*Edit*. I am leaving the rest for others to read, but aqua computer did get back to me and told me to uninstall the software then reinstall. There is an option to install an older, free version to control the fans. This satisfies my needs for the hardware as I currently only use it for a fan control.


So, in 2015, I bought an Aquaero 6 Xt to control my fans.  I have been having a lot of crashes and issues with Aquasuite, and so I have to use the hand remote to try and figure out how to get my fans set to the correct speed.
 
Well, today, I finally get Aquasuite 2018-6 to load, as the one I previously had stated that I had to update to utilize the software.. 
 
I update and get greeted by this:
 

 
So.. I have to pay $10 or $20 to be able to use this $200 fan controller??????  and they implemented this charge a YEAR after I bought their device?  Article found here They say it is costly to develop the software to use their hardware... WHAT!?  Could you imagine if Intel, Nvidia, or AMD/ATI charged to get a new driver because they forced an update?  And if you didn't pay the yearly fee, you flat out couldn't use your CPU or GPU anymore.
 
I have messaged Shoggy over on the Aqua-Computer forums to see what can be done.. My mind is just blown right now.  If there is nothing they can do, I am going to need suggestions to replace this thing.  I am not a fan of paying to use the items that should work without the extra cost.

Wow, what amazing way to destroy your customer base because you didn't invest -any- of your profits.
Shame, looks like a really nice unit
 

I was also animated on their decision to do this as their gear isn't necessarily that affordable to buy but have made some stride since but nonetheless, I swallowed the pill and have moved on since.

Scarlet, depending when the 2 year subscription kick's in when purchasing a AQ controller, you're either getting 2015-2016 or 2016-2017 included with your purchase.  2018 is obviously passed your free usage but can be had for $10 or $15 ($17 and change when it converted for me) for 2 years which I actually ended up doing a couple of months ago.  Don't forget, you could still use the older versions as long as you want since they are licensed to your device.
 
I'm not a fan of this model nor am I on their advertisements and instructions as everything is basically a learning curve for each person who jumps on the bandwagon but the trade off is they do make some solid amazing gear though and their software features aren't even comparable to the competitors or at least at the moment and haven't in a long time since I get monitor my PC's 'eco-system' with my smart phone's browser.  They all have decent CS as well and will work with you.  Only issue there is, just trying to get into contact with them via phone would be a pain as one would need to be up in the early morning hours or at least state side.  They sometimes might answer the phone after work hours if someone is still there.

I tried many times to load an older version and it would just crash before the install completed. The problem is that the setup file they allow you to download doesn’t say what revision it is, it just says aqua suite.

Seeing how I bought the aquaero in 2015, I would think they would have sent an email saying “hey, your device is no longer “free to use” with future updates.”

Actually the $40 QUADRO (Mini AQ but without many of its features like Curves, Deltas, expansion etc.) comes with a 1 year license.  I believe each other standalone device w/ USB comes with a 1 year as well.
 
I'm not trying to defend them but iirc their reasoning was to be able to update older revisions since it uses up resources to do while those customer's sit on the older gear and not purchase anything for a while so basically you're paying for everyone before you, which doesn't make sense to me but you're also paying for any new features like Aquasuite Web which I finally figured out hoe to use. lol  (Mobile system monitoring via aquasuite)

Again my point is they aren't CLEAR about anything and you have to go searching through mud to find any info. lol   That's basically their achilles heel and have told them that they should really work on that. 

What is Aqua Computer thinking charging to use it's software. $150+ fan controller and they want you to buy an annual license too.
 
Look at Corsair ICUE software and all of it's features. That software is 100% FREE for Corsair customers to use.
 

MSim
What is Aqua Computer thinking charging to use it's software. $150+ fan controller and they want you to buy an annual license too.
 
Look at Corsair ICUE software and all of it's features. That software is 100% FREE for Corsair customers to use.
 

I am going to look into this. All I need is the fan control, so if I can get that, I will be set.

If all you need is fan control, use the tried and true SpeedFan. There's a bit of a learning curve but with a little patience it works well, plus there's good resources online for how to use it. You can set custom fan curves, as well as set individual fans to use whatever temp sensor you want, whether it's CPU, GPU temp, or even hard drive temp. I personally ramp up my front intakes when my GPU temp climbs above 75C.
 
This guide should get you started with how to set up custom fan curves. Watch the video, as it's a lot more thorough. Basically it requires some initial setup to allow SpeedFan to override your motherboard's fan curves, once that's done you can make your own: https://linustechtips.com...perly-set-up-speedfan/
 
If you need any clarifications on anything along the way let me know 

To reiterate since there still seems to be some confusion going around.

• Every newly purchased device that is supported by the aquasuite software comes with a license for at least two major version. This includes all intermediate versions of course.
• The license does not expire, so there is no need to spend additional funds to use the device or software. This is not a subscription!
 
Hope that clarifies everything.