HikVision's 'new global strategy' #NoHikeyNoLikey

[Phil]

Please read my letter on developments enforced by HikVision today:

HikVision End of Supply 4-8-17

#NoHikeyNoLikey

If you are affected by this, there are some contact details for HikVision in the UK at the end of the letter - we would be grateful for you making your thoughts known to them.

Of course, as ever, please feel free to comment here too.

 

[bickford]

It is a shame !
This is their way of thanking end-users who advertise on youtube and test their products ...??


BICK

 

[SJS]

Unbelievable...i hope the market will clear that on his own...and i wish you the best of luck to get that compensated! Maybe you have an eye on the Dahua products - there are very similar to the hiks.

 

[bickford]

Yes try to go with dahuas products

BICK

 

[Dan381]

I see new range of Hik cameras on Maplin but look cheap and nasty with low spec and certainly no smart features etc. What a shame , hope it backfires on them..

 

[Phil]

Those aren't actually the new models - look out for the new (in the UK) HiWatch branding.
No stocks in the UK yet.

 

[Crunchiepants]

Sorry to be blunt but what happens to the 3 year warranty you gave with the Hikvision cameras now?

 

[RBW]

It seems to me that all the other cctv supplier site now require you to log in to get a price. Is that what this is about?

 

[Phil]

Sorry to be blunt but what happens to the 3 year warranty you gave with the Hikvision cameras now?

Hi,
There's no change to your Warranty.
Your contract & warranty is with us.
Support for any items purchased from us is ongoing.
Our manufacturers & suppliers will continue to provide the agreed support as & when needed.

 

[Phil]

It seems to me that all the other cctv supplier site now require you to log in to get a price. Is that what this is about?

Partly, you need to read my statement/letter to get the full picture - HikVision End of Supply 4-8-17
But HikVision Partners/Resellers are putting all HikVision-branded products behind a login because HikVision no longer want those products sold to end-users. In theory, you should only be granted login access if you are a Trade Installer.
As a further check, HikVision now require all resellers to provide a monthly report of whom they have sold HikVision-branded products to - so that HikVision can check that none was sold to end-users.
End-users should now only be able to purchase HikVision-branded products from Trade Installers.
A new 'HiWatch by HikVision' budget range of cameras and recorders will be available in the UK soon, and widely available for end-users to purchase online.

 

[RBW]

Well I've just registered with a competitor of yours no problem. As easy as registering for EBay and Amazon.

Are you saying in the future if I do not buy any Hikvision equipment from them I am likely to be stuck off their list?

 

[anthony.kay1]

Thank you for the update. With HikVision now being awkward and forcing end-users through a middle-man (which will hike the price), what alternative brands are available on the market which are good quality and ONVIF support? I plan to connect them up to my Synology Surveillance Station.

Also, do you plan to become a trade installer?

 

[RBW]

Thank you for the update. With HikVision now being awkward and forcing end-users through a middle-man (which will hike the price), what alternative brands are available on the market which are good quality and ONVIF support? I plan to connect them up to my Synology Surveillance Station.

Also, do you plan to become a trade installer?

I only buy equipment now and again for friends and family so there is no way i could ever be considered "trade" imo.

I presuming that Hikvision like any other company mainly want your email address and other details so they can advertise and push new products more easily. After-all they want as many sales as possible so why hike the price for non-trade. Unless they want to push this new low budget series but could cost them sales.

 

[Crunchiepants]

Have they said anything about limiting firmware updates at all to end users? Hopefully you wont have to be a trade customer to update your Hikvision cameras

 

[Phil]

Yes try to go with dahuas products

BICK

Unfortunately, Dahua would prefer to enforce the same policies:
No pricing shown online / sales to Trade only

 

[Phil]

Well I've just registered with a competitor of yours no problem. As easy as registering for EBay and Amazon.

Are you saying in the future if I do not buy any Hikvision equipment from them I am likely to be stuck off their list?

I did say:

In theory, you should only be granted login access if you are a Trade Installer.

Suppliers will be looking to find all manner of ways to get around HikVision's 'new global strategy' and continue to supply HikVision-branded products to their customers.
HikVision have asked resellers to provide a report of whom they supply HikVision-branded products to each month, and again "in theory" if HikVision see that a reseller has been supplying to end-users their [the reseller's] legitimate/approved sources of HikVision-branded products will be cut-off.

I can't see that there is any way that you as an end-user can ever be struck-off or stopped from buying what you want where you wish.
However, I do believe that, if you find you need to contact HikVision for support having purchased product at ebay/Amazon/AliBaba etc. you will be denied support.

 

[Phil]

Thank you for the update. With HikVision now being awkward and forcing end-users through a middle-man (which will hike the price), what alternative brands are available on the market which are good quality and ONVIF support? I plan to connect them up to my Synology Surveillance Station.

Also, do you plan to become a trade installer?

Almost all current model IP cameras are ONVIF.
And Synology accepts a huge range of makes and models (over 5,600 right now) - Surveillance Station IP Camera Support List | Synology Inc.

The front-runner manufacturer, for being competitive on price is Samsung (now known as Hanwha). However, their cost-competitive Q-Series, does not perform as well as HikVision's EasyIP 3.0 range, their performance equivalent X-Series costs too much.

The Taiwanese camera brands struggle to be cost competitive with HikVision/Dahua e.g. ACTi, GeoVision & Vivotek.

Right now we are testing samples from A N Other - watch this space.

BTW - Good question:
Also, do you plan to become a trade installer?

If we were (also) an installer, we could sell HikVision-branded products to anybody

 

[Phil]

I only buy equipment now and again for friends and family so there is no way i could ever be considered "trade" imo.

I presuming that Hikvision like any other company mainly want your email address and other details so they can advertise and push new products more easily. After-all they want as many sales as possible so why hike the price for non-trade. Unless they want to push this new low budget series but could cost them sales.

There hasn't, as far as I am aware, been any clarification on what qualifies you as an installer.
HikVision have not for instance stated [AFAIK] that you have to complete a training course / become a Partner to be deemed an installer, to be allowed to purchase HikVision-branded cameras, etc.

They have clarified (for me) that an end-user is the person who ends-up as the user:

The end-user is who finally use the product, can be personal/residential customer/school/company and so on, I think it is easy to identify , right ?
​

They are the folk who aren't allowed to purchase HikVision-branded equipment

 

[Phil]

Have they said anything about limiting firmware updates at all to end users? Hopefully you wont have to be a trade customer to update your Hikvision cameras

No mention of any changes.
The HikVision European portal remains open & accessible - DOWNLOAD PORTAL

 

[Phil]

I think this is new - pointed out to me today:
Hikvision UK & Ireland
(pdf copy attached)

It would be interesting to know the complete criteria:

To be our Authorized Partners, please contactus for complete criteria.
For more questions about this Program,please feel free to contact us at sales.uk@hikvision.com ​