Hikvision Australia Support Details
Note: Support is usually done through your installer. Hikvision may not help you directly.
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Who is Hikvision?
Hikvision ("Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co., Ltd") is a security camera manufacturer based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. They were founded in 2001 and have offices all over the world, including in Australia.
Is Hikvision a Good Brand?
Hikvision is the most popular CCTV brand in the world. It has a 38% share of the global market for security cameras and has been in the first place since 2011.
They offer Prosumer level cameras at a very reasonable "middle of the road" price. They provide a high degree of reliability, ease of use, and excellent visuals.
They tend to cost a bit more than Dahua cameras and are very popular for commercial installations in Australia. Full details on the difference between the two are in our Dahua vs Hikvision comparison article.
Hikvision also owns the following security camera brands:
- EZVIZ - which is their consumer-grade, Internet-of-Thing (IoT) brand
- HiLook - which are cost-effective versions of their prosumer-grade cameras. Check out our in-depth article on HiLook vs Dahua to learn more.
- HiWatch - which is their old name before they switched to HiLook
What is Hikvision ColorVu?
ColorVu is their colour nightvision technology that provides colour footage in low light. They do this through improved lenses and highly sensitive image sensors.
ColorVu makes use of lower camera apertures (f1.0 for the camera nerds) to capture more light into its footage. However, the trade-off is the camera can't see as far, so ColorVu is best for applications under 20 metres.
What is Hikvision Darkfighter?
Darkfighter security cameras have bigger sensors than their non-low-light cameras, bigger lenses and make use of software algorithms to see well in the dark.
Darkfighter cameras will remain in colour until they reach 0.002 Lux (a measurement of how much light is available) and then switches over to Infrared light.
What is Powered by Darkfighter?
"Powered by Darkfighter" is the budget version of Darkfighter. It uses the same software algorithms that the regular Darkfighter uses, but not the larger lens. It will remain in colour until the available light reaches 0.0014 lux and will then switch over to infrared.
What is Darkfighter X?
Darkfighter X is Hikvisions premium offering of low light cameras that uses dual imaging sensors. It will remain in colour until 0.001 Lux.
Hikvision ColorVu vs DarkFighter - How to Choose?
It comes down to distance. If you want to observe less than 20 metres away, choose ColorVu. If it is further than 20 metres, choose Darkfighter.
What is Hikvision AcuSense?
AcuSense is Hikvisions AI technology based on deep learning algorithms. It can distinguish people and cars from other moving objects, resulting in fewer false positives.
When reviewing footage on an AcuSense capable Hikvision NVR, it automatically sorts the video clips into people and car categories, so you can choose one to find the event you are after quickly.
Which Hikvision App Should I Use?
There are several different apps they provide for their wide range of products. However, you'll want to use the app "Hik-Connect" for the CCTV cameras, available on both iOS and Android.
You can find both here: https://appstore.hikvision.com/
Who Owns Hikvision?
A common question I hear asked is: "Is Hikvision owned by the Chinese government?".
The Chinese government owns 42 percent of Hikvision through various state-owned enterprises. The largest being "China Electronics Technology HIK Group", owning 39.6 percent of the company.
They used to be a former Chinese government research institute before morphing into Hikvision in 2001.
Where are Hikvision Security Cameras Made?
Hikvision hardware is made in China. They are one of the few actual Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) who make their CCTV devices. As well as making cameras for many other brands such as:
- Annke
- EZVIZ (which they own)
- LTS
- TRENDnet
- Toshiba
Is Hikvision Banned in Australia?
There does not appear to be any official, country wide source that Hikvision is banned in Australia.
However, Australia has been following many of the American steps, such as effectively banning Chinese companies ZTE and Huawei from tendering to build our national 5G network back in 2018.
Individual agencies have announced the removal of Hikvision cameras from their facilities such as:
- South Australia's Health Department removed them from all their buildings due to security concerns
- The Australian Defence Force removed two Hikvision cameras from their Perth and Adelaide bases in 2018
To help choose the right security camera for you, check out our Security Camera Buyers Guide.