How to configure cameras to be cloud managed on FortiRecorder VM?

Hello MadRiverSchools, 

Thank you for using the Community Forum. I will seek to get you an answer or help. We will reply to this thread with an update as soon as possible. 

Root Cause

The 0/200 counter means FortiCloud has no visibility into any cameras — this is almost always one of three causes:

FortiRecorder VM is not registered with FortiCloud. The device itself must be linked to a FortiCloud account before any camera cloud-management is possible. Cameras cannot be cloud-enabled independently of the recorder.

Cloud management is not enabled on FortiRecorder. Even after registration, you need to explicitly turn on the cloud management feature in the FortiRecorder GUI or CLI.

Per-camera cloud access is not toggled on. FortiRecorder manages the cloud flag per camera — adding cameras locally does not automatically enable cloud access for them. Each camera needs to be individually enabled (this can be done in bulk).

Licensing gap. Cloud management requires an active FortiCare support contract tied to the FortiRecorder VM serial number. Without it, the cloud toggle may be greyed out or non-functional.

Solution — Step-by-Step

Step 1 — Register FortiRecorder VM on FortiCloud

Go to https://support.fortinet.com → log in with your Fortinet account → navigate to Asset Management → register the FortiRecorder VM using its serial number. Alternatively, do this directly from FortiRecorder:

System → FortiGuard → FortiCloud → enter your FortiCloud credentials and register

Confirm the device appears in your FortiCloud portal under the correct account.

Step 2 — Enable cloud management on FortiRecorder

In the FortiRecorder GUI:

System → Network → Cloud Management → enable "FortiCloud Management"

Or via CLI:

config system cloud-management     set status enable     set server-address "fortirecorder.forticloud.com" end

After enabling, FortiRecorder will establish an outbound HTTPS tunnel to FortiCloud. Verify the connection status shows Connected.

Step 3 — Enable cloud access per camera (bulk)

In the FortiRecorder GUI:

Camera → Camera List → select all cameras → Edit → enable "Allow Cloud Access"

For CLI bulk enable:

config camera     edit <camera-id>         set cloud-access enable     next end

Repeat for all cameras, or use a script if you have 200 to process. After this, each camera should increment the cloud-managed counter on the portal.

Step 4 — Verify network / firewall prerequisites

FortiRecorder VM must be able to reach FortiCloud outbound on port 443 (HTTPS). Check:

• Firewall rules allow the FortiRecorder VM IP to reach *.forticloud.com on TCP 443
• No SSL inspection policy is intercepting or blocking the FortiCloud registration tunnel
• DNS resolution for fortirecorder.forticloud.com and support.fortinet.com works from the VM

Step 5 — Validate on FortiCloud portal

Log in to https://www.forticloud.com → navigate to your FortiRecorder device → the camera count should now reflect the number of cameras with cloud access enabled. Remote live view and playback should be available from the portal.

Quick Reference Checklist

Check Location

Once all six checks are green, the 0/200 counter will update to 200/200 on the FortiCloud portal.