With the recent announcement by the Australian government to remove Hikvision and Dahua CCTV equipment from commonwealth government buildings, some of you might be asking if you should be concerned about installing these cameras in your homes or business.
The position from Jim’s Antennas and Security is that you can still install Hikvision or Dahua CCTV products in your home or business. The decision made by the government is largely a political decision and there is no evidence to suggest that the Chinese government is using this equipment to spy. From our perspective, Dahua and Hikvision are still good options for most domestic and commercial applications.
Why Jim's Antennas & Security Still Recommend Hikvision & Dahua to Customers
- Chinese made CCTV products are market leading for the price and feature set
- You will pay a premium to purchase a non-chinese product and still face the risk that components have been made in China
- If a CCTV system is set up correctly the risk is minimal. Australians allow many other devices with much greater spying/eavesdropping capabilities into homes but do we question this? (For more information: How an Alexa Speaker Shared and Recorded a Private Conversation)
- We always recommend outdoor installations with audio disabled
- There is no motivation for the Chinese government to be spying on the average Australian, why would they do this?
- For highly sensitive installations we recommend a stand alone system, such as not connecting to an existing network or the internet
Can We Provide An Alternative Product?
Yes we can supply brands such as Swann and Hanwha if required, however you should expect a moderate price premium for these brands.
Uniview is another great alternative to Dahua and Hikvision. Despite still being manufactured in China, Uniview is one of the few trusted surveillance manufacturers to be certified by the US’s National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA).
For more information on alternatives, visit our page CCTV alternatives to Hikvision and Dahua.
Additional Measures You Can Take to Increase the Privacy and Protection of Your CCTV 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.
