Hikvision VS Reolink

[dredge]

Hello. My first post.
After previously installing a CCTV system. I have opted for NVR instead or DVR because I want good quality. The last system was Annke 1080 system. The picture was good but detail was terrible. Jagged edges etc.
Thought about Blue Iris but even though I am a PC geek and its one of the fastest processors etc, I dont want it running 24/7. So a dedicated NVR seems the best option.
After watching hundreds of reviews, Hikvision and Reolinki seem the 2 choices. Isnt Annke part of Hikvision? Had a faulty power supply and build quality was poor. Is it a cheap version of Hikvision? I have no idea.
Doesnt seem any advice about Reolink on her, so ill ask about Hikvision.
Where is the best place to purchase it from. Does a faulty unit go back to Hikvision Uk or the retailer for testing. Reolink is direct from manufacture or Amazon, so easy returns.
Some Hikvisons are sold on Ebay, are there many copies about? They say they are Hikvision agents but who knows. Most other agents say you must be trade. Is this a stipulation selling the goods?
I only need 2 cameras, so a good 8mp for day and a ColourVu for night, was my idea. Guessing you can mix them up.
2 nvr,s. Originally the DS 7608Ni K1/40.After looking on here the DS 7608NI I2/8p was said to be a way better unit. What is the main difference. I notice the later supports 12mp cameras.
Feed back is appreciated

 

[Dan]

Hi @dredge

Yes, Annke is a brand made up of rebadged/OEM Hikvision products and is a consumer/entry-level range. The issue with rebadged/OEM products is that they use custom firmware and this firmware is usually substantially behind that available to equivalent real Hikvision products, also these custom firmware can cause compatibility issues when trying to connect the cameras to 3rd-party software/hardware.

ReoLink is also a cheap/consumer range which means it has limited smart features, they are not using the latest internal hardware (e.g. chips, sensors, lenses), and they are often made of cheaper materials. (much more plastic)

We are biased as we run the forum but we would recommend that you buy Hikvision from us at use-IP, we are an authorised Hikvision reseller and a key factor of our authorised status is that we do not show prices online. (a requirement of Hikvision to sell their products online) We would strongly advise against buying from sellers on Amazon and eBay because Hikvision will not cover the warranty of anything bought from these sites and so you will be reliant on the seller's support. Also, these sites often sell 'grey' import products from the Chinese market, these will at best not support UK firmware and at worst may be entirely Chinese language and unusable.

The majority of the Hikvision range has a 3-year warranty and so any faulty equipment within that period would be returned to us for initial testing and if the fault is confirmed we would then arrange a warranty replacement.

The main reason now for choosing an I-series NVR like the 7608NI-I2/8P would be that they offer better support for the latest generation of cameras (ColorVu and AcuSense) and they continue to get regular firmware updates. For an 8MP Day camera, we would recommend the DS-2CD2386G2-IU 8MP AcuSense Turret and for a ColorVu night camera we would recommend the DS-2CD2347G2-LU 4MP ColorVu Fixed Turret

 

[macman]

@dredge if you are a PC geek and you want a superior surveillance system then choose Hikvision and buy it from use-IP who are one of the few resellers who will give you top-notch support after they've got your cash. But imho Reolink have a place in the market, especially for newbies or those on a limited budget. FWIW, my comparisons:

SPECS/FEATURES
Hikvision kit generally is better built, more highly specified and works better/faster

STANDARDS
Hikvision kit is fully ONVIF compliant.
Reolink kit isn't, thus limiting functionality/versatility/accessibility

PRICE
Reolink kit is cheaper

EASE OF USE
Hikvision kit is generally quite sophisticated and packed with features but not very simple to set up. Their client software is bloated, slow to launch and not very intuitive (and the Mac version is seriously broken/limited). Their manuals/user guides are not user-friendly and their support team aren't really available to consumers/end users (hence you need to buy from a reputable, knowledgeable, accessible reseller, of which use-IP is one of the few).

Reolink kit is less complex and much easier to set up. Their client software is simple but works very well on all platforms. Their manuals aren't great either but they do have a huge library of online help documents and a responsive support team on Facebook. Unlike Hikvision, Reolink are a consumer-oriented business.

REACTION TIME
Hikvision kit responds quickly to motion events and user PTZ commands, making it the clear winner for critical surveillance/security applications.

Reolink kit takes 1-2 seconds longer to react and their PTZ cameras are much slower to auto-focus.

EVENT DETECTION
Hikvision cameras offer multiple ways to configure motion zones and detection methods to ensure that nothing is missed. AI cameras are also effective at eliminating spurious motion alerts caused by rain, shadows, insects, etc.

Reolink motion detection is much more basic making it difficult/impossible to trigger their cameras across the full desired detection zone. They do offer AI cameras which eliminate some but not all spurious alerts.

WIRELESS CAMERAS
If you need a wi-fi camera in your setup. Reolink has a much wider choice.

Hikvision may feel that wi-fi is not a secure/reliable enough protocol for good protection and I would agree. Wi-fi tends to be slow and unreliable.

EXPANSION
If you ever need to add doorbells, access control, etc to your setup, Hikvision has lots of products which aren't available from Reolink.

BUNDLE ALERT
I can't speak for Hikvision but Reolink NVR/camera bundles appear to include inferior/cheaper versions of their standalone cameras.

I guess a lot of first-time CCTV buyers will gravitate towards simpler, cheaper consumer offerings from the likes of Reolink and then upgrade later to Hikvision. And any Mac user who doesn't want to dedicate a Windows PC to iVMS-4200 will wish he had bought Reolink instead. But critically, for the best, fastest, most efficient CCTV system, Hikvision beats Reolink hands down - notwithstanding their bloated software.

 

[dredge]

Then there is Security issues related to Hikvision

 

[gp116126]

How do you work that one out then. That's not what macman said