the apartment’s hub. Residents are uncomfortable with a technician walking through every unit to gain “whole‑home” control.
Sensible default
The system should support device‑scoped, time‑limited access:
- The manager receives a one‑time token that authorises only the target sensor’s ID.
- The token expires automatically after the service window (e.g., 2 hours) or can be revoked by the property‑owner portal.
- No other devices – lights, plugs, or other sensors – become controllable.
- The hub (Tapo H100) must be able to enforce this scope and log the action for audit.
Exception & alternative
If the supplier cannot demonstrate a concrete permission path (e.g., a UI screen showing a “grant access to device #123 only” workflow), then the default must fall back to full‑home access. In that case, either:
- Deploy a dedicated maintenance hub – a second H100 placed only in the service corridor, paired solely with hallway devices. The manager then has unrestricted control over that isolated hub, leaving resident hubs untouched.
- Choose a different platform that natively offers per‑device OAuth‑style permissions.
Conditional buying judgement
Proceed with bulk ordering only after the supplier shows a live demo of the scoped token flow on an H100 hub. If the demo is successful, the minimum‑access model meets the building’s privacy policy and can be rolled out across all units. If not, either adopt the dedicated‑hub workaround or select another vendor.
Next steps
- Request a short video or live session from the supplier illustrating the token‑grant UI.
- Verify that the hub’s firmware release notes list “per‑device access control” as a supported feature.
- Document the revocation process in the property‑owner portal before finalising the quote.