Hikvision LinkVu: CCTV and Network Kit Managed in One App with Hik-Partner Pro

Hikvision LinkVu brings an installer's CCTV and network equipment together in one free cloud platform, Hik-Partner Pro, so a small-business project can be designed, set up, handed over and maintained from a smartphone. Announced on 30 March 2026, it is aimed squarely at installers who look after shops, small offices, hotels, farms and light industrial units. Here's what LinkVu is, what it can do, and what it means for the people paying for the system.

What is Hikvision LinkVu?

LinkVu isn't a single product. Hikvision describes it as a whole-project ecosystem, and the name is short for "easy links, all in view". It joins two things installers have usually had to manage separately:

• Security devices: network cameras, NVRs, alarms, video intercom, access control and audio.
• Networking infrastructure: Hikvision's cloud-managed smart managed switches, wireless bridges, access points, smart managed routers and wireless routers.

Both are managed through Hik-Partner Pro (HPP), Hikvision's free installer platform and mobile app. Instead of logging into a camera here, a switch there and a router somewhere else, the installer sees the whole site in one topology map. (End users keep using Hik-Connect to view their cameras; see our Hik-Connect help.)

The four ideas behind LinkVu

• Link Free: the cloud platform costs nothing to use, for both security and networking projects.
• View One: a single topology view of every camera, recorder, switch and access point on the site.
• Link Easy: visual tools for design, deployment and maintenance, so you don't need to be a network engineer.
• View Anytime, Anywhere: remote management that saves return visits and travel.

How LinkVu works through a project

Design

The HPP Designer tool lets you upload a floor plan. AI picks out the walls, and you can then see Wi-Fi access point heatmaps and camera coverage on the plan and produce a quotation straight away. It's the part of a job that usually lives in three different spreadsheets.

Deploy

Devices can be activated in batches, with network settings and the topology generated in one go. Hikvision says a job that typically takes about 20 minutes can be done in around 3.5 minutes for up to 57 devices, from a phone rather than a laptop.

Deliver

Port-to-device mapping can be exported for printing patch labels, so nobody has to guess which cable goes to which camera. HPP also builds a handover report with the device list, live topology, camera OSD names, Wi-Fi details and VLAN settings in a template you can brand.

Maintain

One status view covers both CCTV and network devices, so a fault can be traced quickly and a stuck port rebooted remotely. The AR Port feature is a neat touch: scan a QR code on the switch with your phone and it overlays what's connected to each port.

What LinkVu can do for installers

• Fewer platforms to learn. One app for cameras, recorders and network kit, rather than a different portal for each brand.
• Faster commissioning. Batch activation and automatic topology take the repetitive set-up off your hands.
• Fewer call-outs. Many faults, such as a camera dropping offline or a port needing a power cycle, can be seen and fixed remotely.
• A more professional handover. Clear labels and a proper as-built report make the job look finished and make the next service visit easier.

What it means for business owners

If you own the shop, office or yard, you'll rarely open Hik-Partner Pro yourself; your installer does. What you get is a system that's documented properly, a network that your installer can see and support without always coming out, and quicker fixes when something drops offline. For small businesses without an IT department, that's the real benefit: someone can actually look after the network your cameras depend on.

Hikvision networking from Zenith Security Co

We stock Hikvision switches for CCTV, from simple unmanaged PoE switches to smart managed models:

• Smart managed PoE switches such as the DS-3E1106HP-EI 4-port, DS-3E1310HP-EI(B) 8-port, DS-3E1318P-EI(B) 16-port and DS-3E1326P-EI(B) 24-port. Smart managed switches are the type Hikvision includes in LinkVu; check the datasheet for Hik-Partner Pro cloud management on the exact model before you rely on it.
• Unmanaged Gigabit PoE switches such as the DS-3E0505HP-E and DS-3E0510HP-E. These are plug-and-play and don't appear in the cloud topology, so they suit a simple standalone camera system rather than a LinkVu project.

Pair them with a Hikvision NVR and browse the full network switch range. Hikvision prices are shown to trade account holders, so apply for a trade account if you install regularly.

Our take

Most small-business CCTV problems we hear about on the phone aren't camera faults: they're network faults. A switch has run out of PoE budget, a router has been swapped, or a cable has been moved and nobody knows which port it was in. LinkVu goes after exactly that, by giving installers the same visibility over the network as they already have over the cameras. If you already use Hik-Partner Pro for your Hikvision cameras, it's worth looking at Hikvision's smart managed switches for your next job.

Want help choosing switches for a Hikvision system? Call 01902 902251 or visit our Wolverhampton trade counter. We ship nationally to England, Scotland and Wales.

LinkVu: quick questions

Is LinkVu a product I can buy?
No. LinkVu is Hikvision's name for the combined solution: cloud-managed networking products plus security devices, all managed in Hik-Partner Pro.

Does Hik-Partner Pro cost anything?
Hikvision says the LinkVu cloud platform is free, with full project management for security and networking.

Do I need a laptop to set up a LinkVu site?
Hikvision says deployment, configuration and maintenance can all be done from a smartphone.

Will my unmanaged PoE switch work with LinkVu?
It will still power and connect your cameras, but unmanaged switches can't be configured or monitored from the cloud. For the full LinkVu topology view you need Hikvision's cloud-managed networking products.

Source: Hikvision UK newsroom, 30 March 2026. Timing figures are Hikvision's own.