Should you buy Hikvision or Dahua?
If you’re in the market for a reliable and cost-effective CCTV product, choosing among the top contenders can be tough.
Hikvision and Dhaua are names we all know among CCTV installers, and names we all recognise. Hikvision and Dhaua are both Chinese brands and they dominate the video surveillance market. Hikvision was more famous until HDCVI (Higher definition composite video interface) was launched by Dahua. Hikvision uses HDTVI (Higher definition transport video interface). As the consumers are gradually shifting from analogue to IP, both Hikvision and Dahua are up against tough competition.
As far as quality is concerned, I believe analogue high definition is still crisp and bright in terms of picture quality with a wider view angle. On the other hand, IP cameras are giving almost 8K, but the question is do you really want 8K resolution? Leaving all those debates aside, this article compares simple PoE systems from Hikvision and Dhaua.
I have used simple entry-level PoE NVR systems and PoE cameras from Hik and Dahua.
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Easy to install
Both systems are very easy to install, especially PoE solutions which almost plug and play. A couple of times, when I connected the Hikvision camera straight to a router and tried to connect it back to Hikvision PoE NVR, I found the system was not recognising the camera. I should point out that we bought both systems from UK distributors. After I reset the camera, it was then able to connect instantly.
On the other hand, Dahua did not have issues with the connection, and both systems were unable to change the network class for cameras through DHCP. However, it is not a major issue as the NVR was changing its IP address via DHCP. I thought this would be an issue for a newcomer with less understanding of DHCP or TCP/IP setting.
2. Picture quality
In my opinion, I thought I had a very clear picture quality with both brands. If you asked me to pick one, I would definitely go with Dahua, because the white balance and shutter speed was very impressive with Dahua. You can check my YouTube channel to see the actual picture quality.
3. Software
In regard to the user-friendliness of the software, I would definitely go with Dahua. It was very simple. If you are a new CCTV installer with minimum knowledge in IP configuration, Dahua is for you. Hikvision was very confusing at times.
4. Mobile app
As far as the mobile app is concerned, I found Hikvision had better streaming than Dahua. The Dahua mobile app was dropping signals so badly and it was not easy to rely on it. Both systems were installed at the same location, using same internet service provider and same router. The Hikvision app was more reliable than Dahua’s.
5. Cost
The cost is one of the major factors in deciding your supplier, I know there are many dodgy suppliers out there in the market supplying counterfeit products. My advice is not to fall victim of those counterfeit products and to buy from reputable and authorised distributors. If you compare the price of both brands with major distributors, I would say Dahua is slightly cheaper than Hikvision. This may be due to the fact that Dahua is fairly small compared with Hikvision.
Conclusion
If you are a new CCTV installer who wants to install a simple, cost-effective PoE system, Dahua wins the race by a small margin.
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