This June 2026 webinar covers the latest functionality in Arcules, including license plate recognition, advanced similarity search, and AI-driven natural language search. Answers to all attendee questions are written out below.
Q: Does Arcules provide a back-end solution to provide law enforcement with relevant video evidence from the cloud recordings that meets courtroom standards?
A: Arcules has a feature we call "Cases." It allows you to collect video related to specific incidents and then share that evidence based on permissions. This also includes sharing information (including export capabilities) with external agencies, such as law enforcement and legal.
Q: Will license plate recognition be supported with other cameras (in addition to Axis) in the future?
A: Yes, we're looking into adding more vendors to our support for camera-side LPR. It would be great to hear from you if you are looking for an LPR integration beyond camera-side analytics. Please consider signing up to our customer panel.
Q: How can I beta-test these types of features before they come out?
A: Contact Arcules support in the live chat, and sign up for the customer panel.
Q: Do the LPR capabilities include estimating the speed of vehicles, reaction times, etc.?
A: This is not currently available in Arcules. The most advanced LPR we have is when using BriefCam LPR analytics on top of the XProtect VMS.
Q: Is there a particular way that is preferred to update the LPR plates list, or is there a "plugin" of sorts that is required?
A: The Arcules LPR feature uses the Axis ACAP camera plugin, explained in this article.
Q: Could you confirm whether AI-powered search is available for Milestone on-premises deployments? Additionally, is this feature licensed separately for Arcules and Milestone, or is it included in an existing package?
A: Arcules and XProtect each have their own AI search capabilities.
Q: If we have a hybrid XProtect + Arcules solution, do we have to search two different systems?
A: You can view footage from Arcules within XProtect, but the search would happen separately in the respective platforms, yes.
Q: Is color search camera-dependent?
A: Color search is currently available for all supported cameras when using cloud storage (as opposed to gateway/edge storage). The plan for the future is to support certain cameras for edge color search (no ETA at this time).
Q: Does Arcules have facial recognition?
A: No.
Q: In a manufacturing environment, can you detect a black glove on a conveyor belt? If yes, does it work with either Hanwha or Axis cameras?
A: In this scenario, you would use the Arcules AI search to first filter for people, and then ask for additional attributes such as clothing color, wearing hats, etc. We have not tried to look specifically for gloves, but it is a feasible attribute to search for. This is supported on cameras connected through a gateway; see the list in the answer to the next question.
Q: A transportation scenario with moving vehicles. What is the recommended architecture for monitoring a fleet of push tugboats from a centralized security operations center (SOC)? Should a VSaaS or on‑premise approach be used, given a deployment of around +400 cameras across multiple vessels?
A: If you are doing real-time monitoring from the SOC, you will need adequate bandwidth between the tugs and the SOC. You could use the simplest deployment and use supported Camera to Cloud devices. This would not require any gateway device (hardened compute appliance) to be mounted on the tug. If there were a specialty camera you want to use, of course, you could mount a small hardened appliance gateway to accommodate your specialty cameras. While live monitoring requires a constant connection, all Arcules platforms tolerate disconnections well and maintain video recording.
Q: Thoughts on "object left behind" analytics?
A: Similar to the above answer; there's no out-of-the-box way to do this in Arcules. But while it's not necessarily on our roadmap to have this, our open-platform approach means it could be supported with camera-side analytics as we expand that support. Analytics that are not natively supported can often be satisfied by camera edge analytics that integrate with the Arcules rules engine via virtual I/O triggers.
Q: Do you have a list of cameras that are compatible with Arcules?
A: Here are our lists of supported cameras when using a gateway versus Camera to Cloud.
Q: What’s the difference between an Arcules gateway and an XProtect recording server? Is it in the hardware, software, or both?
A: The XProtect recording server is always the system of record itself, but that's not necessarily the case with an Arcules gateway. It depends on the gateway type.
There are two types of Arcules gateways, which are both hardware appliances that run the Arcules gateway software. With the Arcules cloud gateway, video buffers, and may temporarily store video locally, especially for resiliency. The Arcules cloud is the primary system of record and access layer. For a gateway used in an edge deployment (edge gateway), the video stays on the gateway unless it is uploaded to the cloud for viewing, added as evidence to a case, etc. The cloud is still the access layer.
As an additional note, Acrules Camera to Cloud works the same way, with the difference being that the camera acts as the gateway (either in edge mode or cloud mode).
The XProtect recording server is a piece of software you can run on an appliance you buy from Milestone or a third-party vendor. You can technically also host the recording server in a cloud solution like AWS, although most customers keep it on-prem. You access the recorded video via the XProtect Smart Client, Web Client, or Mobile Client.
Q: Does the gateway (edge or cloud) act as the communication layer between an existing NVR/HVR/storage server and the cloud?
A: The gateway sits between site devices (cameras, sensors) and the cloud, handling communication regardless of whether it’s an edge or cloud setup. Typically, it connects directly to these devices rather than existing NVRs. An exception is when an older NVR is used as an encoder for analog cameras—it can stream (via ONVIF or RTSP) to the gateway for each camera.
Q: Do you need an SD card?
A: If you use Arcules Camera to Cloud, then yes.
Q: What do you consider a "small" camera count for Arcules?
A: Small camera counts are one to a dozen or so.
Q: We currently use adaptive streaming. I think I understand Arcules pulls in 2 streams. If my end-user is only looking at live view, will they get a lower-res, lower-FPS image to save on bandwidth?
A: The live view displays the full resolution stream. Subject to custom configuration, the saved archive video will be the full resolution stream on motion and events, and optionally a lower resolution and fps stream otherwise. Custom configuration can change this behavior.
Q: Do you see the supply chain for gateways being more resilient than normal servers have been lately?
A: We expect them to be equivalent. We have contracted with our manufacturers and distributors to ensure the best inventory and delivery times. But if you opt for Camera to Cloud, you do not need a hardware gateway.
Q: Are there specific bandwidth requirements when using gateways?
A: This article lists the bandwidth requirements. But if you opt for edge storage (i.e., on the gateway), the subscription requires almost no bandwidth to the cloud (about 20-50kbps per camera).
Q: Which brands of access control systems and IoT sensors can we currently connect to the Arcules platform?
A: At the time of this webinar, Arcules works with the Genea, Imron, and Acre access control systems. We also support Halo and Triton sensors. The integrations are currently one-way, but we are excited to be working on bidirectional access control.
Q: What about the Elements SaaS access control from LenelS2?
A: Not in the pipeline at this time, but we're keen to hear more about your needs.
Q: We have XProtect Corporate and are looking to add Arcules for a new site. Can the Evidence Lock in XProtect work the same way with footage from Arcules if they are integrated?
A: With a hybrid setup, you can view Arcules feeds in XProtect, but the footage itself from Arcules won't be stored/locked in XProtect. You would need to add the footage to Cases in the Arcules platform in order for it to be locked. However, we have passed the idea of Evidence Lock on Arcules foorage on to our product management team.
Q: Can we see a demo of Arcules (not just the most recent updates)?
A: Please check out this video and consider booking a demo if you'd like a walkthrough that dives deeper into the functionality that you need.
Q: Can you provide an estimated cost for integrating Arcules with our current environment? Specifically, I'd like to know whether the pricing is per camera and what additional costs we should expect for licensing, cloud services, storage, and implementation.
A: Arcules is a subscription service based on the number of cameras, the resolution, and the retention time for storing video. And we can adjust your subscription as you build out the project and potentially expand. We offer one-, three-, and five-year agreements, with the option to pay annually for the longer-term agreements. This is preferable for customers looking to spread out operating costs. In addition to per-camera pricing, the cost will vary depending on FPS. Gateways are a one-time expense. Arcules includes direct technical support from Milestone via email, chat, and phone at no additional cost to customers.
Please note that Milestone doesn't charge for the hybrid XProtect + Arcules setup. If you contact us, we'll be happy to put you in touch with a local integrator who can provide a quote that includes implementation of a hybrid XProtect + Arcules setup.