

Your average user probably never buys a license. I'm not saying I like it a whole lot, but it makes sense.

That's not terribly far off the mark for a professional grade NVR system that probably has similar functionality as the Surveillance Station software. An RS815 + 16 licenses is probably about $2000 without disks. If I'm Fred Businessowner then buying ten licenses plus the hardware is compariable to purchasing a professional grade surveillance system from a vendor. If I'm Joe Average homeowner with two or three cameras, then buying my Synology NAS and having it serve as a surveillance system is a bonus. The best way I have seen it explained is that you are paying for the continued development of the Surveillance application on a scale that ranges for the use you have. u/root-note explained what the licenses do, but the inevitable question is "Why?"
