Are Hikvison And Dahua Still Risky Choices?

Michael, see the 2014 IP Camera Buyer's Guide.

The net/net is both companies have made significant progress since 2011 and have become top contenders for those wanting entry to mid level features at lower prices.

Also, regarding Hikvision, their dealer uptake is extremely strong: Top Manufacturers Gaining and Losing Ground

We've been using both for our main client for a couple years now - mostly Axis front-of-house where we need the low-light capability, small Dahua domes back-of-house where the lighting is better. Their failure rates are no different than more expensive "trusted" brands (and FAR better than some - don't even get me started on Arecont).

No, all is safe in the land of Hikvision and Dahua. We picked up Hikvision last year kind of by accident because one Manufacturer couldn't ship us 3 bullet cameras in time for a project. Ever since then we have been selling HIK cameras like hot cakes. It seems like many other IPVM users (and tests too) have been deploying Dahua with great success as well.

We have standardized on Hikvision. As simply as that. They work and the PQ is most often on a par or better than more celebrated brands. We still have some issues with 5 or 6 of the first batch we bought. Else smooth sailing and not much to complain about. We are interested in Dahua but their lack of a commited and strong Technical Support in the USA has left me hesitant. Things may change. We'll see

My company is new to the IP game (I am not) we picked up Hikvision and Axis, and have been really impressed with the Hikvision product line so far, and the quality is very close to that of the "Western European Counterparts". What I don't care for in the Hikvision line is the their dealer program. Because we are so new, we are having problems getting decent dealer pricing, even after speaking to our rep the said that if we don't do a certain volume or can gaurantee a certain volume than we don't qualify. So struggling with them on that one, and trying to stay competative and trying to make a buck is the biggest problem I am finding out with these dealer programs. I have had better luck with Axis, especially since we are 1 of 2 registered dealers in a 200 mile radius.

I wouldn't think either is a risky choice as long as your network is semi-secure. This is especially true with Dahua, as they have back doors and other ways of logging into their products. Onvif is admin/admin and I still can't find a way to change it. However, if the network is physically separate or made relatively secure, they work really well for the price and the failure rate is fairly low. Most security problems relate to cameras being directly connected to the internet. I think that is rather risky for any camera device unless you have a lot of resources in network security. Google comes to mind.