Solar Assistant Updates - Beta
- Thread starter fatjay
- Start date
shopman
Solar Enthusiast
I like the imbalance feature and after seeing your numbers, I feel much better about my batteries. My max delta is 20mv at peak of absorption.
houseofancients
Solar Wizard
I may have to revise my stance about solar assistant.
I did a one time purchase of 50 USD for this software as it included life time updates AND transferability to new devices, as there were open source tools available, but I wanted to support the developer for his work.
Now it seems, he is trying to milk the cow further under false pretenses of supporting the development and hardware transferability.
This opt-out basically breaks that contract , as it will allow updates, but breaks transferability, which goes against the EU directive for software licensing terms and upgrades :
Also it is an explicit breach of contract, both of which I plan to report..
Essentially, if the raspi breaks or my SSD/MMC card corrupts , I will be forced not only to repurchase, but also go along with their bi-yearly subscription model for updates
I send an email asking for an explanation to SA, and this is the response I got, further underlining their breach of contract
"
Hi xxxxx
Thanks for taking the time to reach out. Apologies for any concern caused by this. We do understand the frustration, but we have been trying our best to find a consumer-friendly model that will allow us to run sustainably.
First, as shown here, please know that this has no bearing on the operation of the unit. Your perpetual license will always be active, and we will never revoke your ability to use the software. This means you can continue to use the software in perpetuity without having to pay a single cent beyond the initial purchase. So it is not a subscription model; there are no monthly or yearly fees for using SolarAssistant. It is more of a "pay-for-features" model, or pay per development situation.
What we have done is give each license purchased 2 years' worth of free updates. This means that for 2 years after purchasing the license, you will be able to update the device with new features we develop during that time. Once that period elapses, you will be given 2 options. You can either pay for another year or two's worth of updates, as shown here, or leave the device on the version you have until you feel we have added enough to justify the purchase of further updates. So you can not purchase an update package for 10 years, then purchase a year's worth of update extension and get all the updates released during that time.
Please note that if you purchased your license before August 2024 and feel like this model change is not what you were hoping for, we would highly recommend reading the final section on this page. As mentioned in that article, you can stick to our original terms of service, but we would recommend understanding said terms before doing so.
We do hope this offers some clarification on the matter, and thank you for your understanding. Please let us know if you need any further assistance, and have a great week.
Kind regards,"
For now , I will no longer advise sa , as it seems they have gotten the idea that no alternatives are available in their software space, and they are misusing the trust and recommendations the community have given for purchasing this ( mainly bunched together open source) software
I did a one time purchase of 50 USD for this software as it included life time updates AND transferability to new devices, as there were open source tools available, but I wanted to support the developer for his work.
Now it seems, he is trying to milk the cow further under false pretenses of supporting the development and hardware transferability.
This opt-out basically breaks that contract , as it will allow updates, but breaks transferability, which goes against the EU directive for software licensing terms and upgrades :
Also it is an explicit breach of contract, both of which I plan to report..
Essentially, if the raspi breaks or my SSD/MMC card corrupts , I will be forced not only to repurchase, but also go along with their bi-yearly subscription model for updates
I send an email asking for an explanation to SA, and this is the response I got, further underlining their breach of contract
"
Hi xxxxx
Thanks for taking the time to reach out. Apologies for any concern caused by this. We do understand the frustration, but we have been trying our best to find a consumer-friendly model that will allow us to run sustainably.
First, as shown here, please know that this has no bearing on the operation of the unit. Your perpetual license will always be active, and we will never revoke your ability to use the software. This means you can continue to use the software in perpetuity without having to pay a single cent beyond the initial purchase. So it is not a subscription model; there are no monthly or yearly fees for using SolarAssistant. It is more of a "pay-for-features" model, or pay per development situation.
What we have done is give each license purchased 2 years' worth of free updates. This means that for 2 years after purchasing the license, you will be able to update the device with new features we develop during that time. Once that period elapses, you will be given 2 options. You can either pay for another year or two's worth of updates, as shown here, or leave the device on the version you have until you feel we have added enough to justify the purchase of further updates. So you can not purchase an update package for 10 years, then purchase a year's worth of update extension and get all the updates released during that time.
Please note that if you purchased your license before August 2024 and feel like this model change is not what you were hoping for, we would highly recommend reading the final section on this page. As mentioned in that article, you can stick to our original terms of service, but we would recommend understanding said terms before doing so.
We do hope this offers some clarification on the matter, and thank you for your understanding. Please let us know if you need any further assistance, and have a great week.
Kind regards,"
For now , I will no longer advise sa , as it seems they have gotten the idea that no alternatives are available in their software space, and they are misusing the trust and recommendations the community have given for purchasing this ( mainly bunched together open source) software
Brucey
Velcro Man
I only purchased recently but my understanding is the original licensing always only allowed for one additional activation in case the original pi hardware died. That's what the new licensing scheme allows. Unlimited moves so you can upgrade your hardware without being locked in. You choose which option you'd like
houseofancients
Solar Wizard
Except if you read the response, you'll find that the new licensing scheme also only provides updates for 2 years, after which you will have repurchase if you want updates.
That is not what I agreed to when I bought , thus a breach of contract
Just to clarify : my order number is well under 1000, and my purchase was in 2020, and beta tester too
So I feel getting stiffed here
Brucey
Velcro Man
Right. So you would opt out of new licensing and stay on a single device with perpetual free updates.
Just like Crowz was able to do.
I don't see the breach of contract?
houseofancients
Solar Wizard
If you do this, and your device breaks, I can no longer transfer this to a new device without repurchase and being forced into their new model forcing me to purchase bij yearly
If I don't, I no longer get updates
That is not the contract ( order) I agreed too
Brucey
Velcro Man
In previous licensing that was still the case, if your pi fails and you use your single transfer and your second pi fails your are shit out of luck. That would still be the case.
It was obvious from the original license that that was a possible weak point and absolutely "locked you in" to a specific hardware unit.
Are you saying that if you opt-out, and your second pi fails and you then have to buy a new license, that licensing won't be grandfathered in for perpetual updates, and that's the breach of contract?
robbob2112
Doing more research, mosty harmless
So, in my experience with software that locks to a specific piece of hardware developers usually take the easy way out and have it use the MAC address of the first on board ethernet port. They can get more specific and snapshot other hardware specs, but are usually lazy and with non-single board computers different bits can be upgraded which would require license generation.
Has anyone tried updating that when transferring the software to new hardware? I am just curious if the developers were lazy or not
Has anyone tried updating that when transferring the software to new hardware? I am just curious if the developers were lazy or not
This post originally noted my confusion with reading here about a limit of one device transfer, but seeing SA offered with a “perpetual” license for those that purchased after Aug 2024 (and finding that in their website even today, Aug 2025). After reading through their site again this evening, I see that I had no reason to be upset. The license they offer IS a perpetual license! What they changed was the ability to UPGRADE without paying an additional fee, after two years from the date of purchase. There is no limit on continued use of the original (or upgraded within two years of purchase ) software, on as many replacement devices as you need, so long as that license is in use for only one device at a time. And if you don’t like that deal and purchased before Aug 2024, they allow you to opt out of the new (post 8/2024) terms.
THAT’S VERY FAIR. I stand corrected, and have replaced my original post with this one. If you liked that post and want to unlike it, feel free, of course. Personally, I stand corrected, and am impressed.
THAT’S VERY FAIR. I stand corrected, and have replaced my original post with this one. If you liked that post and want to unlike it, feel free, of course. Personally, I stand corrected, and am impressed.
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Glad to see dark mode and some other changes, but I really don't use SA directly anymore I use it as a bridge to Home Assistant where I can make any dashboard or calculated sensors I want along with integrating other things in the house and even get push notification in the phone app for events like grid down.
I don't mind paying for software and SA works great plus they had premade cables as well so it was really easy to get things up and running, but not sure its worth moving over to subscription model for what it provides since I am not using the UI directly.
I think I will probably just move over to a ESPHome solution this should get me more data anyway since SA does not publish all the data such as cell temperature from my Pytes. Its will just be some work to get the ESP32 devices setup, but will be in the end simpler and cheaper hardware than a full RaspPi:
github.com
github.com
I don't mind paying for software and SA works great plus they had premade cables as well so it was really easy to get things up and running, but not sure its worth moving over to subscription model for what it provides since I am not using the UI directly.
I think I will probably just move over to a ESPHome solution this should get me more data anyway since SA does not publish all the data such as cell temperature from my Pytes. Its will just be some work to get the ESP32 devices setup, but will be in the end simpler and cheaper hardware than a full RaspPi:
GitHub - slipx06/Sunsynk-Home-Assistant-Dash: Home Assistant Dashboard to display Inverter information. ESPHome configuration to collect inverter sensor data via modbus
Home Assistant Dashboard to display Inverter information. ESPHome configuration to collect inverter sensor data via modbus - slipx06/Sunsynk-Home-Assistant-Dash
github.com
GitHub - oxynatOr/esphome-pytes_e_box: The PytesEbox component allows you to pull data from Pytes Batteries into ESPHome.
The PytesEbox component allows you to pull data from Pytes Batteries into ESPHome. - oxynatOr/esphome-pytes_e_box
github.com
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Texas-Mark
Solar Wizard
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2021
- Messages
- 1,987
What still has me confused is the part that says:
"However, we recommend considering the new model to support ongoing development and access to future related services that wasn't bundled in the original product"
What exactly is a "future related service"? Sounds like if they add a feature, they can claim it's a related service that wasn't part of the original product. Thus your free updates may end whenever that "new service" is added.
Brucey
Velcro Man
Basically stop reading after it says "however, we recommend....." at that point its turned into marketing and hopes and prayers.
Brucey
Velcro Man
I think you've failed to read the original license that specifies one license transfer in case of hardware failure.
TM48
Solar Wizard
What amazes me is the number of people who want to eat but don't want others to do the same.
Texas-Mark
Solar Wizard
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2021
- Messages
- 1,987
The issue is with changing the terms. I would want more details on what they consider "related services".
I personally don't have an issue with paying for new features that I want. But they need to be worth it.
@Brucey I’m editing my earlier reply here to you. Please see my corrected (changed) post #35. I don’t have the original license text, and the change they made seems fair to me. They DO offer a truly perpetual license now. Only upgrades have a limitation.
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@TM48 Please see my updated post #35. I was confused about the old vs new licensing terms so updated that, and this reply to you. What they offer now seems very fair to me.
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I am having issues with SA losing connection with my inverters for brief periods, I have replaced the wires. It may be a pi problem I dont know.
What I want is the ability to have extra new PI hardware as a hot backup and for troubleshooting, with my account and mqtt information on a spare sd card. plug it in and have it work
So if I am not here my wife could unplug all wires from the pi and get a new one off the shelf replug the wires and have it work.
I am willing to pay a license fee if this is possible
I use the automations to switch back and forth between sbu and utility first for free night electric, inverters are in a outbuilding and manually changing settings is not very doable
I like Solar Assistant but the lock in with PIs has me wishing for an alternative windows/pc solution
What I want is the ability to have extra new PI hardware as a hot backup and for troubleshooting, with my account and mqtt information on a spare sd card. plug it in and have it work
So if I am not here my wife could unplug all wires from the pi and get a new one off the shelf replug the wires and have it work.
I am willing to pay a license fee if this is possible
I use the automations to switch back and forth between sbu and utility first for free night electric, inverters are in a outbuilding and manually changing settings is not very doable
I like Solar Assistant but the lock in with PIs has me wishing for an alternative windows/pc solution
TM48
Solar Wizard
Economic conditions change. His alternative is to go out of business. How is that going to help you?
houseofancients
Solar Wizard
Bullshit, his alternative is to stick to the deals he made when he needed business, not to start milking it when he has the user base that helped to get where he is...
If I buy a whole bread, I expect to eat it..
Not while half way done get presented with additional fees to keep eating.
If there was let's say a new serie ( e.g
solar assistant reloaded) which contained a million new a use full features i would be more than willing to pay once, but I absolutely resend any form of subscription based licensing, as this model is nothing more than a milk cow.
TM48
Solar Wizard
Well good luck maintaining it yourself.
houseofancients
Solar Wizard
Don't need to, plenty of alternatives..
But
Again, a contract is a contract, perpetual is perpetual.
Just piss me well off that every time someone develops or rather puts a bunch of existing open source projects together in a usable and good package, gathers Community Support, gets loads of sales through that community, then decided to plainly screw over that same community
SolarUKWM
Solar Enthusiast
I don't understand exactly where this date has been back-editted into agreements.
There was no such subscription/payment model when I got SA back around March 2025. It was a one off payment, perpetual licence. No mention of paying again to get the "free" updates.
This is was all a new thing (see the original thread on here) when it "accidentally by mistake" got added to a Beta, around June. Somehow, this has become back-dated to August last year. What?
"Paging Louis Rossmann ... " (it won't end well ....)
Tulex
Solar Wizard
The wording of the new model has been on their page since August 2024.I don't understand exactly where this date has been back-editted into agreements.
There was no such subscription/payment model when I got SA back around March 2025. It was a one off payment, perpetual licence. No mention of paying again to get the "free" updates.
This is was all a new thing (see the original thread on here) when it "accidentally by mistake" got added to a Beta, around June. Somehow, this has become back-dated to August last year. What?
"Paging Louis Rossmann ... " (it won't end well ....)