TP-Link BE3600 Router Automation
A Python library for automating TP-Link BE3600 (and similar) routers using Playwright browser automation. This tool bypasses the router's complex encryption scheme by controlling the web interface directly.
Why This Exists
TP-Link BE3600 routers use a sophisticated encryption scheme for their API:
RSA encryption for key exchange
AES-GCM for request/response encryption
Complex signature generation with sequence numbers
Rather than reverse-engineering the entire encryption protocol (which changes between firmware versions), this library uses Playwright browser automation to interact with the router's web UI directly. The browser handles all the encryption natively.
Features
Login/Authentication - Automated browser-based login
Port Forwarding Management - List, add, and manage port forwarding rules
DHCP Settings - View DHCP configuration
Network Status - Get router status and connected devices
Screenshot Capture - Debug by capturing UI screenshots
MCP Server - Model Context Protocol server for AI integration
Supported Routers
Installation
Prerequisites
Install from Source
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/consigcody94/mcp-tplink-router.git
cd mcp-tplink-router
# Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
# Install dependencies
pip install -e .
# Install Playwright browsers
playwright install chromium
# On Linux, you may need additional dependencies
sudo apt-get install -y libnss3 libnspr4 libatk1.0-0 libatk-bridge2.0-0 \
libcups2 libdrm2 libxkbcommon0 libxcomposite1 libxdamage1 libxfixes3 \
libxrandr2 libgbm1 libasound2
Quick Start
1. Configure Environment
Create a .env file:
TPLINK_HOST=192.168.0.1
TPLINK_PASSWORD=your_router_password
TPLINK_USERNAME=admin
2. Basic Usage
from mcp_tplink_router.be3600_playwright import BE3600PlaywrightClient
# Initialize the client
client = BE3600PlaywrightClient(
host="192.168.0.1", # Your router's IP
password="your_password" # Router admin password
)
# Login
if client.login():
print(f"Logged in! STOK: {client.stok}")
# Get port forwarding rules
rules = client.get_port_forwarding()
for rule in rules:
print(f"{rule['name']}: {rule['external_port']} -> {rule['internal_ip']}:{rule['internal_port']}")
# Always logout when done
client.logout()
else:
print("Login failed")
3. Adding Port Forwarding Rules
from mcp_tplink_router.be3600_playwright import BE3600PlaywrightClient
client = BE3600PlaywrightClient("192.168.0.1", "your_password")
if client.login():
# Add a single port forward
client.add_port_forward(
name="Web Server",
external_port="80",
internal_ip="192.168.0.100",
internal_port="80",
protocol="TCP" # "TCP", "UDP", or "All"
)
# Add a port range (e.g., for VoIP/RTP)
client.add_port_forward(
name="VoIP RTP",
external_port="10000-10100",
internal_ip="192.168.0.50",
internal_port="10000-10100",
protocol="UDP",
is_port_range=True
)
client.logout()
API Reference
BE3600PlaywrightClient
Constructor
BE3600PlaywrightClient(host: str, password: str, username: str = "admin")
Parameter | Type | Description |
host
| str | Router IP address (e.g., "192.168.0.1") |
password
| str | Admin password |
username
| str | Admin username (default: "admin") |
Methods
Method | Returns | Description |
login()
| bool
| Authenticate with the router |
logout()
| None
| Close browser and clean up |
get_port_forwarding()
| List[Dict]
| Get all port forwarding rules |
add_port_forward(...)
| bool
| Add a new port forwarding rule |
get_status()
| dict
| Get router status |
get_devices()
| List[Dict]
| Get connected devices |
get_dhcp_settings()
| dict
| Get DHCP configuration |
take_screenshot(path)
| str
| Capture screenshot for debugging |
Port Forwarding Rule Format
{
"name": "Web Server",
"internal_ip": "192.168.0.100",
"external_port": "80",
"internal_port": "80",
"protocol": "TCP",
"status": ""
}
Complete Example: FreePBX/VoIP Setup
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""Configure port forwarding for FreePBX/VoIP."""
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from mcp_tplink_router.be3600_playwright import BE3600PlaywrightClient
load_dotenv()
ROUTER_HOST = os.getenv("TPLINK_HOST", "192.168.0.1")
ROUTER_PASSWORD = os.getenv("TPLINK_PASSWORD")
FREEPBX_IP = "192.168.0.169"
def main():
client = BE3600PlaywrightClient(ROUTER_HOST, ROUTER_PASSWORD)
if not client.login():
print("Failed to login to router")
return
try:
# Add SIP signaling port (UDP 5060)
print("Adding SIP port forwarding...")
client.add_port_forward(
name="FreePBX SIP",
external_port="5060",
internal_ip=FREEPBX_IP,
internal_port="5060",
protocol="UDP"
)
# Add RTP media ports (UDP 10000-20000)
print("Adding RTP port range...")
client.add_port_forward(
name="FreePBX RTP",
external_port="10000-20000",
internal_ip=FREEPBX_IP,
internal_port="10000-20000",
protocol="UDP",
is_port_range=True
)
# Verify rules were added
print("\nCurrent port forwarding rules:")
rules = client.get_port_forwarding()
for rule in rules:
print(f" {rule['name']}: {rule['external_port']} -> "
f"{rule['internal_ip']}:{rule['internal_port']} ({rule['protocol']})")
finally:
client.logout()
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
MCP Server Usage (AI Integration)
This package includes an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for use with Claude Desktop and other AI assistants.
Configure Claude Desktop
Add to ~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"tplink-router": {
"command": "/path/to/mcp-tplink-router/venv/bin/python",
"args": ["-m", "mcp_tplink_router"],
"env": {
"TPLINK_HOST": "192.168.0.1",
"TPLINK_USERNAME": "admin",
"TPLINK_PASSWORD": "your_password"
}
}
}
}
Available MCP Tools
Tool | Description |
router_status
| Get router status including WAN info |
list_connected_devices
| List all connected devices |
list_port_forwarding
| List all port forwarding rules |
add_port_forwarding
| Add a new port forwarding rule |
router_diagnostics
| Get diagnostic information |
How It Works
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Your Python Script │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ BE3600PlaywrightClient │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 1. Launch headless Chromium via Playwright │ │
│ │ 2. Navigate to router web interface │ │
│ │ 3. Fill login form, click submit │ │
│ │ 4. Capture STOK from network requests │ │
│ │ 5. Store sysauth cookie │ │
│ │ 6. Use JS injection for Vue.js UI interaction │ │
│ │ 7. Parse page content for data extraction │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TP-Link BE3600 Router │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Vue.js Web Interface │ │
│ │ - RSA/AES-GCM encrypted API │ │
│ │ - Handled natively by browser JavaScript │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Key Insight: Instead of reverse-engineering the complex encryption, we let the browser's JavaScript handle it. Playwright automates the browser, and we extract data from the rendered DOM.
Troubleshooting
"Could not find password field"
The router's web interface may not have loaded completely
Increase wait times in the client
Verify router is accessible at the specified IP
"Login failed"
Verify your password is correct
Ensure no other admin sessions are active
Try accessing the router web interface manually first
Chromium crashes on Linux
Install required dependencies:
sudo apt-get install -y libnss3 libnspr4 libatk1.0-0 libatk-bridge2.0-0 \
libcups2 libdrm2 libxkbcommon0 libxcomposite1 libxdamage1 libxfixes3 \
libxrandr2 libgbm1 libasound2
Debug with Screenshots
client = BE3600PlaywrightClient(host, password)
if client.login():
client.get_port_forwarding()
client.take_screenshot("/tmp/debug.png")
print("Screenshot saved!")
client.logout()
Project Structure
mcp-tplink-router/
├── src/
│ └── mcp_tplink_router/
│ ├── __init__.py
│ ├── be3600_playwright.py # Main Playwright-based client
│ ├── be3600_crypto.py # Direct API client (experimental)
│ ├── server.py # MCP server implementation
│ └── tplink_client.py # Generic TP-Link client
├── examples/
│ ├── list_rules.py
│ ├── add_port_forward.py
│ └── freepbx_setup.py
├── pyproject.toml
├── README.md
├── LICENSE
└── .env.example
Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues and pull requests.
# Development setup
git clone https://github.com/consigcody94/mcp-tplink-router.git
cd mcp-tplink-router
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -e ".[dev]"
playwright install chromium
License
MIT License - see LICENSE for details.
Disclaimer
This tool is for personal use only. Use responsibly and in accordance with your router's terms of service. The authors are not responsible for any misuse or damage caused by this tool.
Acknowledgments
