A DVR (digital video recorder) records HD-TVI cameras over coaxial cable — the same cable used by older analogue systems. If a building already has coax run to each camera position, a DVR upgrade is usually a recorder-and-camera swap rather than a rewire, which makes it the cheaper route to HD or 4K footage. Zenith Security Co stocks Hikvision, HiLook by Hikvision and Dahua DVRs at trade prices with fast UK delivery.
Start with our buying guide
The model letters decide what a recorder can actually do, and they are not obvious. Our Hikvision DVR buying guide decodes HQHI, HUHI and HTHI, explains PoC cabling and storage sizing, and sets out two traps no competitor publishes: HUHI recorders record full 8MP on channel 1 only, and on the four-bay models perimeter analytics run on fixed channel numbers rather than any channel you choose.
Which cameras go with it?
A DVR records Hikvision HD analogue cameras over coax — not IP cameras, which need an NVR instead. Browse the full analogue range by resolution or by shape, and check two things before you order: whether the recorder and cameras are both PoC if you want power over the same coax, and whether the camera resolution matches the recorder tier, since an 8MP camera on an HQHI recorder will be downscaled. Send us the camera list and we will confirm it fits.
Browse by channel count
- 4 Channel DVRs — homes and small shops
- 8 Channel DVRs — the most common size
- 16 Channel DVRs — commercial units, schools, farms
- 32 Channel DVRs — industrial sites and estates
Why a modern DVR is worth a look
On AcuSense (iDS) models the analytics run in the recorder, not in the camera. Your existing analogue cameras gain people-and-vehicle classification without being replaced — the same false-alarm reduction that would otherwise need a whole new set of cameras. For a site where the alerts have become noise, changing the recorder alone often fixes it.
How to choose a DVR
- Channels — buy for the cameras you will have in two years, not today. Most DVRs also accept IP cameras on top of their coax channels.
- Resolution tier — HQHI records up to 3K/5MP Lite, HUHI handles full 5MP, HTHI records true 8MP on every channel.
- Drive bays — these decide retention, not channel count. 8MP footage is roughly four times the data of 1080p.
- PoC — /P and /PXT models power the cameras over the same coax, removing the separate power run. Requires Hikvision PoC cameras.
- AcuSense or not — iDS models classify people and vehicles; plain DS models do not.
All recorders here are supplied without hard drives — see our surveillance hard drives and size them with the CCTV storage calculator. Moving from coax to IP instead? See our NVR range, IP cameras and NVR buying guide. Not sure which suits your site? Call 01902 902251 or visit the Wolverhampton trade counter.
Digital Video Recorders (DVRs)
A DVR (digital video recorder) records HD-TVI cameras over coaxial cable — the same cable used by older analogue systems. If a building already has coax run to each camera position, a DVR upgrade is usually a recorder-and-camera swap rather than a rewire, which makes it the cheaper route to HD or 4K footage. Zenith Security Co stocks Hikvision, HiLook by Hikvision and Dahua DVRs at trade prices with fast UK delivery.
Start with our buying guide
The model letters decide what a recorder can actually do, and they are not obvious. Our Hikvision DVR buying guide decodes HQHI, HUHI and HTHI, explains PoC cabling and storage sizing, and sets out two traps no competitor publishes: HUHI recorders record full 8MP on channel 1 only, and on the four-bay models perimeter analytics run on fixed channel numbers rather than any channel you choose.
Which cameras go with it?
A DVR records Hikvision HD analogue cameras over coax — not IP cameras, which need an NVR instead. Browse the full analogue range by resolution or by shape, and check two things before you order: whether the recorder and cameras are both PoC if you want power over the same coax, and whether the camera resolution matches the recorder tier, since an 8MP camera on an HQHI recorder will be downscaled. Send us the camera list and we will confirm it fits.
Browse by channel count
- 4 Channel DVRs — homes and small shops
- 8 Channel DVRs — the most common size
- 16 Channel DVRs — commercial units, schools, farms
- 32 Channel DVRs — industrial sites and estates
Why a modern DVR is worth a look
On AcuSense (iDS) models the analytics run in the recorder, not in the camera. Your existing analogue cameras gain people-and-vehicle classification without being replaced — the same false-alarm reduction that would otherwise need a whole new set of cameras. For a site where the alerts have become noise, changing the recorder alone often fixes it.
How to choose a DVR
- Channels — buy for the cameras you will have in two years, not today. Most DVRs also accept IP cameras on top of their coax channels.
- Resolution tier — HQHI records up to 3K/5MP Lite, HUHI handles full 5MP, HTHI records true 8MP on every channel.
- Drive bays — these decide retention, not channel count. 8MP footage is roughly four times the data of 1080p.
- PoC — /P and /PXT models power the cameras over the same coax, removing the separate power run. Requires Hikvision PoC cameras.
- AcuSense or not — iDS models classify people and vehicles; plain DS models do not.
All recorders here are supplied without hard drives — see our surveillance hard drives and size them with the CCTV storage calculator. Moving from coax to IP instead? See our NVR range, IP cameras and NVR buying guide. Not sure which suits your site? Call 01902 902251 or visit the Wolverhampton trade counter.
