Cloud camera recording, with retention under your control

Recording cameras in the cloud means keeping footage on servers away from the monitored site: you choose the resolution and how many days each camera is kept, review everything on a timeline and download the clips you need. At Xeqmate, camera storage is contracted per plan — and the footage stays safe even if the local equipment is stolen.

Retention per camera Timeline playback Clip export Privacy by design
Concept

What is cloud camera recording?

Cloud camera recording is the continuous storage of camera video on servers on the internet, instead of on a DVR or a disk at the site. The camera sends video over the internet, the platform records it for the contracted period (the retention) and the footage is reachable through a browser and mobile apps — searchable on a timeline and available for export and download.

Cloud recording is one of the core functions of a cloud VMS and is part of the Xeqmate VMS SaaS subscription. For an overview of cloud monitoring in plain language, see cloud video surveillance.

How it works

The recording plan: resolution × retention days

At Xeqmate, every camera has its own recording plan — the combination that defines what is kept and what it costs.

Contracted resolution

The plan resolution is a contract on image size: the platform records what the camera sends, and the camera should be set to exactly the contracted resolution. If it sends a higher resolution, the plan is adjusted automatically — and that shows up in the bill.

Retention days

Retention defines the window of available recordings — 7, 15 or 30 days, for example, chosen per camera. Video older than the window is discarded automatically. When choosing, think about how long after an event somebody would ask for the footage.

Pro-rated billing

Each camera is billed pro-rata by days of use, and changes to resolution or retention show up on the invoice from the day of the change. Usage can be tracked in the platform billing area, camera by camera.

Playback

Reviewing recordings and downloading clips

  • Timeline: each camera’s recordings are browsable on a timeline, in the browser and in the apps, with smart search across the AI events detected in the period.
  • Clip export: select the segment and export it. The clip stays available for download for 30 days — to keep footage forever, download the file and archive it outside the platform rather than raising the camera retention.
  • Permission-based access: each user reviews only the cameras released to them, and every query is written to the audit trail.
  • Recordings over the API: customer systems can query recordings through the documented external API, which returns signed MP4 and thumbnail URLs — handy for pulling footage into other software.
An honest comparison

Cloud vs local DVR — with on-premise in between

Where the cloud beats the DVR

On a DVR, the recordings live on a disk inside the site — the very site being monitored. Theft of the box, deliberate damage or a disk failure take with them exactly the footage you would need. In the cloud, the video leaves the site in real time and sits on external servers, with access controlled by permissions and an audit trail.

When to record on-premise

Large camera counts, internal data policy or limited upload bandwidth can call for local recording. At Xeqmate the alternative is on the same platform: on-premise recording servers, with the same interface, the same modules and separate pricing by type — even alongside cameras recorded in the cloud.

FAQ

Questions about cloud camera recording

You choose retention per camera — 7, 15 or 30 days, for example. Video older than the chosen window is discarded automatically. Residential communities typically run 15 to 30 days; critical points, longer.

It depends on the mix of resolution, retention days and camera count — each camera has its own plan, and billing is pro-rated by days of use. The price for your scenario is worked out during the free demo, based on your own cameras.

Export a clip of the segment: it stays available for download for 30 days. Download the file and archive it wherever you like — far more efficient than raising the retention of a whole camera because of a single event.

Yes. The recording plan is set camera by camera: the gatehouse can keep 30 days, the corridor 7. Reviewing retention periodically is the single highest-impact lever on the monthly cost of a large camera base.

The change shows up on the invoice pro-rata, from the day of the change — billing follows the days of use of each configuration.

No. The DVR or NVR can be connected to the platform as the camera source, over RTSP or RTMP, and the video then gets recorded in the cloud as well. No camera or hardware swap is needed.

Yes, through the documented external API: with a per-account token you can query a camera recordings and get signed MP4 and thumbnail URLs. Every call is written to the audit trail. Details on the API page.

Live demo

Watch your camera recording to the cloud during the demo itself

30 minutes with our team: we connect one of your cameras live, you browse the timeline, and you leave with the cost of your own recording scenario.

We reply within one business day · no credit card, no install, no commitment