Frequently asked questions

ARC (Automation Room Control) is escape room software that runs at your escape room business and connects everything in one control panel: puzzles, sensors, locks, lighting, audio, timers, room displays, hints, and automations. It covers live games, staff workflows, and the broader automations your business depends on — not just puzzle control.

Local-first means ARC runs on a computer at your escape room business, not in the cloud. All your games, sensors, lighting, audio, and automations keep working even if the internet drops. Your data stays on your own network. Optional cloud add-ons are available for remote access, Slack/Discord notifications, and off-site backups, but none of them are required to keep your rooms running.

Three things set ARC apart. Local-first by design: your games keep running without internet, and your data stays with you — never locked into someone else's cloud. Universal hardware support: Shelly, Z-Wave, Zigbee, MQTT, Philips Hue, PLC, DMX, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, IP cameras, Node-RED, and more. One system for the whole business: not just puzzles — lobby lights, scheduled signs, background music, and room resets all live in the same place.

No. The live control page is a single screen your staff use all day to see every room, send hints, manage timers, and switch between active games. Technical setup — adding devices, building game logic, configuring automations — is done once by an owner or builder and stays separate from the live control staff use every day.

Yes. ARC supports two automation scopes: Game automations (puzzle logic, room resets, hint sequences) and System automations (lobby lights, scheduled signs, background music, business-wide actions). Many escape room owners use ARC to tie their entire building together — not just the rooms.

ARC supports a growing list of hardware and protocols:

• Bluetooth sensors via Shelly BLU gateways or ARC's ESP32 BLU firmware (buttons, contacts, temperature, humidity, rotation, illuminance)
• Z-Wave and Zigbee smart devices
• MQTT for anything that speaks the protocol
• Philips Hue lighting
• PLC (Modbus TCP) for industrial controls and relays
• DMX for stage lighting
• OSC for integrations like QLab
• Arduino, ESP32, ESP8266 via the arc-arduino-library beta
• Raspberry Pi for room displays and kiosks
• IP cameras (RTSP, live view inside ARC) beta
• Node-RED via the node-red-contrib-escape-arc package beta
• TTGO T-Watch displays for in-room hint screens beta

If your hardware isn't listed, it likely still works over MQTT, HTTP, Modbus, or OSC. New integrations ship regularly.

Your hardware almost certainly works — ARC speaks the protocols most escape room gear already uses (MQTT, Z-Wave, Zigbee, DMX, HTTP, Modbus, BLE, OSC). There's no automated importer for M3 or Escape Room Master today; setup is done by adding devices and game logic directly in ARC. If you're switching, jump into Discord and the team will help you reproduce your rooms.

Operating system: Windows 10 or Windows 11. A macOS version is planned for fall 2026. Memory: 4 GB RAM minimum — most modern PCs easily meet this. Disk space: 1 GB free. Network: a reliable local network so staff devices can reach the ARC computer.

Four steps:

1. Start your free trial — create your account in the ARC portal.
2. Download and install the Windows installer on the PC that will control your rooms.
3. Connect your location. The launcher opens the portal in your browser; signing in and selecting your license activates the PC.
4. Add your hardware, build your games, and go live.

Step-by-step docs and video walkthroughs are on the way — in the meantime, Discord is the fastest path if you get stuck.

You get full access to every feature for 30 days. No credit card is required to start. If you decide to continue after the trial, add billing in the ARC portal.

$80/mo for your primary location and $40/mo for each additional location. Every subscription includes 24/7 support, every future update, and access to our Discord community. Full docs and video walkthroughs are coming soon.

Subscriptions are month-to-month — no contracts, cancel anytime from the portal. There is no proration: when you pay for a month, you get the full month. Billing is handled through Stripe.

A few things worth calling out:

• Cameras. Connect IP cameras and view them live inside ARC. Camera playback is on the roadmap.
• Displays. Drive in-room hint screens, timer displays, and lobby signage using browser-rendered displays, Raspberry Pi kiosks, or T-Watch devices.
• Analytics. Session history, game metrics, and data you can use to tune rooms and train staff.
• Smart text and voice hints. Built-in text-to-speech (Piper, Kokoro) for hint audio; ElevenLabs supported as an optional voice provider.
• Cloud integrations (beta). Slack and Discord slash commands and notifications when cloud is enabled for your location.
• On the roadmap. Cloud Connect (remote monitoring), Cloud Backup (off-site config backups), and UniFi camera integrations.

A few options:

• Discord community — usually the fastest way to get an answer from the team and other escape room owners.
• Email support — [email protected].
• Docs and video walkthroughs are coming soon.

24/7 support is part of every ARC plan.