Android in Hikvision video intercoms. Benefits and challenges

Hikvision is constantly improving its products. The manufacturer does not stop there and has released an innovative solution to the market – a video intercom based on Android.

Functions

Previously, intercoms could only display images from cameras and open the door at the touch of a button. Now, with the help of the Android OS, the equipment has become entirely new, capable of:

• manage a “smart home”;
• contact the security and concierge at home;
• follow what is happening around online;
• remotely open and close doors;
• notify in case of detection of unwanted guests;
• count visitors;
• обеспечивать коммуникацию между сотрудниками;
• store recordings from the camera;
• enable recorded audio messages for visitors when you are not at home;
• notify in case of illegal entry into the house.

Application areas

Modern video intercoms are multifunctional. Due to such a variety of capabilities, the systems are used:

1. in apartment buildings: in private apartments and entrance halls;
2. in country houses;
3. in offices;
4. in hospitals.

The only condition for installing a video intercom on Android is compliance with legal regulations.

New from Hikvision. Characteristics

The company has released several video door phones. The most famous are the Hikvision DS-KH9510-WTE1 IP video intercom and Hikvision DS-KH9310-WTE1 IP video intercom.

The functionality is almost identical; each model can:

• analyze ambient sounds, suppress noise, thereby simplifying communication through microphones;
• contain up to 8 alarms;
• cooperate with several IP intercoms;
• display a picture and play sound at the same time.

Advantages

The Android intercom is a touchscreen device with a TFT or IPS matrix. It transmits a color image and can identify visitors by voice, appearance thanks to “smart” cameras.

Also, the equipment has other advantages (according to the manufacturer):

• all data in the archive is encrypted, and the software is completely protected from hacking;
• software management is intuitively simple;
• the system is flexible: additional applications can be loaded into it that upgrade video surveillance.

But in addition to the pros, the Hikvision brand also has disadvantages.

Hikvision problems

The brand is highly promoted, but it has serious problems that should be paid attention to by buyers:

• most of the products sold belong to the country of origin – China. Leading states, for example, the USA, have long abandoned the brand due to quality mismatches;
• systems are weak against cyberattacks. On the Internet, you can find many stories where Hikvision products were hacked, and owners were blackmailed, information was sold to third parties, or used to steal property;
• low competitiveness. As mentioned above, most of the production belongs to China. And we know that not all technology from China is as good as the advertisement says;
• frequent refusals of the manufacturer in technical support of versions and software products;
• budget models are not worth the money. For a HikVision camera to be truly effective, you need to be prepared for high financial costs.

 

Faceter as alternative

HikVision’s video door phone on Android is not the only available option on the market. A smart camera from Faceter is considered a good alternative.

To start video surveillance, you will need:

1. Mobile application (download for Android here, or for IOS).
2. The IP camera that you install on the door. Read more in the article “Installation of video surveillance on the front door“.
3. Your mobile phone, tablet, laptop or PC as a monitor. Images from cameras will be transmitted to the selected device in real-time and notify in case of unwanted events.

You can install the entire system yourself. How to connect a smartphone to the system, read in the article “4 steps, how to connect a video surveillance camera to the phone”.

Faceter users have access to:

• video analytics and Face-ID function;
• a wide range of tariffs at affordable prices (from zero USD);
• secure cloud for data storage. All information is encrypted, and only the owner has access to the archive through a unique code;
• automatic system update.

Conclusion

When buying devices to control what is happening around your house or office, you need to take an account not advertising messages but an objective analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the brand. “Smart” intercoms from a Chinese manufacturer can disappoint and satisfy 50/50.