OWS Licensing FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I purchase OWS 24/7?
OWS 24/7 licenses are purchased on a per channel basis. To purchase subscription licenses or an account, contact OpenEye Sales.
How is OWS 24/7 billed?
OWS 24/7 is a subscription software service, charged monthly or annually based on the number of licenses you have activated for end-user customer accounts.
What is an open PO?
An open PO is an authorized purchase order with a specific identifier that we will use to charge your OWS 24/7 subscription renewal invoice. This will be charged to your credit account with OpenEye based on the net terms you were granted when applying for an account.
What if I don’t have net terms or want to use a credit card?
You have the option to put a credit card on file with our finance department to charge against for 24/7 subscription renewals. To put a credit card on file, please reach out to 1-888-542-1103 ext. 4008.
When does my subscription renew?
We run all renewals on the first of the month for the monthly subscriptions and the first of the month of each year for annual subscriptions. For the annual subscription licenses, all channels are synced to the same date so they will all renew on the same date each year and all yearly licenses will be pro-rated based on the established date.
I am trying to organize my yearly renewal to align with my company’s calendar. How do I do that?
You can move your renewal date for any annual licenses by emailing insidesales@openeye.net and requesting a change to the annual renewal date. Our team will issue a quote for the amount of time that will need to be purchased to move that renewal date so a PO can be submitted.
When I buy my licenses, how soon after will I be charged my first renewal?
OpenEye’s current policy is to offer an installation grace period for new license activations. The installation grace period consists of the remainder of the current month in which a license is purchased plus the entirety of the following month. OpenEye reserves the right to modify this policy at any time and at its sole discretion. Under the current installation grace period policy, a subscription renewal will not be charged in the current month that the licenses are purchased or the subsequent month. The first renewal will be billed on the first of the month following this installation grace period. For annual licenses, the 12-month subscription term will begin on the first of the month following the installation grace period.
- Example: For a monthly license purchased on January 5th, 2022 the first renewal will be billed on March 1st, 2022.
- Example: For an annual license purchased on January 5th, 2022 the first renewal will be billed March 1st, 2023.
Will I receive an invoice for subscription license renewals and what will that look like?
Yes, you will receive a summary invoice for any period in which a license is renewed. The invoice will include the customer name, device serial number and the number of licenses renewed for any end-user customer account with license renewals occurring in the billing period. It will also include the open PO number or 'CC Sub Renewal' if paid by credit card.
What happens to OWS 24/7 subscription licenses in cases of non-payments?
OWS 24/7 is a subscription service which is automatically renewed until explicitly requested to be canceled for an account. If for whatever reason a payment is missed, perhaps because payments details have changed, the channel partner will receive past due statements at 30, 60, and 90 days past due. At 100 days past due and the OWS 24/7 service entire account in question will be suspended. Every effort will be made to work with the partner to continue to offer service to the end user.
How do I cancel subscription licenses or service for an entire account?
You can cancel your subscription license by emailing purchaseorders@openeye.net with account details, or by contacting your OpenEye account representative.
Where can I find the OWS license renewal dates?
You can view your OWS license start and renewal (end) dates through the Channel Partner Inventory Report in OWS.
What happens if my OWS 24/7 subscription is suspended or expires?
Continued access and compatibility with OpenEye Web Services requires an active OWS access license and is limited to recorders running software within two releases of the current version. If a device’s OWS subscription expires, the device will continue to record but video is not accessible until the subscription has been renewed and the recorder regains access to the internet. During this time, you will lose all enhanced functionality provided by OWS such as cloud-based user IDs, alert triggers, health reports, software updates, and more. The recorder will appear as “Expired” in all OWS software interfaces.
If a device is offline and unable to confirm its license with the cloud, OWS 24/7 will operate for 30 days before switching to an expired state.
What happens if a recorder loses internet access?
If a recorder loses access to the internet and is unable to check in with OWS, it will continue to record and maintain full functionality for 30 days. However, once the recorder’s OWS 24/7 expiration date is reached and the recorder has been offline for 30 days, the recorder will go into an expired state. See above for 'What happens if my OWS 24/7 subscription is suspended or expires?'.
How do OWS licenses work with multisensor devices?
The number of OWS licenses required for multisensor devices is dependent on the OWS license type. Some are able to leverage a 1:4 license ratio, or one OWS license for one multisensor device with the same IP/Mac address, up to a maximum of four (4) recording channels. Other devices are held to the 1:1 policy, or one OWS license required per recording channel. View specific details here.
Some important notes:
- There are differences if the device is a third-party or an OpenEye multisensor device. View details here.
- Multisensor devices with unique IP/MAC addresses for each sensor will still consume one recording license per sensor, regardless of license tier.
- For those with licenses that support a 1:4 ratio, multisensor devices with more than 4 sensors or streams will consume additional licenses at the ratio of 4 recording channels per 1 license, per sensor/stream.
For the latest licensing requirements for multisensor devices, view the details here.
Are all multisensor devices covered?
It must be an axis, Hanwha, Openeye, or Onvif compatible device added through camera discover on the recorder. RTSP or other devices added manually to the system will still require 1 license per recording channel.
How many licenses will a 16 channel encoder use?
Licenses are allocated based on the recording channel capacity of each license. Specifically, for licenses that accommodate 4 recording channels per MAC/IP address, a 16-channel encoder or Multisensor device would require 4 licenses. This equates to one license being utilized for every 4 video channels on the device.
Please note that only specific licenses can accommodate 4 recording channels per MAC/IP address. Learn more about Multisensor Device licensing here.
How long does OWS store Video Clips?
OWS will not delete any Video Clips as long as an account has active subscription licenses. If an OWS account has no active licenses, OpenEye allows for six months (from the time the last license on the account has expired) before disabling the account and permanently deleting all cloud video clips. The same applies to other account-specific information such as users and user groups, alert rules, etc.
Are there any license restrictions?
An end user account must be all one tier of OWS 24/7 subscription service.
Are there multiple versions of OWS with different levels of functionality?
Yes, there are three main tiers: Lite, Standard and Plus, each offering different numbers of remote connections, channels per server, and other features. For more details, view the differences here.
Can a user account have multiple tiers of OWS?
No, an end-user account must be one OWS 24/7 license tier. All channels of the end-user account must be the same OWS 24/7 license type.
Can I change from OWS 24/7 Lite to OWS 24/7 Standard?
Yes, you can upgrade at any time by contacting your OpenEye sales representative at https://www.openeye.net/contact-us.
Why do I not see Local user option for subscription licensing?
OWS 24/7 does not offer the ability to create local users. Refer to the OWS licensing tiers. See https://www.openeye.net/assets/documents/ows-24-7-features-comparison for more information. OWS 24/7 will have OWS user access that can be utilized for logging in locally. This can be done by setting User Group Permissions to the user. https://answers.openeye.net/Setup/User_Management/User_Group_Permissions
How Much Cloud Storage Space is There Available to Export To?
The Amount of cloud storage you have available for export depends on your subscription licensing and the amount of recorders in your customer account.
- OWS 24/7 LITE: 2GB per recorder
- OWS 24/7 STANDARD: 4GB per recorder
- OWS 24/7 EDU: 4GB per recorder
- OWS 24/7 PLUS: 6GB per recorder
Example: When using OWS 24/7 plus: 6GB with 9 units has a total of 54GB of cloud storage on that customer account.
Why Do My Cameras Have an “Invalid License” Error?
This error will show on cameras when you have cameras added to the system but not enough licenses for them. In order to resolve this, cameras will need to be disabled to free up licenses or to add more licenses to the recorder.
What are the licensing fees for processing AI analytics directly on the recorder?
When processing locally, there is a monthly charge per video stream per analytic model used (person, vehicle). For comprehensive and up-to-date pricing details, please refer to the latest price list.
What are the licensing fees for processing AI analytics in the cloud?
When processing in the cloud, there is a monthly charge that allows for 300 hours of cloud processing on a single camera when using the same analytic model (person, vehicle). For comprehensive and up-to-date pricing details, please refer to the latest price list.
Would I ever need more than one license for a single camera when processing AI analytics in the cloud?
There are two scenarios where you may need more than one license per camera when processing in the cloud:
Scenario 1) More than 300 hours of processing time is needed for a camera stream.
One license will allow for 300 hours of cloud processing in a month; if you need to run the analytic model for more than 300 hours, a second license would be required that would allow for an additional 300 hours - if 24/7 analytics are desired, it will require three licenses (24 hours a day for 31 days = 744 hours).
NOTE: Each license will allot 300 hours; there is no other increment available.
Scenario 2) You wish to run multiple analytics at the same time for a camera stream.
If more than one analytic model (person, vehicle, or object) is enabled on the same camera stream, a license would be required for each (e.g. if an analytic is run on vehicles and another analytic on the same camera stream is configured to run on people, both would require a separate license).
Alternately, if multiple analytic “tasks” are enabled using the same analytic model (e.g. if both people counting and person dwell time are desired, each will utilize its own processing time). In this case, the 300-hour allotment is shared between tasks. Therefore, if the cumulative hours between the two tasks exceeds 300 hours in a month, multiple licenses will be required.