A network video recorder (NVR) is the heart of an IP CCTV system: it powers your cameras over PoE, records them to a surveillance hard drive, and streams live view and playback to your phone through the Hik-Connect app. Zenith Security Co stocks NVRs from HiLook by Hikvision, Hikvision and Dahua — from 4 channels up to 256 — at trade prices with delivery from our multi-million pound warehouse.
Start with our buying guide
The Hikvision range spans nine series and a dozen suffixes, and the differences between them are not obvious from the model number. Our Hikvision NVR buying guide explains every series in plain terms, works through the PoE and bandwidth arithmetic, covers RAID levels, and sets out the (C) vs (E) revision trap that most sellers never mention — the same model number with half the camera resolution and half the storage ceiling.
Which cameras go with it?
An NVR records Hikvision IP cameras over a single network cable that carries both power and video. Our Hikvision IP camera buying guide covers the other half of the system — series, lens choice and pixels per metre — and matters here for one reason in particular: AcuSearch and AcuSeek only work with AcuSense cameras, so an AI recorder paired with the wrong cameras has nothing to work with. Two things worth checking before you order: whether your cameras need 802.3af or 802.3at power, since strobe and siren models draw two to three times as much as their plain siblings, and whether any dual-lens cameras are involved, as those occupy two channels each. Send us the camera list and we will confirm it fits.
Recording HD-TVI cameras over coax instead? You need a DVR and HD analogue cameras.
Browse by channel count
- 4 Channel NVRs — homes and small shops
- 8 Channel NVRs — the most common size
- 16 Channel NVRs — commercial units, schools, farms
- 32 Channel NVRs — industrial sites and retail parks
- 64 Channel NVRs — campuses and estates
How to choose an NVR
- Channels — buy for the cameras you'll have in two years, not today.
- PoE ports — a model with built-in PoE powers the cameras directly with no separate switch. Non-PoE NVRs cost less but need a PoE switch. On 32-channel models, PoE often covers only half the channels.
- Maximum resolution — check what the recorder accepts. Current AcuSense models take up to 32MP; older and entry models cap at 12MP or 4MP and will downscale anything higher.
- Drive bays — one SATA bay suits most homes and shops; two bays double the retention for busier sites; four or more are needed where a licensing condition sets the period.
- Bandwidth — divide the incoming figure by the channel count. Around 3 Mbps per camera suits 2MP; 6–8 Mbps is comfortable for 4MP and above.
HiLook and Hikvision NVRs are plug-and-play with their own cameras and accept ONVIF cameras from other brands. Add a WD Purple or Toshiba S300 surveillance drive from the options on each product, and we'll fit and format it before dispatch. Not sure what size you need? See how many days each size records on our CCTV hard drives page, or work it out with the CCTV storage calculator.
Network Video Recorders (NVRs)
A network video recorder (NVR) is the heart of an IP CCTV system: it powers your cameras over PoE, records them to a surveillance hard drive, and streams live view and playback to your phone through the Hik-Connect app. Zenith Security Co stocks NVRs from HiLook by Hikvision, Hikvision and Dahua — from 4 channels up to 256 — at trade prices with delivery from our multi-million pound warehouse.
Start with our buying guide
The Hikvision range spans nine series and a dozen suffixes, and the differences between them are not obvious from the model number. Our Hikvision NVR buying guide explains every series in plain terms, works through the PoE and bandwidth arithmetic, covers RAID levels, and sets out the (C) vs (E) revision trap that most sellers never mention — the same model number with half the camera resolution and half the storage ceiling.
Which cameras go with it?
An NVR records Hikvision IP cameras over a single network cable that carries both power and video. Our Hikvision IP camera buying guide covers the other half of the system — series, lens choice and pixels per metre — and matters here for one reason in particular: AcuSearch and AcuSeek only work with AcuSense cameras, so an AI recorder paired with the wrong cameras has nothing to work with. Two things worth checking before you order: whether your cameras need 802.3af or 802.3at power, since strobe and siren models draw two to three times as much as their plain siblings, and whether any dual-lens cameras are involved, as those occupy two channels each. Send us the camera list and we will confirm it fits.
Recording HD-TVI cameras over coax instead? You need a DVR and HD analogue cameras.
Browse by channel count
- 4 Channel NVRs — homes and small shops
- 8 Channel NVRs — the most common size
- 16 Channel NVRs — commercial units, schools, farms
- 32 Channel NVRs — industrial sites and retail parks
- 64 Channel NVRs — campuses and estates
How to choose an NVR
- Channels — buy for the cameras you'll have in two years, not today.
- PoE ports — a model with built-in PoE powers the cameras directly with no separate switch. Non-PoE NVRs cost less but need a PoE switch. On 32-channel models, PoE often covers only half the channels.
- Maximum resolution — check what the recorder accepts. Current AcuSense models take up to 32MP; older and entry models cap at 12MP or 4MP and will downscale anything higher.
- Drive bays — one SATA bay suits most homes and shops; two bays double the retention for busier sites; four or more are needed where a licensing condition sets the period.
- Bandwidth — divide the incoming figure by the channel count. Around 3 Mbps per camera suits 2MP; 6–8 Mbps is comfortable for 4MP and above.
HiLook and Hikvision NVRs are plug-and-play with their own cameras and accept ONVIF cameras from other brands. Add a WD Purple or Toshiba S300 surveillance drive from the options on each product, and we'll fit and format it before dispatch. Not sure what size you need? See how many days each size records on our CCTV hard drives page, or work it out with the CCTV storage calculator.
