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With the abundance of Hikvision NVR ranges and models available now, picking the most suitable model for your system and needs can be a daunting experience.
By picking out the most important specs, explaining what they mean, and showing how they differ between each range, this guide will, hopefully, make that decision straightforward!
I-Series – Before the M-Series NVRs were released, this was the range that we recommended for the majority of systems as they are more powerful than the K-Series and Q-Series models, have a more intuitive GUI, and are better supported with firmware updates.
I-Series with Acusense – these are essentially the same as the I-Series NVRs but offer the option to add Acusense, so are a good option if you have a lot of old or third-party cameras and would like to add some AI technology to them.
K-Series – These have always been a good cost-effective option, but firmware support will be limited as they are now being phased out. They were released at a similar time to the standard I-Series NVRs but do not support the latest technologies as well and have less bandwidth capability, so are best when used with older Hikvision cameras (Easy IP 3.0 or earlier).
K-Series with Acusense – These are very similar to the standard K-Series in spec, but were released recently in 2022 and will receive lots of firmware updates. We haven’t been hands-on with them yet but they look to be a viable option to add Acusense to cameras that don’t have it while keeping costs down.
Q-Series – These were only released in Europe and are very much the entry-level range with a low outgoing bandwidth and maximum recording resolution compared to the other ranges. Like the K-Series, they are best when used with non-Acusense or third-party cameras.
This is because these cameras use significantly more bandwidth than earlier models and the older NVRs did not have enough incoming bandwidth to support fully loading them with the new cameras without a major reduction to video settings such as frame rate and resolution, even when you are using the H.265 or H.265+ compression codecs.
The majority of Hikvision cameras now have built-in microphones too, which requires even more bandwidth when audio is enabled.
The key improvement made with the new M-Series NVRs is that the incoming bandwidth budget has been increased, meaning you can now fill an NVR with Acusense or high-resolution cameras without experiencing camera disconnections or unstable footage.
All of the other NVR ranges only offer the bandwidth to add high-resolution Acusense cameras to about half of the channels. So, if you are planning to use new cameras in your system, the increased budget of the M-Series models is essentially vital now.
If you plan to use Acusense cameras, then we would advise allowing at least 15 Mbps per 8MP camera, 12-13 Mbps per 6MP camera, and 10-12 Mbps per 4MP camera.
The below chart shows the bandwidth available per channel, but keep in mind that there is no fixed bandwidth budget for each channel, the total incoming bandwidth budget is distributed amongst each channel depending on the connected camera and this is managed automatically by the NVR. So, if you are using an old or low-resolution camera that doesn’t require much bandwidth at all, then the unused bandwidth will become available to any other channel that needs it.
Outgoing bandwidth is another thing to think about, as it specifies what the NVR is able to broadcast to other devices - e.g., if you are viewing your cameras via the Hik-Connect app, a web browser, iVMS-4200, or 3rd-party VMS, this will all use the NVR's outgoing bandwidth.
Of course, the more devices you are using to view your cameras, the more of this budget will be used. So, as you can see in the chart below, if lots of people will need to be remotely viewing the cameras in your system, then you will need to make sure that you use an M-Series or an I-Series model.
The M-Series, I-Series, and I-Series with Acusense NVRs all use Hikvision’s NVR 4.0 interface, which is more developed than that on the other ranges and allows you full access to Acusense features.
With the K-Series and Q-Series models, you get a simpler interface that allows you to set up Acusense on your cameras and retrospectively search your footage by “person” or “vehicle” detections, but it is less snappy than the NVR 4.0 interface in doing this and does not offer the same level of control over than the “smart search” feature available on the M- and I- Series recorders.
ColorVu cameras will also work on all of these NVRs and the NVR you use will not impact how well the low-light imaging will work.
You will probably find that any advanced features your third-party camera offers are lost. However, if you would like to add AI to these cameras then the NVR series with Acusense are perfect for this.
There are limitations on adding Acusense from an NVR to a camera that doesn’t already have the technology built-in though, as this guide explains.
Decoding capability – this refers to what an NVR is able to display at one time in either Live View or Playback. The more cameras you view at once, the lower the resolution that each camera can be viewed in will be. However, your cameras will always record in full resolution, so the “decoding capability” has no impact on your recorded footage.
As you can see from the table below, the new M-Series NVRs are the most futureproof as they can support up to 32MP cameras and display two cameras in this resolution simultaneously. Apart from the Q-Series, which only supports recording in 8MP, all of the other NVRs have the same maximum recording resolution of 12MP. However, the decoding capability is better in the I-Series ranges than in the K-Series.
By picking out the most important specs, explaining what they mean, and showing how they differ between each range, this guide will, hopefully, make that decision straightforward!
What are the different ranges of Hikvision NVRs?
M-Series – these are Hikvision’s newest and most powerful 8, 16, and 32-channel NVRs, released in 2022, they are the best option to use for any brand-new system or if you plan to upgrade a number of cameras in your existing system, as they will perform best with all of Hikvision’s new technology.I-Series – Before the M-Series NVRs were released, this was the range that we recommended for the majority of systems as they are more powerful than the K-Series and Q-Series models, have a more intuitive GUI, and are better supported with firmware updates.
I-Series with Acusense – these are essentially the same as the I-Series NVRs but offer the option to add Acusense, so are a good option if you have a lot of old or third-party cameras and would like to add some AI technology to them.
K-Series – These have always been a good cost-effective option, but firmware support will be limited as they are now being phased out. They were released at a similar time to the standard I-Series NVRs but do not support the latest technologies as well and have less bandwidth capability, so are best when used with older Hikvision cameras (Easy IP 3.0 or earlier).
K-Series with Acusense – These are very similar to the standard K-Series in spec, but were released recently in 2022 and will receive lots of firmware updates. We haven’t been hands-on with them yet but they look to be a viable option to add Acusense to cameras that don’t have it while keeping costs down.
Q-Series – These were only released in Europe and are very much the entry-level range with a low outgoing bandwidth and maximum recording resolution compared to the other ranges. Like the K-Series, they are best when used with non-Acusense or third-party cameras.
What are the most important specifications and notable improvements to consider?
If you are using Hikvision’s newest Acusense cameras, or high-resolution cameras, then one of the most important specifications is the incoming bandwidth budget.This is because these cameras use significantly more bandwidth than earlier models and the older NVRs did not have enough incoming bandwidth to support fully loading them with the new cameras without a major reduction to video settings such as frame rate and resolution, even when you are using the H.265 or H.265+ compression codecs.
The majority of Hikvision cameras now have built-in microphones too, which requires even more bandwidth when audio is enabled.
The key improvement made with the new M-Series NVRs is that the incoming bandwidth budget has been increased, meaning you can now fill an NVR with Acusense or high-resolution cameras without experiencing camera disconnections or unstable footage.
All of the other NVR ranges only offer the bandwidth to add high-resolution Acusense cameras to about half of the channels. So, if you are planning to use new cameras in your system, the increased budget of the M-Series models is essentially vital now.
If you plan to use Acusense cameras, then we would advise allowing at least 15 Mbps per 8MP camera, 12-13 Mbps per 6MP camera, and 10-12 Mbps per 4MP camera.
The below chart shows the bandwidth available per channel, but keep in mind that there is no fixed bandwidth budget for each channel, the total incoming bandwidth budget is distributed amongst each channel depending on the connected camera and this is managed automatically by the NVR. So, if you are using an old or low-resolution camera that doesn’t require much bandwidth at all, then the unused bandwidth will become available to any other channel that needs it.
Outgoing bandwidth is another thing to think about, as it specifies what the NVR is able to broadcast to other devices - e.g., if you are viewing your cameras via the Hik-Connect app, a web browser, iVMS-4200, or 3rd-party VMS, this will all use the NVR's outgoing bandwidth.
Of course, the more devices you are using to view your cameras, the more of this budget will be used. So, as you can see in the chart below, if lots of people will need to be remotely viewing the cameras in your system, then you will need to make sure that you use an M-Series or an I-Series model.
Will all of these NVRs work with Hikvision Acusense and ColorVu cameras?
You can connect Acusense cameras to all of these recorders, but the level of access to the Acusense features can be limited depending on the GUI that each model uses.The M-Series, I-Series, and I-Series with Acusense NVRs all use Hikvision’s NVR 4.0 interface, which is more developed than that on the other ranges and allows you full access to Acusense features.
With the K-Series and Q-Series models, you get a simpler interface that allows you to set up Acusense on your cameras and retrospectively search your footage by “person” or “vehicle” detections, but it is less snappy than the NVR 4.0 interface in doing this and does not offer the same level of control over than the “smart search” feature available on the M- and I- Series recorders.
ColorVu cameras will also work on all of these NVRs and the NVR you use will not impact how well the low-light imaging will work.
Will all of these NVRs work with old or third-party cameras?
Yes, all of Hikvision’s old cameras should work with any of these NVRs, and any third-party camera will work provided that it is ONVIF conformant.You will probably find that any advanced features your third-party camera offers are lost. However, if you would like to add AI to these cameras then the NVR series with Acusense are perfect for this.
There are limitations on adding Acusense from an NVR to a camera that doesn’t already have the technology built-in though, as this guide explains.
Maximum recording resolutions and decoding capability
Maximum recording resolution – this is the highest resolution that an NVR can support and store recordings from a camera in.Decoding capability – this refers to what an NVR is able to display at one time in either Live View or Playback. The more cameras you view at once, the lower the resolution that each camera can be viewed in will be. However, your cameras will always record in full resolution, so the “decoding capability” has no impact on your recorded footage.
As you can see from the table below, the new M-Series NVRs are the most futureproof as they can support up to 32MP cameras and display two cameras in this resolution simultaneously. Apart from the Q-Series, which only supports recording in 8MP, all of the other NVRs have the same maximum recording resolution of 12MP. However, the decoding capability is better in the I-Series ranges than in the K-Series.
What other specifications should I consider?
The table below compares all of the other things that you may want to consider such as the resolution the NVR can display over HDMI, the number of hard drives supported, the number of devices that can connect to and view the NVR, if the firmware is still being released for it, and more:
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