I used the github copilot tui (since that was what my subscription was through) and told it what the devices were and what I was trying to accomplish. From there it was a mixture of different things to figure out how the protocols worked, like running the apps in wine and having it log and capture data as I changed settings, or have it flip bits and I would report to it what changed. If it discovers a component in the device is something off-the-shelf, have it find reference material from the component manufacturer.

As you figure out how a particular protocol works you have it document it until you have everything you need to build your own CLI to interface with the device. At that point you have a pretty good idea of how the device works and it's capabilities and you can build out whatever features you want around it.