Hi, I was thinking of getting the lifetime subscription since I recently moved to a rural area and have little to no internet access. Will this lifetime version (or subscription) allow me to play my local music offline?
Thanks!
During setup Roon pulls a lot of metadata down from the internet and then periodically checks for updates.
With no internet connection after setup it will still play your local files, but in a limited capacity with respect to searching etc. that are dependent on connection to Roon’s cloud services.
However, Roon does reach out to validate Roon’s licensing requirements … Roon have not specified how frequently this is but it’s fare to within a month of the previous validation.
If the validation cannot be performed Roon will cease to function.
If you don’t have wired internet access, then are other option … Star Link for example.
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Most software will “call home” for license validation at some frequency
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If you have cellular service in that location, connect occasionally using your phone’s hotspot.
EDIT: Better yet, just leave your Roon server on and connected by cellular hotspot at night while your phone is plugged in and charging. This will keep Roon updated and use little to no cellular data.
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If you absolutely don’t have (and can’t occasionally have) internet access. I recommend Lyrion Music Server (LMS). Can serve and play local music with zero internet access. If one has internet access LMS can also stream Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, and internet radio, etc. See:
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Thank you Sr. I also found Audirvana Origin as a posible alternative.
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Agree, but I think they should have a flag for the lifetime option for don’t make that check
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I fear you are mistaken, I believe Audirvana does check the Origin licence validity every 30 days. You will need an internet connection to do so on startup.
But it’s moot if you have a cellular connection.
I hear this thought expressed a lot but I believe it is misguided
If Roon did this then there would one of two consequences:
- If a floating license type scheme was used, then for the user the consequence would be that it would become much more onerous to move the license between servers and it would possibly create many more support requests for license recovery when a server machine died.
- If no check was performed at all, then the misuse of the licenses would become possible and lead to misuse which would impact the revenue to Roon and thus, to some degree, it’s viability as a business.
There are a number of people that regularly move their license between two or more servers (e.g for a second home). For such people, the requirement to ensure that their Roon servers have, at least, periodic access to the internet for license use checks is far preferable to a system where access (not necessarily physical) to both servers was required in order to move a license.
For lifetime subscribers, the internet check is not checking the validity of the license so much as the validity of the use of the license. In this respect, it makes no difference whether you are on a monthly, yearly or lifetime subscription.
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Not sure if anyone else mentioned this but I believe Plex can be configured to work completely offline, though you need access for the initial setup. I know John Darko of Darko Audio is a big Plex fan, but I have no personal experience.
Most videos of his I watch seem to be sponsored by Roon , his demo are nearly all Roon
In fairness to Roon, if a user only uses locally stored music, then a poor internet connection shouldn’t affect its function. As mentioned, it’s been said by Roon staff that you could get up to 30 days of use before the need to dial home.
A purely offline option is Lyrion Music Server but the caveat here is if you want the music artist/album information plugin. This needs an internet connection, just like Roon.
I think the 30 day rule is pretty generous, and I think there are very few places left with zero internet access options, even if it’s just via the internet sharing function of your cellphone. Use Roon for 30 days, then find a way to let it briefly dial home, and you’ll be good for another 30 days.