Device Licenses

TelemetryOS uses a predictable license model tied to each active Node device. Hardware is purchased once; software coverage is managed as account-level device entitlements. Each paired or provisioned Node device consumes one entitlement. This section explains how license coverage aligns to accounts and how to think about managing costs as fleets grow.

What a Device License Covers

The device license enables hosted management for a player device: secure configuration, content and application delivery via CDN, monitoring, remote diagnostics, and over-the-air updates. Licenses apply to active devices in the deployment: screens that regularly connect, receive updates, and report health and playback telemetry. Retired or decommissioned devices should be removed from the inventory to keep counts accurate.

Every device also includes a 1-year hardware warranty with purchase. Premium and Enterprise account plans extend the hardware warranty for up to five years from activation, as long as the plan remains continuously active.

Device Families

Billing confirms genuine Node-family hardware before assigning coverage:

Family	How it is identified	License behavior
Node	Genuine TelemetryOS Node-family hardware. Classification requires a supported Node serial and the expected reported model, such as Node Mini or Node Pro.	One included year from the original in-service date, then $99/year.

Node classification is intentionally strict. A model string alone is not enough to receive Node-family treatment; the serial must match the supported Node list and the reported model must match the expected model for that serial.

Lifecycle and Alignment

Genuine Node devices include one year of service from the original in-service date. After that included year, paid coverage is required unless the account already has unused license capacity. All annual renewals align to the account's billing anniversary.

Stage	How it works
Node first year	Included with genuine Node hardware from the original in-service date.
Mid-year purchase	Creates a full-year license invoice for the device family. Any overlap with the next account year is credited on the anniversary invoice.
Annual renewal	Bills the upcoming account year for active entitlement counts, minus explicit overlap credits.

Managing Device Costs

Treat device lists as inventory. Keep them clean by removing screens no longer in use and by distinguishing pilot, test, and production devices with sensible naming and grouping. Device license status helps teams understand whether a screen is licensed, pending payment, expired, or covered through an included Node date. Clear ownership (for example, by location or team) makes quarterly reviews straightforward.

Invoicing and Payment

Device licenses are invoiced annually on the account anniversary and are based on active entitlement counts by family. New paid coverage can also generate a mid-year invoice when a device is paired or provisioned without spare capacity. Self-serve accounts typically pay by card through Stripe; Enterprise customers can use invoicing (ACH/wire) under custom terms. Invoices and renewal dates are visible in the Billing area of Studio.

If a paid license invoice is unpaid and coverage expires, affected devices report a license-expired state. Devices still inside included Node coverage remain covered until their included date even if an account-level renewal invoice is pending.

Reseller-Managed Accounts

For delegated child accounts managed by a reseller, Billing-Service invoices the reseller account. Child-account devices remain pending until the reseller invoice is paid, then the license coverage is released to the child account. This keeps the commercial relationship with the reseller while preserving accurate device-level license status for the customer account.

For broader plan context, see Subscription Plans. For conceptual guidance on changing tiers or terms, see Manage Subscription.