Orchid Alto VPN Connector for Axis Cameras – Technical Support

Background

Orchid Alto is a Cloud VMS that directly records from any Axis camera (with firmware 6.x or greater) that has access to the internet. In order to connect your compatible Axis camera to Alto, you will:

Upload IPConfigure's Orchid Alto Connector ACAP (Axis Camera Application Platform) to your camera. This ACAP file will end in .eap.
Set a unique VPN configuration on your camera to establish a secure, encrypted tunnel to Orchid Alto. This VPN configuration file when end in .conf.
Set a password on the camera and register it to Orchid Alto.

Installing the Orchid Alto VPN Connector ACAP

Step One: Determine Your Camera Architecture

Recent Axis cameras have one of six different CPU architectures. IPConfigure provides a unique ACAP app for each architecture, so first determine what type of CPU your camera uses.

From the Axis camera web interface, navigate to Settings → System→ Plain Config→ (Click "Got it" if prompted)→ Properties, then search for "Architecture" under the "System" heading:

From the Settings page, navigate to the "System" tab and find "Plain config" (you may need to scroll to the right using the arrow button):

From the "Plain config" page, select "Properties":

From the properties page, either scroll down or press Ctrl+F in your browser to search for "Architecture". In this example, the camera's CPU architecture is arm7hf. Remember this!

Step Two: Download the ACAP Installer

IPConfigure's Orchid Alto VPN Connector for Axis Cameras can be downloaded here:

https://download.ipconfigure.com/alto-acap/

Note that there are six versions available; make sure that the file you download corresponds to the Architecture you found in Step One:

If your camera uses an armv7hf CPU there are two options: one for older cameras supporting ACAP version 2, and another for newer cameras support ACAP version 3. If in doubt, download the ACAP 2 version since newer cameras are backward compatible.

Step Three: Install and Start the ACAP

Now that you've download the correct ACAP package as an .eap file, you can install it from the camera's web interface by navigating to Settings → Apps, then click the "Add" button:

From the "Add" dialog, browse to your downloaded .eap file and click Install. Once installed, you will see Orchid ACAP VPN Connector listed as one of the installed apps. Next, 1) click the App name so that we can 2) Start the App and 3) Open the configuration interface:

Step Four: Set the Tunnel Configuration File

With the Alto Connector configuration dialog now open, expand the "Manage Connection to Orchid Alto" tab and click "Set New Configuration". Select the .conf file you received when you purchased your Alto service. Note that every camera requires a unique .conf VPN configuration file. If you don't have this file, contact IPConfigure Technical Support for assistance.

Once the configuration file is set, the Alto Connector will confirm that your camera's VPN connection is RUNNING, and you will see the unique Alto IP address that has been assigned to your camera. Remember this IP address!

Step Five: Set an ONVIF Password

Next, your Axis camera needs an ONVIF user account. ONVIF is the industry-standard video surveillance protocol that Alto uses to communicate with your camera. Use the Alto Connector to set an ONVIF password. Remember this password, you'll need it soon!

Step Six: Register Your Camera in Orchid Alto

You are now ready to add your camera to your Orchid Alto site. Log in to https://{your-id}.ipconfigure.com using the Administrator username and password you were provided when you signed up for Alto.

From the menu icon in the top right of Alto, select "Servers", then expand your Alto recording server. Large installations may have multiple numbered recording servers; add new cameras to the highest numbered recording server. Once this server is expanded, click "Add Camera":

In the Register Camera dialog, select the "MANUAL" tab, and register your camera as follows:

Update the "ONVIF Discovery URL" field so that the IP address matches the "Tunnel IP Address" reported by the Alto Connector in Step Four.
Set the "Camera Name".
Under Credentials, specify "Username" as alto, and "Password" as the ONVIF password you set in the Alto Connector in Step Four.
Click Register.

With this, your compatible Axis camera is now enrolled in Orchid Alto! If you have any remaining questions or issue, IPConfigure Tech Support is ready to help.