So, I guess the ESH documentation will be merged too, as appropriate.
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Nothing has really changed in how openHAB can be used for commercial purposes: The code is under EPL, which is commercial-friendly and allows the use in commercial offers as long as the license terms are respected.
Commercial solutions that use code of openHAB MUST NOT use the name “openHAB” as a part of their offer, though. They must not give the impression that openHAB is their product and their users must not seek product support at the openHAB community.
What is ok is to reference openHAB as the origin of the code, but the mention must clearly be a reference.
@Bruce_Osborne Most ESH documentation is already merged into the openHAB docs!
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I stumbled across this recently so I thought there was still merging to e dome.
i’ve readed this posts only on testerday. for anyone is interested i’m able to use openhab pretty good 
i do this as business and professional service in Italy (i can proudly say that openhab is monitoring environmental parameters in more magnetic resonance rooms in important Italy’s hospital as well as wonderful other installations), so if anyone need to develop some applies ar any tailored service can write me at stefano@domoticaundici.it.
PS. openhab is the greatest thing i’ve found on the web as well as linux OS!
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I thought the Java license had restrictions that it was not to be used in life-critical services. @Kai would be the expert here.
I know Java initially and for many years had that license restriction.
well…thank for your reply. it’s not life critical service, it’s a monitoring service and is a redundance service which displays data from dedicated security systems. about java: i use azul (from openhabian). in any case do you think would be the same?
The licensing restriction was put in place by Sun when they first released Java, so that restriction would apply to any company using that technology…
ok, i’ll keep in mind! thank you so much
We are looking for somebody to help us install a test system to see if openHAB would work for our needs. Where do people look for professional assistance who can set something up and document what they’ve done? Any help would be appreciated. Our main goal is energy conservation and access control. Facial recognition would be a big plus. Thanks for any help.
I’m offering professional services for openHAB, with a focus on energy management.
Contact info@storm.house.
More information on the website storm.house. It is German only for now, but you can use a translator.
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we also use OH for professional. Either energy mangement, thermoregulation, irrigation, loads management and so on. feel free to write to stefano@domoticaundici.it
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Hi All,
I am planning to start a small company that will provide home automation service.
OH is one of the best system I have used for automation purpose.
I am working with OH since last 3 years and found this product as perfect for the type of services I am planning to provide at initial level (listed below):
- Switches Automation
- Curtain Automation
- Temperature Monitoring and Devices Automation using sensors (Air Conditioner, TV, etc)
- Motor Speed Controls
- Automatic Watering for Plants
I will host my own instance of OH Cloud and OH Servers.
I read the complete thread but still have a few doubts as follows:
- Do I have to rebrand both the applications? Any pointers where I can get more information on this?
- Do I have to take care of any other license such as Java (I will use Zulu or Open JDK)?
- Can I also use available mobile apps after registering with Google and Apple? Obviously, I will be uploading the apps under my account.
- What could be the other important points I need to take care?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Yes you have to rebrand. The name/logo is trademarked so you may not use it. There is no manual on how to rebrand, or what code chances need to be made. But in general everything the user sees and has a reference to openHAB branding needs to be changed. See also the post of Kai above:
Both seem to be free to use. But best to check with their websites if there are any restrictions.
Yes, but the same conditions apply as mentioned above: you must rebrand.
I would recommend to only offer (or start with) a limited set of bindings. This means you need to provide your own package with bindings. This probably means you should exclude the marketplace from main ui. You should not reference to openHAB for any additional bindings your customers might be able to install. Only to the bindings you provide.When selling this product to your customers it’s expected you provide all support. Thus when a user has a problem with a specific binding you need to be able to fix it, and it would be nice if you contribute it back to openHAB, same applies for core and UIs.
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It’s worth noting that the Android/iOS apps might be trickier to support. Even if you pick stable versions with no issues (which is not the case at the moment), Android/iOS updates might break them in the future. You’ll need to fix the problems yourself or ask your customers to wait until OH developers do it.
This is no different from what Tuya rebranders, but they have the benefit of Tuya’s ongoing development/testing (plus the fact that Tuya intends for the apps to be rebranded).
I’m not a developer, so these updates/fixes might be easier than I think. It’s just something I think you should plan for in advance, since you’re going to be accountable to your customers.
Thank you for pointing this out.
I will do a feasibility first before rolling this out.
Also, any idea if I can use Alexa binding with my solution?
If you have any idea can you point me to Alexa binding license?
Do you know if Alexa binding can be used? I mean is there any complication with Alexa Binding license terms?
I don’t know if you mean the Echo Control Binding or the Alexa Smart Home Skill, which are two different things. I don’t use either of them, so can’t help you at all.
As Hilbrand said, you need to do the research yourself. You can’t rely on anything we tell you, because you’ll ultimately be responsible for the software and services you sell to customers.
If your customers can’t afford a commercial home automation system they probably want everything for cheap.
Could they provide all of the software and you just charge for your time to configure it and teach them how to use it?
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That is an excellent suggestion.
This way, you get to profit from your time spent with the customer and the customer is under no illusion as to the status of the software they are using.
There is no reason why they can’t come back to you each and every time they want a tweak or upgrade, as long as they know you work to any hourly / job rate.
(Rather than them ask for everything and expect to pay nothing, or nothing extra)
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Hey @jrich8774 @Kai
any chance you can send me that email too?
Sine I have a place now of my own now and automated the place, I have been thinking about a business around home automation.
I will share my experiences as much as I can.