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Cisco Meraki Documentation

Axis Device Onboarding with Meraki Dashboard

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Overview

This guide provides comprehensive instructions for onboarding Axis devices to your Cisco Meraki dashboard using Axis Cloud Connect. The integration enables seamless management of Axis devices through the Cisco Meraki Dashboard, providing customers with a unified cloud-managed video monitoring platform.

Key Benefits:

  • Direct-to-cloud connectivity and secure video streaming
  • Centralized device provisioning and management
  • Enhanced security with automatic firmware management
  • Simplified onboarding and streamlined operations
  • Eliminate the need to manage multiple on-premise servers or platforms

Key Features:

  • Secure, scalable, and manageable direct-to-cloud video streaming
  • Support for both new and existing Axis deployments
  • Access to live and historical video streams with optional cloud storage
  • Video Export, Remote troubleshooting and Configuration Management
  • Device health and connectivity monitoring
Supported Axis Camera Models

This integration supports a wide range of Axis device models. Refer to the Axis compatibility documentation for the complete list of supported models

Prerequisites for Onboarding

Complete the following steps before installing and onboarding your Axis devices

If you have the integration enabled and looking to add additional devices, jump to the Claim Devices section of this doc

  1. Verify you have the following accounts and credentials: 
    • Active Cisco Meraki Dashboard org with admin user privileges or create New Dashboard Org
    • Axis Mysystems Org with admin privileges (can be created during setup) or create New Axis Org
    • Login credentials for both Meraki Dashboard and Axis Mysystems Org
       
  2. ​Ensure compatible hardware and software is ready
    • Compatible Axis device hardware
    • Cisco software license key (available for purchase from joint channel partners)
    • For existing Axis device, verify correct type and quantity of licenses are added to your Cisco Meraki organization
       
  3. ​Verify network requirements
    • Power connectivity for devices (PoE or power adapter)
    • Internet connectivity for cloud communication
    • Firewall rules configured to allow cloud communication (List of ports and IP address can be found on Dashboard Help>Firewall Info)

Onboarding

Configure Your Network in Meraki Dashboard

  1. Navigate to dashboard.meraki.com
  2. Log into your existing Cisco Meraki organization or create a new one using the Create an account option
  3. Ensure your network is properly configured to support devices
  4. Verify network switches are properly configured if using PoE
  5. Confirm firewall rules allow outbound connections to Axis Cloud Connect and Cisco Meraki cloud services

Claim Your Cisco Software License

 A Cisco organization can only have one type of license (Essential or Advantage) and cannot be upgraded from one tier to another before license expires. This does not affect license tiers for other Meraki devices.

  1. Navigate to Organization > License Info in the Meraki Dashboard
  2. Select Claim and enter your license key
  3. Select the appropriate option to add or renew licenses and submit the license claim
  4. Verify the license appears in your organization
  5. If you have an EA or subscription license, skip steps 1-4

License Comparison  Edit section

Feature 

Essentials Tier 

Advantage Tier 

Live Video Streaming 

✓ 

✓ 

Device Health Monitoring 

✓ 

✓ 

Fleet Management 

✓ 

✓ 

Managed Firmware Updates 

✓ 

✓ 

Configuration Management 

✓ 

✓ 

Local SD Card Recording 

✗ 

✓ 

Cloud Video Storage 

✗ 

✓ (30 days-
Included)

Video Export 

✗ 

✓ 

Video Analytics 

✗ 

✓ 

Cloud-Based Historical Playback 

✗ 

✓ 

Enable Axis Integration

Skip the following steps if at least one Axis device is already managed via the dashboard in the org 

  1. Navigate to Organization > Integrations in the dashboard
  2. Select the Axis integration option
  3. Select Connect to Axis in the top right corner
  4. Review the integration description and features

Authenticate with Axis Cloud Connect

This process only needs to be completed once. After that, the Axis and Cisco Meraki organizations are securely linked using OAuth 2.0.

  1. You will be redirected to the Axis portal
  2. Log in or create an Axis Org
  3. Approve the secure OAuth2 connection to link Cisco Meraki and Axis
  4. Select the appropriate Axis organization to share data from (if multiple organizations exist)
  5. Click Approve to complete the authentication

View Devices

  1. Once back in the Meraki dashboard, view the list of Axis devices that are connected to your Cisco cloud-managed switches or already managed from the Dashboard
  2. Review device information including:
  • Device Compatibility (Fully Supported, Needs Attention, Unsupported)
  • Model 
  • Axis OS version
  • Onboarding status
  • Connected Switch
  • Serial number, etc.

3. Identify devices ready for claiming based on their status

Screenshot 2026-04-09 at 2.12.14 PM.png

Claim Devices

  1. Click Add devices on the top right corner of the Axis integration page
    • Choose the appropriate onboarding method:
  • Option 1: Meraki Networks
  1. Select this option when devices are connected to Cisco switches managed on the dashboard
  2. Devices connected to Cisco switches are automatically discovered
  3. You can claim one, few, or all devices in one operation
  4. Requires local username and password for the devices
  • Option 2: OAK & Serial
  1. Select for brand new out-of-the-box devices not yet plugged in
  2. Select for devices plugged into non-Cisco switches
  3. Requires serial number and OAK (Owner Authentication Key
  • Option 3: Axis Cloud Connect
  1. Select for devices already added to Axis Cloud Connect but not managed on dashboard

 2. Follow the on-screen prompts for your selected method

 3. Enter required credentials or device information

 4. Click Continue to proceed with claiming

Important: When using the "OAK and Serial" option, ensure the "O3C" option is set to "Always" on the device local status page, or press the one-click button on the device when prompted on the dashboard.

Offline or Staged Camera Onboarding

The onboarding flow supports asynchronous operation:

  1. A device can be claimed while offline
  2. The Meraki Axis Camera Application Platform (ACAP) will fetch configuration automatically once device comes online
  3. The One-Click(O3C) functionality can be triggered directly on the device or via local device interface to complete onboarding

Benefits:

  • Pre-stage devices before deployment
  • Configure settings before installation
  • Reduce on-site installation time

Explore Device Features

Once your device is onboarded and online, you can access various features:

  • Video Management and Export:
    • View live video streams directly in Meraki Dashboard
    • Access historical video recordings (Advantage only)
    • Export video clips for investigation or evidence
  • Device Health:
    • Monitor device status and connectivity
    • View and configure device health reporting via alerts
    • Check firmware version and update status
  • Network Tools and Troubleshooting:
    • Ping: Test network connectivity to camera
    • Reboot device: Remotely restart camera
    • Traceroute: Diagnose network path issues
    • Packet capture: Capture traffic sent out of the network interface via dashboard
  • Camera Settings:
    • Configure zoom, Aperture and Focus for compatible devices
    • Configure video quality and resolution (Advantage only)
    • Set up motion detection zones (Advantage only)
    • Adjust device angles remotely (for PTZ models)
    • Configure analytics and event triggers ((Advantage only))

Bulk Claiming with Automation Scripts

These scripts are for guidance only and will not be updated for different API versions and firmware. Please check compatibility and functionality in a test environment. 

For large deployments with multiple devices, manual onboarding can be time-consuming. The following automation scripts help you collect device information (Serial Number and OAK) that is required for bulk claiming in the Meraki Dashboard as well as virtually enable One-Click Connect to cloud required for devices to fetch configuration.  

What These Scripts Do
  1. Device Information Retrieval Scripts
  • These scripts connect to Axis devices and retrieve:
    • OAK (Owner Authentication Key)- Required for bulk claiming
    • Serial Number- Required for bulk claiming
    • Model Information- Camera model/product number
    • Firmware Version - Current firmware version

The retrieved information can be exported to a CSV file, a stripped version of the csv with just the serial and OAK can be used for bulk import into Meraki Dashboard.

  2. Remote Service Configuration Scripts

  • These scripts enable the O3C on Axis devices, which is required for Axis devices to enable cloud config fetch.
CSV File Format Requirements

When using CSV-based scripts, your input file must have these exact column headers:

  •  `IPAddress` - IP address of the Axis device
  •  `Username` - Local administrator username (typically "root")
  •  `Password` - Local administrator password

Notes:

  •  Column headers are case-sensitive
  •  No spaces in column names
  •  UTF-8 encoding recommended
  •  Each device must be on a separate line

Output CSV Format

The scripts generate output CSV files with the following columns:

  •  `IPAddress` - Camera IP address
  •  `Username` - Username used for authentication
  •  `SerialNumber` - Device serial number
  •  `FirmwareVersion` - Current firmware version
  •  `OAK` - Owner Authentication Key (for bulk claiming)
  •  `Model` - Camera model number
  •  `Status` - Success or Failed
  •  `Timestamp` - When the query was performed

The automation scripts are available in two languages and two modes:

Script Name

  Language  Mode  Purpose

get_axis_device_info_interactive

 Python Interactive Single device at a time, prompts for input

get_axis_device_info_csv

 Python Batch/CSV

Many devices - reads from CSV file

Get-AxisDeviceInfo

 Powershell Interactive Single device at a time, prompts for input

Get-AxisDeviceInfo-FromCSV

 Powershell Batch/CSV Many devices - reads from csv file

set_axis_remote_service

 Python Batch/CSV Enables O3C, to be run after devices are claimed

Set-AxisRemoteService

 Powershell Batch/CSV Enables O3C, to be run after devices are claimed
Script Prerequisites

Python Version: Python 3.6 or later

PowerShell Version: PowerShell 5.1 or later (built into Windows 10/11 -uses built-in PowerShell modules)

Network Requirements

All scripts require:

  • Network connectivity to Axis devices (same network or via VPN)
  • HTTP access to device web interface (port 80)
  • Valid administrator credentials for each device
 
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