Choose the right Hikvision recorder in five questions.
An NVR (network video recorder) is the box that records your IP cameras. Picking one comes down to five numbers and one trap. We've written this from the manufacturer's specification for every NVR we stock, and we'll say where a recorder falls short as well as where it does well.
Which five questions decide it?
How many cameras? Round up. A 16-channel recorder on a 14-camera site leaves you no room to grow.
Should the recorder power them? PoE models do (PoE: one network cable powers the camera and carries the picture). Most large recorders don't.
How long must you keep footage? This decides the number of drive bays, not the channel count.
What resolution are the cameras? This decides bandwidth, the figure people most often miss.
Will anyone search the footage? If yes, the analytics models are worth it. If you'll only look after a break-in, they aren't.
What's the difference between (C) and (E) revisions?
Hikvision keeps the same model number across hardware revisions. The revision makes a big difference. Take the DS-7716NXI-I4/16P/S:
(C) revision
(E) revision
Camera resolution
Up to 12 MP
Up to 32 MP
Disk size
8 TB per bay
16 TB per bay
Face pictures
10,000
50,000
AcuSearch
No
Yes
EN 303645 / secure boot
No
Yes
The quote shows the same model number. But (C) has half the camera resolution, half the storage limit, a fifth of the face capacity, and none of the cyber-security approvals.
Ask which revision you're being quoted. We put it in the product code on every recorder we list.
What do the series names mean?
K-Series (NXI-K): the entry range
AcuSense tells people and vehicles apart from rain, leaves and animals. Cameras up to 12 MP, 4K output, 20,000 face pictures, no AcuSearch. A sensible choice for a house, shop or small business unit.
The 8-channel trade-off: the K2 has two drive bays but no PoE. The K1/8P has eight PoE ports but one bay. For both, you need the K2/8P: eight PoE ports and two bays.
DS-7732NXI-K4: 32-ch, 4 bays, no PoE. Its outgoing bandwidth is lower than incoming
Ultra M-Series (NI-M): more capacity, no AI
Cameras up to 32 MP, 8K output, two HDMI outputs, much more bandwidth, and four to sixteen drive bays. No AcuSense. Choose it when you need capacity and resolution rather than smart searching. The 9600 models add hot-swap bays and RAID.
DS-96128NI-M16/R: 128-ch, backup power supply. Read the bandwidth note below
I-Series S(E): AcuSense with AcuSearch
32 MP cameras, 16 TB disks, 50,000 face pictures, EN 303645 and secure boot. It also has AcuSearch, which finds recordings by what appeared in them rather than by time. It handles 172,800 targets a day.
AcuSearch finds footage by target type. AcuSeek goes further: you type what you're looking for in plain English and it finds the clips.
VPro recorders have two AI engines and handle 300,000 targets a day, against 172,800 on the I-Series. They also take 20 TB disks rather than 16 TB.
Check which VPro you're buying. The name covers two very different levels:
K-Series VPro
I-Series VPro
Targets modelled
50,000/day
300,000/day
Search languages
English only
26 languages
Drive bays
1
2 or 4
The I-Series has six times the capacity for roughly double the price. On a quiet site you won't notice. On a busy shop floor you'd hit the smaller engine's limit and think AcuSeek doesn't work.
DS-7608NXI-K1/8P/VPro: the entry model, and it takes 4 IP speakers for spoken warnings
DS-9664NXI-I8R/VPro: 64-ch, RAID, backup power supply. Read the RAID warning below first.
DeepinMind (iDS): face matching on a large scale
The top analytics range. 691,200 targets a day, face libraries of 100,000 in the watch list and up to 10,000,000 captures. It also does video structuralisation: the recorder sorts what it sees into categories, rather than just detecting it.
Most sites don't need this. For fewer false alarms and quick searching, an I-Series or VPro model does the job for much less. DeepinMind makes sense where you must match faces against a watch list, and someone will look after the libraries.
iDS-9664NXI-M16/X: as above with 16 bays. Same analytics; you're paying for storage
DeepinMind Pro (P-Series): engines you set up yourself
Four GPU engines instead of two, and you choose the job for three of them: face recognition, perimeter protection, structuralisation or AcuSearch. A car park can set it up one way and a shop floor another, on the same hardware.
It also works with ordinary IP cameras. AcuSearch and AcuSeek run on up to 32 channels at 2 MP without AcuSense cameras. Every other AcuSeek recorder needs them.
Fusion AI: safety and operations as well as security
The iDS-9632NXI-M8/AI(B) comes with ten detection models built in. These include PPE detection for safety helmets and hi-vis vests, fire and smoke detection, and a blocked fire escape, plus falling down, fighting, people gathering, sleeping on duty and absence from post. It also runs the AI Open Platform for up to sixteen custom models.
For a factory, warehouse or building site, this is a different purchase from CCTV. Two things to know:
Engine capacity is the limit, not channel count: roughly four 4 MP channels per live engine.
The fire and smoke detection is not a substitute for a compliant fire alarm system.
S-Series (NXI-S): analytics for large estates
Analytics across 128 or 256 channels, plus up to eight IP speakers, so the system can give a spoken warning rather than just logging an event.
DS-E08NI-Q1/8P: the only recorder that comes with storage fitted. A 2 TB SSD, silent, under 10 W, 225 mm wide. It records at 4 MP maximum, and 2 TB across eight cameras lasts weeks rather than months. You buy it for where it fits, not how much it holds.
DS-7604NI-K1/4P/4G and DS-7608NI-K1/8P/4G: built-in 4G for compounds, yards and paddocks with no broadband. Recording stays on the recorder; the mobile link carries live view and playback when you ask for it.
What should I watch for with PoE?
1. On 32-channel recorders, PoE rarely covers every channel. A /16P model powers cameras 1 to 16 only. The rest need a switch. The /24P covers twenty-four ports but on just 210 W, about 8.75 W per camera. That won't run PTZs or heated housings.
2. Check the wattage, not the port count. Eight ports at 58 W is 7 W per camera. Sixteen ports at 200 W is 12 W. Fixed cameras are fine; PTZs, heaters and extra lights aren't.
3. No PoE is often the right answer. On a site with existing network cabling, a switch keeps camera power under the IT team's control, and the recorder costs less. Compare the DS-7616NXI-I2/VPro with the 16 PoE version: the difference is roughly what a decent 16-port switch costs.
How much bandwidth do I need?
Channel count tells you how many cameras will connect. Bandwidth tells you whether they'll record properly. Divide the incoming figure by the number of channels:
Recorder
Channels
Incoming
Per camera
DS-96128NI-M16/R
128
400 Mbps
~3 Mbps
DS-9664NI-M8
64
400 Mbps
~6 Mbps
DS-96128NXI-S8R
128
1024 Mbps
~8 Mbps
DS-96256NI-H24R
256
1280 Mbps
~5 Mbps
Around 3 Mbps suits 2 MP at moderate frame rates. 6–8 Mbps is comfortable for 4 MP and above.
The 128-channel M16/R gives each camera less room than a 64-channel recorder does. The big channel count hides a tighter limit.
Check the outgoing figure too. On some models it's lower than incoming. The DS-7732NXI-K4 records at 256 Mbps but sends only 160 Mbps out. You'll hit that limit when several people watch footage remotely while the cameras keep recording. We list both figures on every product page.
How many drive bays, and do I need RAID?
Drive bays decide how long you keep footage, not channel count. Two bays across sixteen cameras gives weeks; four bays gives months.
Every recorder here comes without disks, except the SSD model. Use CCTV-rated drives such as WD Purple, never desktop drives.
RAID matters once footage is evidence. RAID spreads recordings across several disks so one failure doesn't lose them. Without it, a failed disk means lost recordings.
RAID 5: survives one disk failure. Fine for most sites.
RAID 6: survives two. The right choice on sixteen or more large disks, because a rebuild takes days and RAID 6 survives a second failure during it.
N+M hot spare: spare disks in the box take over automatically, so the array rebuilds without a site visit.
Never RAID 0 where the footage might be needed as evidence.
What else should I know before I buy?
On the DS-9664NXI-I8R/VPro, RAID and the AI can't both be on
Hikvision's specification says RAID and the AI functions can't run at the same time. You choose: a fault-tolerant array, or AcuSeek and face recognition. Need both? The iDS-9664NXI-M8/X runs RAID alongside its analytics.
AcuSeek and AcuSearch need AcuSense cameras
With older or other-brand cameras, the AI engine has nothing to work with. The exception is DeepinMind Pro, which runs AcuSeek on up to 32 channels with ordinary IP cameras. Send us your camera list and we'll check before you order.
Common questions
What is the difference between AcuSense, AcuSearch and AcuSeek?
AcuSense tells people and vehicles apart from rain, foliage and animals, so you get fewer false alarms. AcuSearch finds recordings by target type. AcuSeek goes further again: you describe what you are looking for in plain English and it returns the matching clips.
Do Hikvision NVRs come with a hard drive?
No, with one exception. Every recorder we sell is supplied without disks apart from the DS-E08NI-Q1/8P, which has a 2 TB SSD fitted from the factory. Use surveillance-rated drives such as WD Purple rather than desktop drives.
Do I need an NVR with PoE?
Only if you want the recorder to power the cameras. A PoE model saves buying a switch on a self-contained site. Where structured cabling already exists, a non-PoE recorder plus a switch usually costs about the same and keeps camera power under the network team's control.
How many cameras can a 32-channel NVR power?
Usually sixteen, not thirty-two. Most 32-channel models carry sixteen PoE ports, covering cameras 1 to 16 only; the rest need a switch. Always check the port count and the total wattage rather than the channel count.
What does (C) or (E) mean in a Hikvision model number?
It is the hardware revision, and the difference is significant. On the I-series, (C) records 12 MP cameras to 8 TB disks with no AcuSearch, while (E) records 32 MP to 16 TB disks with AcuSearch and current cyber-security certification. Always ask which revision you are being quoted.
How much bandwidth do I need per camera?
Divide the recorder's incoming bandwidth by its channel count. Around 3 Mbps per camera suits 2 MP at moderate frame rates; 6 to 8 Mbps is comfortable for 4 MP and above. This figure, not channel count, is what usually limits a large system.
Which RAID level should I use on a CCTV recorder?
RAID 5 is fine for most sites. On sixteen or more large disks, RAID 6 is safer because a rebuild takes days and RAID 6 survives a second failure during that window. Never use RAID 0 where footage might be needed as evidence.
Tell us how many cameras, which models, and how long you need to keep footage. We'll name the right recorder and work out the storage. We'll also tell you if a cheaper one would do.
