Overview

This article will go into detail about the network requirements, specific camera settings, and process to add video devices to the Arcules portal.

Requirements

Network Requirements

Here is a list of network requirements for being able to successfully add cameras to the Arcules system.

Network Visibility - The Gateway device needs to have network visibility to the cameras. This means that if the gateway and cameras are on different VLANS or subnets, that traffic needs to be allowed between them. If the cameras are on their own segregated network, and cannot be bridged to the same network as the gateway, a Rack Mount Gateway would be required to have support for Multiple NIC Cards.
IP Configuration - Cameras should be configured for IP addresses with the following best practice:
- DHCP with a reservation
- Static IP
- Adding to Arcules with the host name

Camera Setting Requirements

HTTP Must be enabled - All cameras must have HTTP enabled on them for communication to the gateway device.
ONVIF Must be enabled - For all manufacturers other than Axis, ONVIF must be enabled on the camera, and if needed, on the camera, create an ONVIF user to connect the device.
Hanwha Camera Authentication Setup - With Hanwha cameras, there is a setting on the camera under Basic -> User for "Allow RTSP connection without authentication." Please enable this setting.
Avoid certain special characters in the camera credential password - Try and avoid the usage of the following special characters in a camera's password:
- (
- )
- +
- &
- :
- ;
Default camera usernames and passwords are not accepted.

Adding Cameras to the Web Portal

There are two places in the Web Portal where you can add cameras to the system.

The Sites page, and selecting the appropriate Location
The Devices page

Method 1: Entering the Wizard

From either of the above locations, we've made adding cameras a breeze. Simply tap the '+' button. Choose ‘Add Device.’

You will be prompted to select the connection type for the device.

If this is an Axis Camera to Cloud Device, you will select the Cloud option.

Enter your device serial number (known as a MAC address) in standard format. There's many ways to find your MAC address if you do not have it yet.

Select a Site and Location and press "ADD".

If this is a standard gateway connected camera, you will select the Gateway option.

You will see a listing of the gateway you can add the cameras to. Pick the appropriate Gateway for your camera connection. You're all set to dive into the installation wizard and tailor your camera settings.

Note: Best practice is to update settings before adding the device to Arcules.

Users shouldn't modify settings in the manufacturer web client once the camera has been added to Arcules portal. Because if the gateway is restarted for any reason, it'll push the current settings in the database to the camera (thus reverting whatever has been set by the user).

Step 1 - Discover Camera

By default, the gateway will search your network, and detect all the cameras it can see. This will give you a quick list of cameras to add to the system.

All you need to do is enter the camera's credentials and hit Connect. After a few seconds the camera will go away on the Discovered list, and show under the Connected list.

If a camera is not found, you have the option to manually add a camera by clicking the '+' button. There you will add the camera's IP Address, username and password to connect it to the system.

To add a camera via hostname, please refer to the guide here

Cameras with Multiple Channels

Got a camera with multiple channels? No problem! While in the Add Camera Wizard, after entering the credentials and connecting the camera, click on the Connected tab, click the arrow beside the camera to access a drawer. Here, you can enable, disable, and rename channels as you wish.

Please refer to the Cameras FAQ's if issues adding/auto discovering a camera/s here

Step 2 - Motion Detection

Tailor motion detection settings for each of your cameras. A guide to setting up motion detection can be found here.

Step 3 - Recording Schedules

Allows you to configure recording schedules for each camera. A guide to describe these settings can be found here.

Step 4 - Storage

Control how long you keep the footage from each channel. For more information on storage options, review our storage guide here.

Method 2: Bulk Upload via CSV

Using the template found here, you can add your cameras in bulk utilizing our Add Cameras via CSV feature. With this, you can supply the IP Address, credentials, and a friendly name for the camera (i.e. Front Desk).

Camera IP Changes

If a camera’s IP address changes, it may temporarily go offline. But don't worry, our gateway will re-discover it with its new IP. Just hop back to the installation wizard, re-add the camera with its new credentials, and all your settings and videos will be there, just like before.

To avoid re-adding cameras after IP changes, we highly recommend adding your devices via hostname.

Accessing Your Cameras

Once the camera installation wizard process is completed, you will return to Devices. Results can be filtered by type, status, site, or location. You can also edit device settings, configure cloud analytics, edge analytics, or remove a device.