Hikvision 4MP CCTV Dome Camera, AcuSense, IK10, Microphone, 4 mm DS-2CD2146G2-ISU(4mm)(C)

What this Hikvision AcuSense camera is for

Motion alerts lose their value when every passing headlight sets one off. This Hikvision camera sets out to fix that, by classifying moving targets as people or vehicles and letting alarms follow those targets.

It can suit a homeowner or small business watching an entrance, corridor or yard, and an installer who needs a tough camera within reach of the public. A dome camera keeps its lens under a clear curved cover, so people below it find it harder to see where it points.

How does AcuSense work?

• AcuSense: Hikvision's name for classifying targets by deep learning, which means software trained on examples. The result can reach both the camera's own alarms and back-end devices such as a recorder.
• Powered-by-DarkFighter: Hikvision's term for this camera's low-light imaging. The F1.4 aperture and the 1/3" sensor set how much light reaches the picture.
• Night view: after dark the camera uses IR at 850 nm, which people can barely see. The picture is then black and white, so it will not record the colour of a coat.
• H.265+: a video compression method that needs less bandwidth and storage than older formats for a similar picture.

Where to use it

The IP67 and IK10 ratings and the -30 °C to 60 °C working range suit outdoor soffits and canopies, as well as indoor ceilings where the camera could be knocked or tampered with.

The 4 mm lens gives a horizontal view of 83°. That suits a defined area such as a path or doorway.

What the figures mean in practice

• DORI distances: DORI stands for detect, observe, recognise and identify. Plan on 8.0 m where you need to identify a stranger, and treat 80.0 m only as seeing that something moved.
• WDR and lux: WDR balances the bright and dark parts of a picture, so a bright doorway and a dim hall can both stay readable. Lux measures light falling on a scene, and AGC is the camera's automatic gain.
• 512 GB card: at the top 8 Mbps rate this works out at about six days of constant recording, and far longer at lower rates or on event recording.

Installing it

• Power budget: a PoE switch port needs to supply Class 3, one of the PoE power levels. Allow max. 6.5 W for this camera when adding up the switch's load.
• 12 VDC adapter: use the Ø 5.5 mm coaxial plug, which has reverse polarity protection. That guards the camera if the supply is wired the wrong way round.
• Fixings by code: the options also include the DS-1276ZJ-SUS corner mount, the DS-1271ZJ-120 pendant mount, the DS-1280ZJ-DM46 junction box, the DS-1272ZJ-120 wall mount and the DS-1253ZJ-M water-proof accessory. Check each one's finish on its own page.
• Alarm wiring: the alarm output is limited to max. 12 VDC, 30 mA, so check a device's draw before connecting it directly.
• Set-up: use plug-in free live view in Chrome 57.0+, Firefox 52.0+ or Edge 89+, or the iVMS-4200 client.

Planning your system

A recorder is optional for small jobs, because the camera can save to a microSD card or to a NAS (network attached storage) drive.

For longer retention, add a network video recorder that shares one of the profiles below, plus hard drives sized for how many days you want to keep. Up to 6 live views can run at once and up to 32 user accounts can be set.

Standards and ratings explained

• IP67: dust tight, and protected against temporary immersion in water.
• IK10: the highest common impact rating for an enclosure, tested at 20 joules.
• Profiles S, G and T: parts of the Open Network Video Interface standard. Profile S covers streaming, G covers on-device recording and T covers advanced video such as H.265.
• EN 50130-4: an immunity standard for alarm equipment, covering electrical interference.