Hikvision DS-2AE4215ITG 2MP Analogue PTZ Camera, 15× Optical, IR 100 m

Who this is for

For the installer. This is a coax job, not a network job. 12 VDC at up to 20 W local to the camera, video back over the existing RG59, and control either up the coax over UTC or on a separate RS-485 pair. That matters on retrofits: you reuse the cable that is already in the duct. The output is switchable across all four analogue standards, so it will sit on a TurboHD, AHD, CVI or plain CVBS recorder without a converter — set the standard at commissioning and check the DVR sees the PTZ controls before you leave site. TVS 4000 V rather than the 6000 V on the network domes, so earthing matters more, not less.

For the end user. If you already have analogue cameras and a working recorder, this gives you a camera you can drive without rewiring the site or buying a new NVR. That is usually a very different budget from an IP upgrade. You get 15× zoom, 100 m of infrared at night and 256 preset positions. What you do not get, and should know you are not getting, is the deep-learning person-and-vehicle filtering the network cameras in this range have — an analogue camera detects motion, not people. If false alarms are the problem you are trying to solve, that is an argument for an IP model rather than this one.

Buying this in the UK

Retrofit is the main reason this camera gets specified here — a great many UK commercial sites still run coaxial CCTV installed in the 2000s, and replacing the head end as well as the cameras often doubles the job. The same UK GDPR and ICO expectations apply regardless of the technology: signage where the public can be recorded, privacy masks where you overlook someone else's property, and a retention period you can justify. WME has stocked analogue and IP CCTV from the Birmingham counter since 1975 and can supply the matching TurboHD recorders.

Common questions

Will this work with my existing DVR? If it is a TurboHD, AHD, CVI or CVBS recorder, yes — the output is switchable across all four. Set it to match the DVR at commissioning.

How do I control the pan and tilt? Over the coax using UTC from a compatible Hikvision DVR, or over RS-485 from a joystick controller using HIKVISION, Pelco-P or Pelco-D.

Can I use the coax that is already there? That is the point of it. Existing RG59 carries the video and, on a UTC-capable DVR, the control as well. You still need a 12 VDC supply at the camera.

Is analogue worse than IP? Different, and lower resolution — this is 2 MP against 4 MP on the network models — and it has no AcuSense classification. In exchange it needs no switch, no IP configuration and no new cable. On a site with sound coax, it is often the better value.

How far does it see at night? Infrared reaches 100 m.