Open Source Is The Hope, But It Needs Our Help

In the last post, I explored the graveyard of ‘bricked’ devices—hardware rendered useless by corporate decisions. It’s a stark reminder that when you don’t control the software, you don’t truly own the hardware. The clear alternative is Open Source, but that path has its own critical vulnerability: sustainability.

But this is where the journey gets complicated. We flee to platforms like Home Assistant and embrace open-hardware projects, expecting a haven of stability and privacy. And while we find it, we often forget a crucial truth: “free and open source” does not mean free to create.

Longevity, security, and flexibility don’t come out of thin air. They are the product of countless hours of work by dedicated developers, often done in their spare time. And when it comes to hardware, the challenges are even more immense.

Why Open Hardware is So Much Harder

Unlike software, which can be copied infinitely at zero cost, hardware lives in the physical world. A developer can’t just “compile” a new circuit board.

• Physical Costs: Every prototype costs real money. A small design mistake might mean scrapping a batch of expensive PCBs. Components must be sourced and paid for, often in bulk.
• Logistics: Once a design is working, you have to deal with supply chains, manufacturing partners, quality control, shipping, and inventory. This is a full-time job in itself.
• Specialised Expertise: Creating good hardware requires a daunting range of skills, from electrical engineering and firmware programming to industrial design and RF certification.

Without a corporate budget, developers bear these costs themselves. The result is predictable: burnout. Promising projects, which could be the foundation of a truly private smart home, often wither and die not because they are bad ideas, but because their creators are exhausted and broke.

A raw, recent example of this is the story of Mark, the creator of the fundamental open-source network stack, Reticulum. For years, he poured his life into building a truly free and independent communication system, a foundational piece for a private, open internet. In late 2025, he announced he was stepping away from active development, not because he lost passion, but due to severe burnout and the financial impossibility of sustaining his work and supporting his family. His candid account, detailed in his post “Carrier Switch”, is a heartbreaking and all-too-common cautionary tale. A brilliant developer, working on critical infrastructure for all of us, was forced to put his project aside simply because the community that stood to benefit most could not provide the modest, consistent support needed to sustain him.

If we want the benefits of Open Source IoT, we can’t just be passive consumers. We must become active supporters.

A Call to Action: How You Can Fund the Future

This is a call to action. If you use and value Open Source IoT projects, you have a responsibility to help sustain them. The good news is, there are more ways to do this than ever before.

1. Direct Financial Support (The Most Powerful Method)

For the price of a single Netflix subscription, you could become a patron for several developers who build the software you use every day. Recurring donations are the lifeblood of independent Open Source.

• Look for GitHub Sponsors, Liberapay, Ko-fi, or Open Collective links on the project’s website.
• Even $5 a month makes a monumental difference when multiplied across the user base. It provides the stable, predictable income that allows a developer to dedicate real time to a project instead of squeezing it in on weekends.

2. Buy From the Creators

Many Open Source hardware projects, like the ones I’m developing, are eventually offered as finished products or kits. When you buy directly from the creator or their approved distributor (e.g., via Tindie or a dedicated web store), you are directly funding future development. Avoid cheap clones on AliExpress that take the open design but give nothing back to the community.

3. Contribute Your Skills

If money is tight, you can pay with your time and knowledge. Non-financial contributions are incredibly valuable.

• Improve the Documentation: Is an installation guide confusing? Is a feature poorly explained? Fixing it is one of the most impactful contributions you can make. Good documentation is a force multiplier that saves countless hours for other users and the developer.
• Test and Report Bugs: Be a beta tester. When a new version is released, install it on a non-critical system and provide clear, detailed bug reports.
• Help in the Community: Spend time on the project’s Discord server, forum, or subreddit. Answering questions from new users frees up the developers to focus on complex problems.

You Are the Business Model

In the world of corporate IoT, you are the product. Your data is the business model.

In the world of Open Source, you are the business model. Your support—whether through cash, code, or community—is what makes it all possible.

So today, I ask you to do one thing. Pick one Open Source project that is critical to your smart home. It could be Home Assistant itself, ESPHome, a Z-Wave or Zigbee integration, or a piece of hardware you love. Find out how its developers are supported, and contribute. Buy them a coffee, become a GitHub Sponsor, or fix a typo in their documentation.

Let’s stop being passive consumers and start being active members of the community that is building the future we want.

• Iot
• Open Source
• Sustainability
• Community
• Home Assistant
• Reticulum