I am currently using my synology NAS which works very well with 2 cameras on H265+ but only came with 2 camera licences so I thought maybe switching to NVR is better but as above person said 265+ was useless on DS-7608NI-K2 I think I will stick to my Synology and buy another licence if needed until a newer model comes out that is recommended
Which is the Best Hikvision NVR for 8 Cameras?
- Thread starter Keoni Granger
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At some point, with the camera tech increasing the I nvr will be struggling so for me it's wait and see what happens in the next 12 months. If it doesn't then maybe other manufacturers, though more expensive £ to £ might be the way to go.
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I previously had the DS-7608NI-K2/8P on my own installation - at that time it was populated with 2 x 2385FWD-I 8MP turret, 2 x 2335FWD-I 3MP turret, 2 x 2325FWD-I 2 MP turret, 1 x 5A46G0 4MP ultra series vf bullet and 1 x 2346G1 AcuSense 4MP turret. Everything was running on H265 at 25 FPS except the 8MP turrets which were on H265+ at 20FPS. I had no particular performance issues. I now use the 16 channel I series - I don't need all the channels but the additional incoming bandwidth leaves no performance issues. I prefer to stay away from H265+ as when I've used it I've witnessed some nasty artefacts in the image (repeat frames, ghosting etc). I'd rather just install more storage.
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You should have no issues there. The I series is obviously better than the K - as it is running the "full" version 4 firmware as opposed to the "lite" on the K series. The only issues I ever had with performance on the K series was when I ran full V4 firmware (4.22.005) - it tended to freeze and be non responsive. At that point I downgraded it. The I series will run cameras up to 12 MP, supports playback timeline thumbnails for cameras >3MP (unlike the K on V3) and supports the AcuSense cameras fully.
Thanks for above info. Can you explain difference between full and light firmware as I cannot find a comparison on youtube. I only have 3 cameras for my home so wont be looking at them very often but if its much better for me I would pay extra for the I series.
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Hi @rs1800
If you take a look at the thread for the release of the v4.30.005 you will see the release notes, a video explaining the features of v4 Lite with E-UI, and some feedback from Hikvision support explaining the limitations of the K-series NVRs.
www.use-ip.co.uk
If you take a look at the thread for the release of the v4.30.005 you will see the release notes, a video explaining the features of v4 Lite with E-UI, and some feedback from Hikvision support explaining the limitations of the K-series NVRs.
Firmware - Latest HikVision Firmware for K-Series [76 77 86 NI-K2 K4 K8] NVRs - V4.30.005 build200628 (V4 Lite with E-UI)
[20/07/20 - IMPORTANT - Some users updating to this firmware have reported that their NVRs have reset after updating, this does not appear to be affecting all K-series NVRs but if you are worried about losing any NVR/camera settings you can always go to Maintenance and export the NVR/Camera...
www.use-ip.co.uk
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For a short time Hikvision made available the same version 4 firmware that is available for the I series NVR on the K series (at that time it was V4.21.005). This offered several improvements over the version 3 firmware on the K - a more modern interface, playback timeline thumbnails for cameras over 3 MP (the version 3 firmware would just display an empty thumbnail with "no resource" in place of the image) and more camera settings are adjustable from the NVR menu, without having to log into the camera via browser (shutter speed etc). In January Hikvision removed that version from the download portal without explanation - we can only assume it was due to performance issues/lockups reported and they deemed it unsuitable.
Recently Hikvision released a version 4 firmware for the K series but it is termed "lite" and I believe the interface, although updated, is not the same as that found on the I series. Some users have reported issues on the K series after updating to that version, depending on the version they upgraded from. I've not had chance to look at the lite version for the K series yet but the I series is the way to go.
Snaffy
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Dare I suggest/make this point?
What with vast improvements to CPU's over recent years esp with the track/nano-meter sizes coming down in the news/media, and efficiencies going up.
One could hope/expect that the need for noisy fans (perhaps any fan at all) will drop, as I'm aware this is a constant grumble of the old NVR models.
I do hope we'll see either new NVR models, or at least revisions to the internals to offer improvements which take advantage of more up to date tech.
What with vast improvements to CPU's over recent years esp with the track/nano-meter sizes coming down in the news/media, and efficiencies going up.
One could hope/expect that the need for noisy fans (perhaps any fan at all) will drop, as I'm aware this is a constant grumble of the old NVR models.
I do hope we'll see either new NVR models, or at least revisions to the internals to offer improvements which take advantage of more up to date tech.
Snaffy
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I don't have one, but isn't there 2 fans in the HikVision NVR's?
One inside the power supply and one on the side of the case.
I don't know why these designers don't think in the way PC's are quietly cooled. Nice holes in the bottom perhaps with a large slow running fan.
But anyway, the power supply fan would be the trickier one The other fan would just be to blow cool air over chips/heatsinks.
You can always get heatsinks of all shapes and sizes to stick using thermal pads onto chips to help the dissipate heat easier.
Depending where you put the unit, even leaving the lid off may be enough not to need the case fan?
One inside the power supply and one on the side of the case.
I don't know why these designers don't think in the way PC's are quietly cooled. Nice holes in the bottom perhaps with a large slow running fan.
But anyway, the power supply fan would be the trickier one The other fan would just be to blow cool air over chips/heatsinks.
You can always get heatsinks of all shapes and sizes to stick using thermal pads onto chips to help the dissipate heat easier.
Depending where you put the unit, even leaving the lid off may be enough not to need the case fan?
The K series I had it was fanless, my DS-7608NI-I2 / 8P has 2 fans - I replaced the standard 40x40x10mm case side fan with a quiet 12DB fan. The power supply fan is a bit trickier, not to remove, but to find something quiet enough, as it's a 40x40x20mm fan running at 8200RPM and 30DB, and most replacements would be around the same noise level.
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I need to update this thread to add that we would now STRONGLY encourage people to select and buy the I-series 8-camera NVR in preference to the K-series.
Please purchase this model:
Hikvision DS-7608NI-I2-8P 8 Channel Network Video Recorder
We are increasingly seeing issues with the K-series NVRs when:
We really don't want you to be disappointed, nor to endure stress and hassle trying to establish a reliable IP CCTV solution
Please purchase this model:
Hikvision DS-7608NI-I2-8P 8 Channel Network Video Recorder
We are increasingly seeing issues with the K-series NVRs when:
- The latest firmware available at this time is applied
- The NVR is used with the highest resolution (8MP) cameras
- The NVR is used with their latest tech cameras e.g. AcuSense or ColorVu cameras
We really don't want you to be disappointed, nor to endure stress and hassle trying to establish a reliable IP CCTV solution
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We know we are going to get lots of questions on this, so let me add some more details of the issues with the K-series NVRs that have been brought to our attention:
- Continued browser access issues when using modern browsers (no browser support for Mac users)
- Smart Event search function being removed from the browser access
- Smart Event markers in the playback timeline being disabled
The first of the above issues has been a long-standing issue for many years and we have chased Hikvision support on their plans to properly fix browser access for K-series NVRs and based on the similar responses we keep getting we have assumed they have no plans to resolve this issue completely.
The browser access for smart events in playback has gradually been getting worse on K-series NVRs, the first issue was the removal of event notification markers from the playback timeline which happened over a year ago, then more recently with the latest v4.30 firmware they have removed support for the Smart Event search function in playback. Disabling/removing both these functions in K-series NVRs has basically made viewing event notifications from a browser impossible.
The K-series NVRs were first released in 2016 and even at release they had lower-spec hardware than their I-series equivalents so it is not really surprising that as the cameras and other hardware have continued to improve the K-series NVRs have started to struggle more to support these advancements.
So again I will reiterate @Phil words and recommend that if you want reasonable longevity from your NVR and support for latest cameras & software features you should go for an I-series model.
You can see more of the discussion about these K-series issues in this forum thread about the latest v4.30.010 firmware
- Continued browser access issues when using modern browsers (no browser support for Mac users)
- Smart Event search function being removed from the browser access
- Smart Event markers in the playback timeline being disabled
The first of the above issues has been a long-standing issue for many years and we have chased Hikvision support on their plans to properly fix browser access for K-series NVRs and based on the similar responses we keep getting we have assumed they have no plans to resolve this issue completely.
The browser access for smart events in playback has gradually been getting worse on K-series NVRs, the first issue was the removal of event notification markers from the playback timeline which happened over a year ago, then more recently with the latest v4.30 firmware they have removed support for the Smart Event search function in playback. Disabling/removing both these functions in K-series NVRs has basically made viewing event notifications from a browser impossible.
The K-series NVRs were first released in 2016 and even at release they had lower-spec hardware than their I-series equivalents so it is not really surprising that as the cameras and other hardware have continued to improve the K-series NVRs have started to struggle more to support these advancements.
So again I will reiterate @Phil words and recommend that if you want reasonable longevity from your NVR and support for latest cameras & software features you should go for an I-series model.
You can see more of the discussion about these K-series issues in this forum thread about the latest v4.30.010 firmware
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As far as we can ascertain (we keep asking) there are no new four or eight camera NVRs about to be launched.
So, the 7608-I NVR is currently THE best Hikvision NVR model available for use with small systems.
www.use-ip.co.uk
So, the 7608-I NVR is currently THE best Hikvision NVR model available for use with small systems.
Hikvision DS-7608NI-I2-8P 8 Channel Network Video Recorder
The DS-7608NI-I2-8P is now End of Life. May we recommend the DS-7608NI-M2/8P as a direct replacement for this model. Key Features: - 8 Channel NVR - 8 POE Ports - H.265+H.265/H.264/H.264+/MPEG4 video formats - Up to 8 IP cameras can be connected - Supports live view, storage and playback of the...
Great IP camera info here. Kudos guys.
This post is slightly concerning and kind of confused now. I am due to have the DS-7608NI-K2 installed next week. Not realised it was so many years old, although that does not bother me as long as it does the job. But the change in firmware/limitation with motion search and possible issues has got me questioning if I should go for I series. However, as I was already am at the top of my budget, wondering how much of an issue K series is.
When @Dan mentions limitations via browser, does that mean these features are still available at the NVR itself? How about if connecting via the Hikvision windows software (IVMS)?
This post is slightly concerning and kind of confused now. I am due to have the DS-7608NI-K2 installed next week. Not realised it was so many years old, although that does not bother me as long as it does the job. But the change in firmware/limitation with motion search and possible issues has got me questioning if I should go for I series. However, as I was already am at the top of my budget, wondering how much of an issue K series is.
When @Dan mentions limitations via browser, does that mean these features are still available at the NVR itself? How about if connecting via the Hikvision windows software (IVMS)?
busterboy
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@nathanb
I have the DS-7608NI-K2 / 8P and very happy with it although I do read the various posts on forums such as this and wonder is it worth upgrading to the I series.
Common sense tells me my K series is doing the job fine but the little man in my head keeps knocking and telling me to upgrade to the I series.
If you are a first time buyer I would scrape the extra funds together and buy the I series but on the other hand wouldn't lose any sleep over having the K series.
Both are great NVR's.
I have the DS-7608NI-K2 / 8P and very happy with it although I do read the various posts on forums such as this and wonder is it worth upgrading to the I series.
Common sense tells me my K series is doing the job fine but the little man in my head keeps knocking and telling me to upgrade to the I series.
If you are a first time buyer I would scrape the extra funds together and buy the I series but on the other hand wouldn't lose any sleep over having the K series.
Both are great NVR's.
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