Introduction
Axis Cloud Connect (ACC) is Axis’ own cloud service for registering and managing Axis cameras with a My Axis account. Arcules connects directly to Axis Cloud Connect so you can onboard an already-registered Axis camera into your Arcules portal without installing the Arcules Camera-to-Cloud (C2C) ACAP by hand.
Note: If you’d rather install the Arcules C2C ACAP yourself and claim your device with its serial number, see Axis - Onboarding a Camera-to-Cloud (C2C) Device instead. Axis Cloud Connect is a faster alternative for devices that are already managed in Axis Cloud Connect.
Firewall Requirements for Axis Cloud Connect Cameras
To onboard a camera through Axis Cloud Connect, configure your firewall in the following two steps:
Arcules: Apply the firewall rules described in the Network Readiness Guide for Camera to Cloud
Axis Cloud Connect: Allow the camera to access the Axis cloud services listed below.
All traffic between the camera and Axis services is encrypted using TLS, including connections on ports 80 and 8080.Axis uses multiple service hosts behind the domains listed below, and these hosts may change without notice. To ensure uninterrupted connectivity, allow the wildcard domains rather than individual hostnames or IP addresses.
Cameras must also have access to an NTP server to maintain accurate system time. If time synchronization fails, secure cloud connectivity may not function correctly.
Domain | Purpose | Protocol | Port |
*.connect.axis.com | Device onboarding, management, and telemetry | TCP | 80, 443, 8080 |
*-st.axis.com | Axis Cloud Connection Dispatcher | TCP | 443 |
pool.ntp.org | Network Time Protocol (NTP) | UDP | 123 |
Note: All Axis Cloud Connect communication is initiated outbound from the camera. No inbound ports or port forwarding are required.
Onboarding a device using Axis Cloud Connect
To onboard a device with Axis Cloud Connect:
Confirm your device meets the Camera-to-Cloud prerequisites.
Register your device in Axis Cloud Connect.
Start adding a device in your Arcules portal.
Connect Arcules to your Axis organization.
Select the device and onboard it into Arcules.
1. Confirm your device meets the Camera-to-Cloud prerequisites
Axis Cloud Connect changes how you register your device, but your camera still needs to meet the same requirements as traditional Camera-to-Cloud onboarding:
Firmware: confirm your device's AXIS OS firmware meets the Firmware Compatibility for C2C Cameras requirements.
MicroSD card: make sure an AXIS MicroSD card is installed in the device. Video is recorded locally on the camera, so Arcules can't onboard a device without one.
Network: review the Network Readiness Guide for Camera to Cloud to confirm your network allows the device to reach Arcules and Axis Cloud Connect.
2. Register your Device in Axis Cloud Connect
Note: Axis provides a mobile installer application that you can use to quickly register devices in the Axis portal by scanning a QR code. This can make the device registration process faster and easier. For more information, see here.
Before Arcules can pull a device in, it must already be registered with Axis Cloud Connect under your Axis organization.
Open AXIS Device Manager. Sign in to My Axis and go to your organization’s AXIS Device Manager.
Register the device. Click Register, then enter the device’s
Serial number,Owner authentication key, andDevice name.Assign it to a site. Select the resource group or folder you want to onboard the device to, then click Register.
Note: Your My Axis account can belong to more than one Axis organization. Make sure you register the device under the same Axis organization you plan to connect to Arcules in the next steps.
3. Start adding a device in your Arcules portal
Navigate to the Devices pane in your Arcules portal and select All Devices or Video.
Click the + button (Add Device).
Select Camera-to-Cloud as the connection type.
When asked how you’d like to onboard your camera, select Axis Cloud Connect.
4. Connect Arcules to your Axis Organization
If your Arcules portal isn’t already connected to Axis, you’ll be prompted to sign in.
Sign in with My Axis. Enter the email and password for the Axis account tied to your Axis organization.
Confirm with a one-time code, if your account requires it.
Approve Arcules’ access. Review the access Arcules is requesting (identity verification, staying signed in, and administrator-level management of your Axis devices, users, licenses, and organization content), select the Axis organization you want to share data from, and click Approve.
Note: Only one Arcules connection can be active per Axis organization at a time. If another user or Arcules portal is already connected to that Axis organization, you’ll need to disconnect it before connecting a new one.
Once approved, Arcules confirms the connection.
5. Select the device and onboard it into Arcules.
Arcules lists the devices already registered to your Axis organization that are available to pull in.
Find the device you registered in step 2 and click Onboard into Arcules next to it.
If needed, you can adjust the device’s name before adding it. Arcules will pick up the name you already gave it in Axis Cloud Connect by default.
Arcules starts onboarding the device. This can take a few minutes while the device connects and Arcules finishes setup.
5.1 Add Device - Connecting to Axis
At this stage, Arcules connects to Axis Cloud Connect to confirm the camera is registered. You can close the dialog while this runs, because onboarding continues in the background. Anything that needs your attention appears on this step when you come back.
Whether this step finishes on its own depends on the camera’s one-click cloud connection (O3C) setting, described in 5.1.1. If you see the message “Allow the cloud connection on the camera to continue” follow 5.1.2.
5.1.1. Changing the one-click cloud connection (O3C) setting
In the camera’s web interface, go to System > Network > One-click cloud connection > Allow O3C
One-click (default): The camera blocks cloud connection attempts until someone presses its physical control button (see 5.1.2). The press opens a 24-hour window in which the cloud service can register the camera using its serial number and Owner Authentication Key (OAK). If 24 hours pass without registration, the camera locks back down.
Always: The camera continuously tries to connect to the cloud over the internet, so no button press is needed. This is a good option if the camera is already installed on a high ceiling or pole.
No: Cloud connectivity is disabled, and pressing the button will not start a cloud connection. Change this setting to One-click or Always before continuing.
5.1.2 Pressing the device’s control button
If O3C is set to One-click, onboarding pauses with this message:
This means you need to press the camera’s physical control button. It proves you have local access to the device.
The control button is typically on the camera body, close to the network/PoE connector or next to the microSD card slot, depending on the model.
With the camera running normally, press and release the button. The status LED flashes green to confirm the cloud pairing request, and onboarding continues.
Note 1: The control button is also the factory reset button. Press it once and release it. Do not hold it down. If onboarding does not continue, do not factory-default the camera. Contact Customer Care.
Note 2: Arcules keeps trying to onboard your device in the background for up to 48 hours. If that window passes before onboarding finishes, click Continue to give it another 48 hours.
5.2 Add Device - Installing ACAP
Arcules installs the Arcules Camera-to-Cloud application on the camera for you. You don’t need to do anything at this stage.
5.3 Add Device - Onboarded
Your device is now onboarding into Arcules through Axis Cloud Connect. Once onboarding completes, refresh your All Devices or Video list and click the device’s row to open its device drawer, review its status, and configure settings.
Additional Notes
You can always manage your Axis organization, users, licenses, and registered devices directly from the Axis organization landing page in My Axis.
AXIS Device Manager (opened from that landing page) is also where you register new devices, and where you can review each device’s security and warranty status.
If you’d prefer not to use Axis Cloud Connect for a given device, choose Manual onboarding instead in step 3 and follow Axis - Onboarding a Camera-to-Cloud (C2C) Device.
If you’re experiencing onboarding issues, do not factory-default your device. Reach out to Customer Care instead.