The best similar Hikvision IP Cameras—Hikvision is a leading Chinese security camera manufacturer. Its products are widely used around the world. However, it appears that Hikvision has recently faced numerous legal issues and has been banned from sale in several countries, including the U.S. and India. As a result, many users in the U.S. and other regions are looking for alternative IP cameras that are comparable to Hikvision cameras.
In this article, I’ll highlight well-known companies that use Hikvision products but sell them under their own brand names—what are known as Hikvision OEMs.
What Is a Hikvision OEM IP Camera?
Have you ever seen an IP camera from a different brand but with a design similar to Hikvision’s? It’s most likely an OEM IP camera.
An OEM product is one manufactured by a company and then purchased and resold by another company under a different brand name. Therefore, the quality of an OEM product is equivalent to that of the original product. This is also the case with Hikvision OEM IP cameras: they are manufactured by Hikvision but resold by other companies under different brand names.
OEM IP cameras are generally sold at lower prices, but offer comparable product quality.
List of Companies that Sell Hikvision OEM IP Camera Products
Below, you will find a list of companies—which I have arranged alphabetically—that are known to sell Hikvision OEM IP camera products under their own brand names.
| Letter | Companies |
| A | ABUS Acegear Activecam ADJ Advidia Alibi Security Allnet Alula Anaveo Annke Anpviz Arcdyn Armix Aukoo Technology Aventura Technologies Avue |
| C | Cantek CCTVStar ClearWay Covert |
| D | Dax Networks DMP Dodwell BMS DSS Dunlop DVR Unlimited |
| E | Ellipse Security Epcom Esypop Ezviz |
| G | Gess Technologies Global Network Security GovComm Grundig GVS Security |
| H | Hinovision Hitachi Hitosino Honeywell Hunt CCTV Hyundai Security |
| I | Infinity CCTV Infinite Pixels Inkovideo Innekt Interlogix Invidtech |
| J | JFL Jlinks |
| L | LaView LTS |
| M | Mercury Security MicroView |
| N | Nelly’s Security Norelco SafeCam Northern Novicam NTT |
| O | Oculur Onix |
| P | Power Technology Protect Group |
| R | Raster Remark Thermal RVi |
| S | Safety Vision Safire Scati SecurityTronix Sentry CCTV Sharp Siqura Smart CT Solutions SnapAV / Luma Space Technology Syscom |
| T | Technomate Toshiba Trendnet |
| V | Vantage Security Vezco CCTV Videoteknika |
| W | Winic CCTV |
| Z | Zicom |
| # | 3xLogic |
Former Retailer of Hikvision OEM IP cameras
OEM IP camera production must comply with company standards; as a result, some companies have stopped selling Hikvision IP cameras and are now manufacturing their own IP cameras. In the past, several companies sold Hikvision OEM products, but they have since discontinued those sales or switched to other OEM products, including Uniview and Dahua.
A company that previously sold Hikvision OEM IP cameras.
- AMETA
- Matrix Security
- OCO
- KT&C
- SCW
- SWANN
- W Box
- 2M CCTV
How Can You Tell If It’s a Hikvision OEM IP Camera?
As a camera technician like myself, distinguishing between OEM Hikvision IP cameras and genuine ones is easy, but for some people it might be difficult—especially since they’re only familiar with a few camera brands.
Here are my tips for telling the difference between genuine Hikvision IP cameras and OEM ones.
1. Similar Camera Designs
Hikvision OEM IP cameras usually share a very similar design.
If you’re shopping for an IP camera and notice one that looks a lot like a Hikvision model, there’s a chance it’s actually a Hikvision OEM camera sold under a different brand. Below are some product photos comparing Hikvision cameras with their OEM counterparts.
2. Similar User Interfaces
Hikvision OEM IP cameras can be identified by their user interface.
If you have both an ANNKE and a Hikvision camera, try accessing the ANNKE camera’s IP address through your web browser. When I tested it myself, I found that ANNKE’s web interface looked almost identical to Hikvision’s.
You can see the similarities in the images below.
3. Using the Same Software
Hikvision OEM IP cameras typically use the same software.
Here, I’ll show you a tool for discovering IP cameras connected to the same network. As you probably know, Hikvision cameras can be discovered using the SADP Tool, and the same tool also works with some Hikvision OEM cameras. In my own tests, I found that SADP Tool could also detect ANNKE and Safire IP cameras.
Besides supporting the same software, some Hikvision OEM cameras can also use the Hik-Connect app for remote viewing. For example, HiView cameras can be connected to your smartphone through Hik-Connect, allowing you to view your cameras remotely.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for an IP camera comparable to Hikvision, Hikvision OEM cameras are definitely worth considering.
There’s no need to worry about quality—Hikvision OEM IP cameras can offer performance comparable to Hikvision-branded models, since they’re also manufactured by Hikvision and sold under other brands, such as ANNKE, Safire, and the other names listed above. Of course, you’re not limited to Hikvision OEM cameras. You can also consider IP cameras from other brands, including TP-Link VIGI, Uniview, Tiandy, Dahua, and Luminys.
I hope you find this article helpful!