Hikvision 8MP AcuSense Bullet Camera, Strobe & Two-Way Audio DS-2CD2T86G2-ISU/SL(4mm)(C)

What this strobe bullet camera is for

Footage helps after an incident, but a flashing light and a voice can stop one from going further. This Hikvision camera is built around that idea, with recording and a visible response in one housing.

It can suit a yard, a car park or a rear entrance on a small business site, and a homeowner who wants a clear deterrent over a drive.

How does the camera work?

• AcuSense: the name for deep learning that sorts what the camera sees into human and vehicle targets, so a strobe does not have to answer every moving shadow.
• Two-way audio: the built-in microphone and speaker let someone speak through the camera and hear the reply. Sound is mono.
• DarkFighter: low-light technology that holds a colour picture in dim scenes. Lux measures the light on a scene, and AGC is the camera's automatic gain.
• H.265+: a video compression method that needs less bandwidth and storage than older formats for a similar picture.

Where to use it

The -30 °C to 60 °C working range and IP67 rating suit outdoor walls and soffits. Keep it away from salt air and chemical plants, as those sites call for higher anti-corrosion levels.

In most installations, a strobe works better facing the route an intruder would use than pointing across a public road, where it could trouble neighbours.

What the figures mean in practice

• DORI distances: DORI stands for detect, observe, recognise and identify. Plan on 10 m where you need to identify a stranger, and treat 99 m only as seeing that something moved.
• 97 dB speaker: that level is measured at 10 cm, so treat it as a close-range warning and not a replacement for a siren.
• WDR: this balances bright and dark parts of a picture, so a bright road and a dark porch can both stay readable.
• 512 GB card: at the top 16 Mbps rate this works out at about three 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 802.3at, sometimes called PoE+, which is a higher class than the 802.3af many older switches give.
• Fixings by code: the options also include the DS-1275ZJ-S-SUS pole mount and DS-1260ZJ junction box. As a rule, check each one's finish and fixing pattern on its own page before ordering.
• Set-up: use plug-in free live view in Chrome 57.0+, Firefox 52.0+, Safari 12+ or Edge 89+, or the iVMS-4200 client.
• Extra wiring: the alarm output is rated up to 24 VDC or 24 VAC, 1 A. Check the wiring in the camera's manual before connecting a device.

Planning your system

A recorder is optional for small jobs, because the camera can also save to a NAS (network attached storage) drive. Auto network replenishment fills gaps from the card once a dropped connection returns.

For longer retention, add a network video recorder that shares one of the profiles below. Up to 6 live views can run at once.

Standards and ratings explained

• IP67: dust tight, and protected against temporary immersion in water.
• ONVIF Profile S, G and T: ONVIF is the Open Network Video Interface standard. 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.
• ISAPI, SDK and ISUP: Hikvision's own routes for connecting software and management platforms to the camera.
• Hik-Connect: Hikvision's app for viewing cameras remotely.