I’m also facing this problem: I don’t want to buy a lifetime license of Roon, which absolutely needs internet access to work (a big mistake from Roonlabs in my eyes)
Of course, I can continue to work with version 1.8 – however, the version is finished. I’m buying a dead horse, which doesn’t get any bugfixes anymore and no changes that might be necessary for a more recent operating system.
@Henry_Konopacki is absolutely right when he says that the lifetime of version 1.8 is short. Yes, theoretically you can use it indefinitely. Just like Windows 95…
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Your Roon lifetime license is for the current version of Roon, whatever it is. This is the first time Roon has also given customers the option of using an obsolete version as long as it works. I guess nobody knows how long that will be. You can also upgrade to the current version at any time.
Just my 2p
It makes no sense to stay on a legacy version , any developer may try to maintain an old version but eventually tech will catch up. Roon have already indicated that the ‘always on internet’ is to move stuff to the cloud to take advantage of newer technologies which they cannot code for local use.
No matter what date Roon put on 1.8 it will progressively go out of date.
In this environment how often does your internet fail ? I live in a country where I have to plan my life around power outages. I manage it.
My advice - bite the bullet and go 2.0 and live with any limitations. I do have a backup plan in JRiver but that still requires power. 
My ultimate backup plan , Samsung A52/256 SD card/Bluetooth headphones or speakers
What is more important tech or music - your choice.
I’m off to close down my computer before the power goes off for the second time today - think yourself lucky 
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Couldn’t disagree more. If you do not want your access to your own collection to be limited by an internet connection so that Roon can collect information on your listening habits, stick with 1.8 as long as it works while trying alternatives. You can then decide whether you want to downgrade to 2.0 or switch to a different option or do both and use 2.0 while keeping an off-line alternative in case the internet goes down.
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Big Brother paranoia, Roon collecting your listening habits is only sinister if it’s sold etc. How else can Valence get its data to simply work recommendations, new releases. That is Roon like it or not.
If you don’t like AI turn off the microphone on your phone, tablet , Computer, disconnect from the internet. Stop using Google, Apple, Amazon the list goes on
How come Google , Gmail etc is FREE, there is no such thing as a free lunch 
Simply using the Internet feeds info about YOU every time you do it
Each to his own
George Orwell was right …
PS I will start to worry about access to my local library the first time an Internet void stops me, in the 14 weeks Roon has been 2.0 it hasn’t happened yet.
Currently power stops me but equally there is no power for the internet anyway, hence my magic SD cards
Dude, you you are missing the point. Roon gathering information is secondary. All services gather information about users. What is unique is that they have crippled their excellent home networking software in version 2.0 so you can only access your personal library when you are connected to the internet. I know that the argument is that they needed to move the search engine to the cloud so you could get your search result at the top tier instead of two lines down but at the end they make your library hostage to an internet connection. The fact that they admittedly collect a lot more information in the process is incidental if a little worrisome. Now I am very happy for you that “in the 14 weeks Roon has been 2.0” you have not lost your internet connection but as arrogant and condescending as that sounds I will assume it only means that you are a bit unempathic as to the needs of others and don’t live in Florida during storm season or in most of the world outside of the US, Japan and Europe. Let us try to grasp the spirit of christmas and think of others.
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Dude indeed … perhaps I’m too English
Check my info in my signature , I live in Johannesburg,South Africa. We can easily compete with your electrical storms 
, during these i disconnect all sensitive electronics , so no internet but equally no power to run Hi fi, so I know exactly where you are coming from.
Maybe Google “Eskom Loadshedding” and see the conditions we live under before assuming I live in Europe or US or Japan, don’t let the name confuse you.
Yesterday was the first day in 3 months where there hasn’t been an enforced power cut. (Special present for Xmas )
In the last few weeks we have been losing power for often 12 hours a day, yesterday was the first day that my freezer reached its target temperature in weeks, the power isn’t on long enough to get there. At least now I am happy it’s not broken. Also consider no Air Con in the bedroom at 28 C +
Now consider my comment condescending 
I think we qualify as pretty close to 3rd World at the moment
Roon is a dedicated piece of software, it comes with conditions , take it or leave it but don’t call me condescending because I accept the limitations to achieve the greater performance.
If you don’t want an internet based product go use FooBar or some other wannabe. Roon , IMHO, is doing the Internet always on for the benefit of the product, you can either accept that or move product, it’s up to you .
Have great holiday, i’ll think of you in my condescending way and gloat when the lights go out and the cooker fails at 14:00 for 2.5 hours Thankfully SA is a land of BBQ so we won’t starve
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Hope you have a lekker Christmas holiday in Jozi. Always enjoy your posts from South Africa - I used to live in Joburg and remember the spectacular summer thunderstorms. By way of comparison, I am going to spend New Year in Beirut, Lebanon - where the internet is slow and the power supply is even worse than South Africa. And don’t mention the economy or the political situation. Great food and amazing people though.
So I am back to my ultimate Roon fallback strategy - using my 15 years old iPod! Maybe next year I will be ready for the migration to Roon 2.0. In the meantime, I hope everyone in this community has a happy and peaceful holiday.
I think my iPod must be that age , it was well before I retired 10 years ago,
I progressed to a cell phone and SD card with Bluetooth phones , can’t keep a good listener down
Power or no power we can still braai 
Have a great Xmas and New Year
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Mmmm bbq… now I’m hungry again. 
@Mike_O_Neill you have to try to be a little consistent. I understand that either you are english living in south africa or south African with fantasies of being english (
not clear from the post) so you are subject to “in the last few weeks losing power for often 12 hours a day.” Now, unless you have a generator and your internet connection is independent and flawless this means that you have not been able to use Roon for 12 hours a day since you have been using Roon 2.0 and it requires an internet connection. This certainly makes no sense of your statement that “in the 14 weeks Roon has been 2.0” you have not lost access to your library yet. Now I appreciate that you accept Roon with conditions and take it or leave it and that you accept the limitations. However, the conditions that formed part of the package at the time that most people on the forum purchased their lifetime subscriptions have now been materially changed. I think that a healthy sense of betrayal and disappointment is not unwarranted under the circumstances not to mention a sense of caution in future purchasers. Try to keep an open mind to other who value and want the best for the product. Have a very happy and healthy new year.
Happy New Year
A rather demeaning comment !!
Over the years there have been many opportunities for non SA Nationals, especially in occupations where SA has a skills shortage mining comes to mind. I am a Brewer and joined SAB when the “1994 event” allowed SAB to expand offshore again. This left gaps for senior brewers which was filled by a number of highly qualified UK brewers. There are large numbers from Europe, US even China these days
So I am a dual citizen, I was born, educated and trained in the UK and emigrated in 1996 and have been here since so I am both , I hold 2 passports.
The point I was trying to make is that we lose power , we lose internet , we lose the ability to play music , my Hi Fi runs on power !. Yes I would have lost Roon 2.0 and my local library but having no power I wouldn’t notice.
I have not bought into Lifetime , probably for the reason you mention there are several shortfalls in Roon that often make me think but for the time being its the best there is. I didn’t buy lifetime when I first started and now it progressively makes less sense. So in that respect I don’t feel betrayed, I just roll with it
I don’t have a generator so I have no mean of maintaining an internet connection quite often neither has the ISP. As soon as power is restored I have internet, all is well. In essence I have no means of noticing Roon is missing. I have alternative battery driven sources of music. Lacking power I am more concerned with the contents of my freezers.
The point about development is still valid (amongst my qualifications, I am a Microsoft Certified developer MCSD) . Any software developer will not maintain legacy versions for long. Microsoft are constantly improving the whole .NET platform , any developer will move forward onto newer platforms as they emerge . It doesn’t take long before legacy software becomes outdated its a fast moving area.
Originally they guaranteed Legacy until TODAY !! so who knows when support will end. The product is theirs to design , if they believe that cloud based computation is needed who are we mere mortals to disagree.
I can understand your stance but realistically when was the last time you had a major internet outage. I do understand Florida is subject to electrical storms much as we are. Even in a country like SA I actually can’t recall other than the odd hour on the last 8 years with my current ISP other than power cuts
Mike, sorry if you found my attempt at extracting wit from an ambiguity in your message demeaning. It was not my intent. You seem well reasoned in your views. I guess we just have different views of what we should expect from Roon’s commitment to its lifetime subscribers. That difference may arise from the fact that I am a lifetime subscriber and streaming my large personal library was my main use for the software. Be that as a it may, we can probably agree that although we have slightly different perspectives we like roon and wish that it would not have made this internet only decision. Have a great 2023.
Lifetime is just another way of paying for Roon service. We don’t deserve or get anything more than annual or monthly paying customers. What I expect from Roon is what I bought, nothing more, nothing less. So far, they have delivered that without fail for 3+ years.
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I think that you are missing the point. The reason that some who bought the lifetime plan before version 2.0 are are upset is precisely because Roon no longer offers a product that lives up to the functionality that they bought. As you said, they deserve and should expect what they bought – a home network library streamer, not an internet only streamer. Thank goodness that Roon has kept version 1.8 around for those who care.
I’m not missing the point at all. I understand, but Roon never said or promised that.
Nor did Roon say the opposite when we bought lifetime… I bought mine many years ago
Are you kidding? Roon offered software that managed your personal music library without need for an internet connection. Now it no longer does. When you bought your car you paid for it with air conditioning. If you get a lifetime membership at a gym and a couple of years later they get rid of all the weight machines and do only zumba classes, you might be as upset as some roon users. After all, they never explicitly promised to have weight machines but…its a gym…
Then stay on Roon 1.8 Legacy.
I have. We’ll see how long Roon supports it. I am glad we have the choice for now. Just don’t say that all we can expect from Roon is what we bought because 2.0 is not what we bought.