Generic Questions and Answers
Generic questions about OpenRemote, the project and the community.
What is OpenRemote?
OpenRemote is an open community in the Home Automation or Domotics space. We promote open standards, open collaboration, and open implementations in the field.
Who can be a member?
Anyone can be a member. Currently our community comprises professionals as well as hobbyists, and Open Source veterans from various groups, see Who We Are. We want to grow fast and with the right expertise. If Domotics is something you fancy, you should consider becoming a member.
Why should I join?
The OpenRemote community is engaged in concrete programs to make concrete contributions to the field. Our discussions are focused and usually technical. If you are looking for an opportunity to learn about a technical domain by participating in it, if you are a professional looking for discussions and information, both theoretical and practical. If you are an alpha geek, who just likes learning and figuring out new stuff, you should definitely spend some time on our forums. You will feel at home in no time 
I am a vendor, can I be part of this community?
Absolutely. If you are a CE vendor, view the Boss as a way to offer panels on top of your hardware. If you have an IP enabled gateway, we can easily integrate with it. We currently support professional standards such as KNX and UPnP. Codes are maintained through the Beehive effort, when available entering codes in Beehive will ensure that people can easily use the devices. We can add support for any protocol. The OpenRemote Controller can adopt proprietary protocols and adapt to different physical media.
I am an installer, can I be part of this community?
Absolutely. If you are an installer, view OpenRemote Boss as a way to assemble custom iPhone panels on top of the hardware you use. Deploying an OpenRemote Orb is an easy way to build state-of-the-art panels on iPhone and letting your customer assemble his/her own.
I want to help, where do I start?
The best place to start is on the forums and the chat.
Questions About Hardware and Software
Questions related to OpenRemote Hardware, the reference implementation, certified hardware and software components.
What is OpenRemote Boss?
OpenRemote Boss stands for "OpenRemote Building Operating System Standard". It is where we integrate protocols, where we route messages and what serves the panels. It is mostly software, written in Java and is therefore portable across operating systems.
What is OpenRemote Orb?
OpenRemote Orb is a reference implementation. We specify it in terms of off-the-shelf hardware that can be assembled anywhere in the world. It is a Linux OS based. It runs OpenRemote Boss. It is our hardware gateway via USB, Infrared, and serial interfaces. It is designed to support development. It is Wi-Fi enabled.
Why do you publish a Bill of Material
OpenRemote publishes a Bill of Material in order to support the DIY crowd. For $250 you can assemble you own OpenRemote Orb. We are exploring ways to support this, either by selling units from this website or finding manufacturers to partner with. If you are interested in offering OpenRemote Orb and want to talk to us, you can reach us on chat and forums.
What is OpenRemote Controller?
OpenRemote Controller is an open platform that acts as an integrator for existing protocols. It creates a central point of integration and programming. We support various media standards (X10, IR, RS, KNX, UPnP, proprietary) and messaging formats. Today it provides a gateway for the iPhone and a browser to control the devices plugged in to the home. With its modular design, the controller is also meant to be easily installed and maintained with minimal intervention in the field.
What is OpenRemote for iPhone?
This is the client of the OpenRemote Controller. This client is a native iPhone/iPod Touch application, Android application or a web application, supporting any browser. The user interface and scenes can be edited with the OpenRemote User Interface Designer. You can have a remote for yourself, for your kids, for your significant other all programmed through the web with a drag and drop interface to select buttons and layout.
What is Beehive?
Beehive is an online tool whose goal is to collect codes for IR and RS and redistribute them in a packaged form with proper meta-data so others can configure their remotes easily. If you have ever hacked HEX codes into your universal remote, you know we want to talk to you. Beehive will be seeded and will grow over time.
Why a modular design?
Your home is your home, and there is no way for us to know what type of environment we are going to find. Therefore a dynamic software installation is required. We want to simplify installation and maintenance of the software stack in the field. With our modular design a controller that can be assembled depending on what you use. One can upgrade and install new features because of this modularity. Creating a programming layer of abstractions on top of the various protocols and media then becomes possible. For example assembling panels by drag and dropping icons then works across incompatible hardware.
What protocols are supported?
The point of the OR Boss is to be open and modular with respect to protocols. In theory any protocol can be ported and distributed as part of a Boss instance. We currently support X10, IR, RS, KNX and UPnP. If you want to help you can either help on the protocols or bring your own. Community members have integrated protocols.
How much does OpenRemote software cost?
All software is distributed under AGPL. That means it is free. If you need a commercial license and don't want to use the AGPL license please contact us for dual licensing.
Where is the source?
We currently host our source code repository on SourceForge. You can access the source repository with the Subversion tools. Please refer to the SourceForge documentation for more details.
It is possible to follow the developments in the source repository either on our activity page or the subversion statistics page. Mailing list subscriptions coming soon. You can also browse the source code repository directly from your web browser.
Business Questions
Questions related to OpenRemote Inc., the business model, partners and licensing agreements.
Is OpenRemote funded?
Yes. OpenRemote Inc. provides private funding for the OpenRemote.org effort.
Who is OpenRemote Inc.?
OpenRemote Inc. is a C corporation that was created to enable the sponsorship of OpenRemote org - in the vein of JBoss.com/JBoss.org, Asterisk/Digium examples. The ownership of OpenRemote Inc is meant to be distributed amongst the contributors to the project. Open Remote Inc will follow a Professional Open Source methodology.
I am an installer, can I just install this in the field. How do I get training? How do I get support?
At this moment, we are building the products and we are targeting DIY and professionals. In time Open Remote Inc will offer training and certification programs targeting the Custom Installers. Professional support will be offered through public and private means. This methodology was employed at JBoss.
I am a software vendor creating a derivative work of OpenRemote, What are my obligations under the GPL?
The GPL states that derivative works must be licensed under the GPL. If this is not an acceptable option for you then you need a proprietary license. This model is known as dual licensing and has been pioneered on a large scale at mySQL.
What is the business model?
Business models around free software abound in the Open Source community. We focus on Professional Open Source approaches that sustain development of OSS technology while paying the bills. As mentioned above, training, certification, consulting, dual licensing, support subscription are all viable options for OpenRemote.
What is the OR Contributor License Agreement?
The ORCLA is a copyright transfer clause. It was directly inspired by those used at mySQL, Apache and JBoss. If you want to contribute to OR you must sign the ORCLA which makes representation about the ownership of the IP and your rights to contribute it. You retain copyright of your originals, which means you, or your company, retain full rights, you basically give a copy to OR for redistribution. OR redistributes the software under GPL primarily.
Do I get compensated for my contributions?
You might! OR follows a Professional Open Source methodology, which means that while this is a community effort, based on volunteer efforts, we are always on the lookout for ways to make a living at this. OR inc is composed on OSS professionals that have done this before. Meaning that HA is a passion and we are interested in finding ways to make a living at it. This FAQ is meant as a statement of intent, we have done it before, we will do it again.