However, there have been recent announcements made by the Australian Government to remove Hikvision and Dahua CCTV equipment from commonwealth government buildings, due to fears that they may contain spyware. It is important to note that this decision is largely political and there is no evidence to suggest that the Chinese government is using this equipment to spy. Additionally, there is no fear of the Chinese government spying on an average Australian household or business, and we always recommend to install CCTV outdoors and with audio disabled. Nevertheless, the CCTV brands are still legal to install and use in Australia.

In fact, Hikvision provides some of the most cost-effective and advanced technologies on the market. For this reason, they are widely considered to be one of the premier brands in the security industry worldwide. The Hikvision website even lists a number of recent Australian projects that have utilised Hikvision Alarm, CCTV & Access Control systems to secure their premises. 

If you’re still concerned about the idea of having security/surveillance hardware manufactured in China installed in your home and/or business, here are a few additional measures you can take to increase the privacy and protection of your system:

• Assign passwords to your cameras & recorder: Password protection on both the recorder and cameras adds additional layers of security and protection against any potential hackers who may try to view your system using the standard default passwords.
• Upgrading your devices to the latest firmware: You should frequently check for any available upgraded firmware to ensure the version you’re using does not contain any potential vulnerabilities
• Set up for local use only: This is a last resort, as by not connecting to an active network you may lose your remote view functionality. However, by just using your surveillance system locally, you will still be able to access your camera’s live view and recordings at your NVR recorder without the possibility of any undesirables being able to access/view your footage.
• Always purchase your hardware from a reputable supplier: This will ensure that you don’t receive any grey market/re-badged hardware that may not be as secure
• Always have your system installed by a licensed installer: All Jim’s Security technicians are licensed, insured security professionals. We have great experience with Hikvision systems, as well as numerous other security solutions. Check out some of the installations we’ve done below: