TADO has introduced strict new API limits that will seriously impact anyone integrating their smart heating system with Home Assistant or other automation platforms.
For years, smart home enthusiasts have relied on TADO’s API for near real-time heating and hot water control. But with the recent changes, users are now restricted to just 100 API calls per day unless they pay for a subscription.
TADO API Limits Explained
TADO has reduced the default polling frequency of their home assistant integration to every 15 minutes, which works out to roughly 100 calls per day (their new API limit). That may sound reasonable at first glance, but in a smart home environment, it’s far from enough.
Automations such as pre-heating rooms, adjusting heating when doors and windows are open, or monitoring hot water require near real-time updates. Waiting up to 15 minutes for an update simply breaks the purpose of automation.
TADO now offers a paid subscription (currently $29.99 per year) to increase limits to 20,000 calls per day. While not expensive in isolation, it feels like a hidden cost on top of the hundreds of pounds many of us have already invested in TADO hardware, and a bit of a rug pull / bait and switch.
Local API Access Through HomeKit
TADO’s official “alternative” is to use local access via HomeKit on V3+ bridges (or Matter on Tado X). But this approach has serious drawbacks:
- Requires additional Apple hardware like an Apple TV or HomePod to act as a hub on V3+.
- No hot water support. Local access covers TRVs, temperature, and humidity – but not hot water control.
For many households, hot water is just as important as heating. Limiting its control to cloud-only updates every 15 minutes makes the system feel incomplete.
TADO Integration Problems in Home Assistant
Home Assistant users face another major issue: the TADO integration is unstable. Sessions frequently log out at random, breaking automations and leaving users without reliable control.
The integration is community-maintained, not officially developed by TADO, and the company shows little interest in fixing these problems. It leaves power users caught between unreliable cloud access and incomplete local control.
TADO X and Matter Support
TADO’s latest hardware, TADO X, includes Matter support – a promising step towards local integration without needing Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem.
But once again, there’s a catch: no hot water support. And so far, TADO has made no public commitment to add it in future.
For many, this undermines Matter’s potential to finally deliver reliable, subscription-free local access.
Why This Matters for Smart Home Owners
The whole point of a smart heating system is flexibility and integration. TADO’s decision to restrict API access feels like a step backwards:
- It penalises the most engaged users who automate beyond TADO’s app.
- It introduces unnecessary subscription costs.
- It limits functionality by excluding hot water from local integrations.
Rather than blaming users for “overusing” the API, TADO should re-evaluate its infrastructure. A well-designed API can scale. Instead, customers are left with broken integrations, missing features, and a sense that they’re being upsold to fix problems they didn’t create.
Final Thoughts
As someone who has spent over £700 on TADO hardware, I find these changes disappointing. Smart home enthusiasts chose TADO because it promised openness, flexibility, and control. Now, that vision feels compromised.
Until TADO re-thinks its approach, many Home Assistant users may start looking elsewhere for heating solutions that truly embrace the principles of the smart home.