Actuate Weapons Detection System AI Gun Detection Reviewed: How It Works, Accuracy, and Price
Actuate (formerly Aegis AI) runs gun detection as software on cameras you already own. This review covers what the system actually does, what its published 99% accuracy figure measures and what it does not, how the pricing works, and where a buyer is better served by something else. We sell a competing product, so every claim below is sourced to Actuate's own materials.
What Is the Actuate Weapons Detection System?
Actuate weapons detection is a software-only AI layer that watches existing security camera feeds and alerts when someone brandishes a firearm. There is no new hardware and no camera replacement: the model runs in the cloud against streams from the cameras and video management system you already have. Alongside guns, Actuate sells intruder, loitering, crowd, fire, and line-crossing detection, plus camera health monitoring.
Its headline claim is 99% accuracy, and the condition attached to that number matters more than the number itself. Actuate's own gun detection datasheet states the model classifies guns at a 99% accuracy rate when brandished for 5 seconds. That is a specific, favorable test condition, not a general field accuracy rate. Actuate publishes no price list; the system is quoted per deployment, and it is sold heavily through central monitoring stations rather than direct to most end users.
Sourced from Actuate's product site and gun detection datasheet, July 2026.
How Actuate Weapon Detection Works
The pipeline is the same one every visual gun detection product uses. Understanding it tells you exactly where the technology succeeds and where it cannot help you.
Your cameras keep streaming
Actuate does not replace hardware. It ingests video from the IP cameras and video management system already installed, which is why deployments avoid the capital cost of a new camera fleet.
A neural network scans each frame
A convolutional neural network trained on a large proprietary image set looks for the visual signature of a hand holding a firearm, classifying shape and contour to distinguish a pistol or rifle from a phone or a tool.
Multiple models filter the alert
Actuate markets a multi-model approach specifically to cut nuisance alarms, headlining a 95% or greater reduction in false positives compared with single-model detection. Human verification is offered as a paid layer on top.
A monitoring center dispatches
Actuate leans on central station partners. A verified detection goes to the monitoring center, which passes location and armament detail to on-site security and law enforcement so response begins before shots are fired.
The important architectural point is that Actuate is a detection layer, not a surveillance platform. It does not record, store, or manage your video. It reads the feed, decides whether a gun is present, and hands an alert to whatever system or monitoring center handles your response. If you want detection and cloud video management as one product, that is a different shopping list, and our comparison of gun detection software covers the platforms that bundle both.
What Actuate's 99% Accuracy Figure Actually Measures
Almost every article that repeats "Actuate offers 99% accuracy" drops the condition Actuate itself prints next to the number. Here is the difference, because it changes what you should expect on your own cameras.
| The claim as repeated online | What the source actually says | Why it matters to you |
|---|---|---|
| "99% accurate gun detection" | Actuate's datasheet: the model classifies guns at a 99% accuracy rate when brandished for 5 seconds. | A gun drawn and fired in under two seconds, or held below frame, is outside the tested condition. Treat 99% as a ceiling, not a field rate. |
| "99% fewer false alarms" | Actuate's site headlines a 95% or greater reduction in false positives, which is a separate metric from detection accuracy. | Detection rate and false-positive rate are different numbers. A vendor can be strong on one and weak on the other; ask for both. |
| "Detects weapons on anyone entering" | Actuate detects weapons as soon as they are visible on camera, and identifies brandished firearms. | A gun in a waistband, pocket, or bag is invisible to any camera-based system, Actuate included. Visual AI is not a weapons screening lane. |
| "Actuate costs $X per camera" | Actuate publishes no rate card. Subscription tiers are referenced but no per-camera figure is disclosed. | Any specific dollar figure you find for Actuate online is a third-party estimate. Get it in writing from a quote. |
None of this makes Actuate a weak product. The concealed-weapon limit applies equally to us, to ZeroEyes, and to every other camera-based detector, and vendors who imply otherwise are the ones to worry about. The point is that a security director comparing quotes should compare like for like: detection rate under stated conditions, false-positive rate, whether human verification is included or billed separately, and what happens at 3am when an alert fires.
If your threat model is a concealed firearm carried through a front door, no camera analytic solves it. That is a screening problem, handled by a walk-through system, and we cover the economics of those in the Evolv weapons screening pricing guide.
Actuate Weapons Detection Price: What Moves the Quote
There is no Actuate price list. Like most of the gun detection category, it is quoted per deployment. These are the four inputs that decide your number.
How many cameras you enable
Visual gun detection is billed against camera count, and the per-camera rate typically falls as the count rises. Signed contracts elsewhere in this category range from roughly $592 per camera per year at 38 cameras down to about $168 per camera per year at 650 to 800 cameras, which is the shape you should expect in negotiation.
Which detections you license
Guns are one module. Intruder, loitering, crowd, fire, line crossing, and camera health each carry their own line. A quote for gun detection alone is not comparable to a quote that bundles four analytics.
Whether humans verify alerts
Actuate offers human monitoring to eliminate false positives, and central station partners handle dispatch. That labor is the single biggest swing factor between a cheap quote and an expensive one. Confirm whether it is included or an added service.
How you buy
Actuate sells substantially through monitoring centers, alarm receiving centers, and managed service providers. Buying through your existing monitoring provider often prices differently than a direct enterprise agreement, so ask both.
For a fuller breakdown of how the category prices, including the per-camera curve from real signed public contracts, see our Actuate AI pricing guide and the broader gun detection system cost guide.
Actuate vs the Other Weapons Detection Systems
All five below detect a visible firearm on camera. They differ on who they are built for, what else they do, and whether you can find out the price without a sales call.
| System | Built for | Beyond gun detection | Published price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actuate | Central monitoring stations, alarm receiving centers, GSOCs, managed service providers | Intruder, loitering, crowd, fire, line crossing, camera health | No |
| ZeroEyes | Schools and enterprises wanting a staffed verification center in the loop | Gun detection focus, with its own 24/7 operations center | No |
| Omnilert | Schools, campuses, and sites that want detection plus mass notification in one system | Emergency notification, PSAP connection, an on-site appliance option | Partial |
| Scylla | Regulated and government sites needing on-premise or air-gapped processing | Behavior, intrusion, fire and smoke, edge deployment | No |
| Surveillant | Businesses that want detection on their own cameras without a procurement cycle | Person, vehicle, weapon, intrusion, license plate detection in one platform | Yes, $39 to $42 / cam / mo |
Where Actuate genuinely wins: if you already work with a central monitoring station, Actuate is likely available through them, and that human verification layer turns a detection into a dispatch without you hiring anyone. Its breadth of analytics beyond guns is also real, and camera health monitoring is a practical feature most competitors treat as an afterthought.
Where a buyer should look elsewhere: if you want to evaluate the cost before committing to a sales process, or you want detection and video management from one vendor rather than a detection layer bolted onto a monitoring contract. That is the gap we built for, and it is why our per-camera rate is on the site rather than behind a form. Also worth reading is our side-by-side Actuate AI alternative page.
Actuate Weapons Detection: Questions
How accurate is Actuate gun detection?
Actuate states its model classifies guns at a 99% accuracy rate when a firearm is brandished for five seconds, and separately claims a 95% or greater reduction in false positives versus single-model detection. Both figures come from Actuate. The five-second condition is the part usually dropped when the number is quoted, and it means real-world performance depends heavily on camera angle, lighting, and how long the weapon stays visible.
Does Actuate work with my existing security cameras?
Yes. Actuate is software only and system agnostic, designed to run against the IP cameras and video management system you already have rather than requiring new hardware. That is its main commercial argument: you add detection without replacing a camera fleet or paying for an installation project.
Can Actuate detect a concealed weapon?
No. Actuate detects weapons as soon as they are visible on camera and identifies brandished firearms. A gun inside a bag, pocket, or waistband produces no visual signature, so no camera-based system can find it. Detecting concealed weapons requires a physical screening system at an entrance, which is a different product category entirely.
How much does Actuate weapons detection cost?
Actuate does not publish pricing. Quotes are built per deployment from your camera count, which detection modules you license, whether human alert verification is included, and whether you buy direct or through a monitoring provider. In this category, per-camera rates in signed public contracts have ranged from roughly $592 down to about $168 per camera per year as camera counts rise.
What is the difference between Actuate and ZeroEyes?
Both are software-only visual gun detection running on existing cameras. ZeroEyes centers its offering on its own staffed 24/7 verification center and sells primarily to schools and enterprises. Actuate sells heavily through third-party central monitoring stations and managed service providers, and offers a wider set of non-weapon analytics including intruder, crowd, fire, and camera health.
Is Actuate the same as Aegis AI?
Yes. The gun detection technology now sold as Actuate was previously marketed under the Aegis AI name, and some integration listings and older coverage still use it. If you are comparing documentation from different years, treat Aegis AI references as the same product line.
Related Guides and Solutions
Actuate AI Pricing
How the quote is built, line by line.
Best Gun Detection Software
The platforms compared side by side.
Gunshot Detection vs Gun Detection
Acoustic sensors or cameras: which fits.
Gun Detection System Cost
Per-camera rates from signed contracts.
Actuate AI Alternative
A published-price detection layer.
Weapons Detection AI
Detection on the cameras you own.
Weapon Detection Without the Quote Process
Surveillant runs weapon, person, vehicle, intrusion, and license plate detection on the ONVIF and RTSP cameras you already own, at a published rate of $39 to $42 per camera per month, with a free plan for one camera. Start today and see detections on your own footage before you talk to anyone.
Works with the IP cameras you already own. No credit card required to start.