Hikvision and Dahua are two of the most popular IP camera brands among DIY enthusiasts. Most of my cameras are from Hikvision, but that’s more due to my lack of experience when I first got into DIY CCTV.
Often when I saw recommendations being made online, it went like this: “Just go with Hikvision”. So you can understand when it came to pulling the trigger, I was leaning towards them.
Dahua was also mentioned but there were definitely fewer people using them compared to Hikvision. There didn’t seem to be any particular reason other than Hikvision being a bit cheaper.
But recently, both companies have been sanctioned by various governments due to their ownership by or links to the Chinese government. So after nearly 8 years of using these IP cameras, I am going to compare in this article the latest 2023 models and their retail availability in the US.
A quick note: This article may contain affiliate links. If you click on one of these links and then purchase something, we may receive a fee. This does not cost you anything extra. Also note that Hikvision and Dahua do not consider certain platforms including Amazon as an authorized seller platform. So if you need warranty support please purchase from authorized resellers of Hikvision and Dahua products in your country.
Hikvision vs. Dahua – the Stories behind the Brands
Hikvision
You’re probably no stranger to Hikvision if you have been dabbling with DIY security cameras for some time. Hikvision is a surveillance equipment manufacturer based in Hangzhou China. They primarily cater to professional installers and are not interested in retailing to the general public. But still they made a splash in the DIY space because of their affordable DIY IP cameras with powerful features. Like 3MP sensors which were unheard of in mainstream IP cameras in 2014 when I bought my first IP camera, the Hikvision DS-2CD2032-I.
A couple of years ago, they launched their retail brand EZVIZ. Confusingly, EZVIZ used to be the name of their cloud app as well. Anyway the EZVIZ models are dumbed down versions of the Hikvision cameras and are not worth spending any money on. That’s why I am focusing on the main Hikvision brand.
According to IHS, 53% of all security cameras shipped in 2015 were network (or IP) cameras. While Hikvision is the world leader in IP cameras with a global market share of 17% forecast in 2017, Dahua comes in second with a forecast of 5.5%.
The biggest concern I have with Hikvision is not so much about their cameras, but who owns Hikvision. The Chinese government owns at least a partial stake in Hikvision. This creates a few ethical and moral quandaries. The US government has also banned Hikvision and Dahua from all federal government bodies (along with Huawei and ZTE) through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed into law in 2019. This also includes all the OEM/white label/private label brands – which makes up most of the security camera market. Recently, the US government went further and issued a ban on the FCC certification and authorization of these brands and their rebadged brands – which effectively kills the import of these cameras into the US.
From a technical standpoint, you should treat any security camera (Chinese or not, banned or not) the same way – with maximum suspicion that they may be ‘dialing home’ to their manufacturers servers. So lock them down using Virtual LANs (VLAN) and strict firewall rules like I have in my DIY home security camera system.
Dahua
Dahua is an OEM who are best known for their Starlight ultra low-light cameras. Of course, they have a full lineup of products just like Hikvision.
Dahua used to own Lorex until Novemeber 2022 when they sold it off. Dahua cameras are also re-branded by Amcrest, Honeywell, Panasonic, Bosch and many others. What these brands do is usually rebrand the Dahua camera by sticking on their logo and slightly changing the firmware to add/remove some features. For example see our recent Hikvision vs. Amcrest comparison where you will see that the Amcrest camera is a rebadge of a Dahua camera. Some brands even selfishly remove ONVIF support so that the camera works only with their own product range.
Just like Hikvision, Dahua are also partially owned by the Chinese government. So all the concerns I raised above with Hikvision apply to Dahua also. Their cameras and OEMs are also banned under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and recent FCC actions mentioned above.
Of course I don’t let that stop me from buying these or any other Chinese cameras – instead, I lock down all my security cameras tighter than Fort Knox using my DIY smart home network that uses the Ubiquiti Unifi line of networking products.
Dahua and Hikvision cameras have historically had very similar features, so this is going to be an interesting comparison.
8MP IP Camera Duel – Hikvision DS-2CD2085G1-I vs. Dahua N85DF62
I will look at the 8MP IP cameras as these are quickly becoming affordable for DIY fans like us. From Hikvision, I picked the DS-2CD2085G1-I model from the Darkfighter series. For the Dahua, I picked the popular N85DF62 model.
From the consumer’s point of view, price is an important factor in deciding which competing models are actually comparable. So I have tried to balance the features and price of the cameras that I have picked for this comparison.
Still, the Dahua cameras are richer in features and hence are priced quite a way above Hikvision.
Hardware
The most common sensor in DIY IP cameras is a 1/3″ progressive scan CMOS sensor. However the Darkfighter series Hikvision has a much larger sensor at 1/2″. But the Dahua Starlight cameras are even better with a slightly larger sensor (1/1.8″).
The size of the sensor has a huge bearing on the low light ability of a camera, whether it be a camcorder or a security camera. The larger the sensor, the greater its ability to gather light and so do well in low light conditions. But as you cram in more and more pixels into the same size sensor, they get smaller and smaller, which adds noise. Noise is the bane of low light video and reduces the detail that you can get out of your video.
So while security camera manufacturers have pushed pixel count from 4MP to 8MP, they have not increased the sensor size. However both the Hikvision and Dahua 8MP models have true 120dB Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) to help improve video quality.
How about low light performance? You would expect the Dahua to be better thanks to the larger sensor. But the Hikvision can go down to an astounding 0.014Lux, while the Dahua can go down to 0.08Lux. That’s at an f-stop of f1.6 and 1/30s exposure (shutter speed). Even though both manuacturers like to advertise even better low light levels at 1/2s exposure, I wouldn’t go any lower to avoid blurry videos.
Both Hikvision and Dahua top out at 30m IR range at night time.
The Hikvision is available with lens at different focal lengths – 2.8 mm, 4 mm and 6 mm, but the Dahua comes only with a 2.8 mm lens.
Moving on to the enclosures, both cameras have metal bodies and are weather-rated for IP67. But Dahua has IK10 vandal protection as well, which is very unusual for bullet form factor cameras.
So on the hardware front, I think the Dahua gets the edge here.
Interfaces
The cameras both have an RJ-45 Ethernet port, and Power over Ethernet (PoE). But Dahua supports Enhance PoE (ePoe) which improves power and signal integrity over long Ethernet runs.
The Dahua takes larger microSD cards (256 GB) vs. the Hikvision’s maximum 128 GB. Neither have Wi-Fi.
Something that has gone out of fashion is proper old-school audio and alarm in/out ports. So I was pleasantly surprised to see that Dahua has both of these features and even throws in an onboard microphone!
Clearly Dahua wins here.
Software
Let’s get the basics out of the way, both cameras support ONVIF and RTSP, the two most important features you should look for in an IP camera so that you can integrate it into your DIY Smart Home Automation System.
ONVIF ensures that your camera will work with standards-compliant equipment from 3rd party manufacturers (like dedicated NVRs, NAS NVR software or PC NVR software like BlueIris).
RTSP allows even non-ONVIF equipment (such as software) to access the security camera’s video stream. Examples are video players like the popular VLC player.
When it comes to features, one striking difference is that the Hikvision DS-2CD2085G1-I has a max bitrate of 16Mbps vs. the 8 Mbps of the Dahua N85DF62. This shouldn’t be an issue though, I’m quite happy with the 6Mbps stream from my Hikvision and Reolink cameras.
This bit rate provides sufficient quality while extending the number of days I can store on the QNAP NAS that I use as my DIY NVR.
In previous generations, only the Dahua had the ability to provide video streams at three different resolution. Now the tables have turned. Hikvision has caught up and can push 6 different streams simultaneously.
Motion Detection
Both cameras support basic motion detection as well as the expected advanced motion detection techniques (intrusion detection and line crossing).
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of these advanced motion detection methods in reducing false motion alerts.
Additionally, for the longest time Hikvision had face detection, abandoned object, and missing object detection. Dahua didn’t have these and lagged behind heavily.
But in 2023, we find that Dahua has clearly surpassed Hikvision by supporting all of the above, smart detection methods such as person and vehicle detection, and a host of other additional interesting features:
- People counting
- Fast-moving object detection
- Parking detection
- Crowd gathering
- Loitering detection
Clearly Dahua wins here as they join Reolink & Amcrest in offering person & vehicle detection. One notable absence in both Hikvision and Dahua cameras is pet detection. But the Dahua has a very clever feature to avoid false alerts from leaves, lights, animals, and other inconsequential objects.
Mobile apps
Both the Hikvision and Dahua mobile apps are outdated and frankly terrible to use. But for enthusiasts like us who are the target retail audience, this doesn’t matter because we use these cameras in our own DIY CCTV system which uses a single mobile app for viewing IP cameras.
Warranty
Both Hikvision and Dahua offer a 3-year warranty but only through their authorized US retailer, B&H Photo. Online marketplaces such as Amazon are not included in their warranty coverage.
Detailed Comparison Table
Here’s a summary in a nice and easy table:
| Feature | Hikvision DS-2CD2085G1-I | Dahua N85DF62 |
|---|---|---|
 |  | |
| Product line | Darkfighter series | Pro series |
| Hardware features | Hikvision DS-2CD2085G1-I | Dahua N85DF62 |
| Sensor | 1/2" 8 Megapixel Progressive Scan CMOS | 1/1.8" 8 Megapixel Progressive Scan CMOS |
| Night Vision | 850nm IR, Black & white night vision, IR cut filter with auto switch | |
| IR Range | 30 m (92 feet) | |
| Minimum illumination | Color: 0.008 Lux @ F1.2 (AGC ON) B&W: 0.0014 Lux @ F1.6 (AGC ON), 0 Lux with IR | Color: 0.004 Lux at F1.4 B/W: 0.0004 Lux at F1.4, 0 Lux at F1.4 (with IR on) |
| Lens Type | Fixed type | |
| Lens | 2.8/4/6 mm | 2.8mm @ F1.4 |
| Lens Field of View (FOV) | Horizontal (2.8/4/6mm): 102°/78°/50° Vertical (2.8/4/6mm): 55°/43°/27° | Horizontal (2.8 mm): 111° Vertical (2.8 mm): 59° |
| Metallic housing | Yes | |
| Ingress protection | IP67 | |
| Vandal resistance | No | IK10 |
| DC 12V power | Yes | |
| Longest dimension | 171 mm | 241 mm |
| Dimensions | 70 × 68 × 171 mm (2.8″ × 2.7″ × 6.7″) | 241.10 mm x 79.0 mm x 75.90 mm (9.61" x 3.11" x 2.99") |
| Power usage | <7.5 W (with IR ON) | |
| Operating conditions | -30 °C to +60 °C (-22 °F to +140 °F), Humidity 95% or less (non-condensing) | -40° C to +60° C (-40° F to +140° F), Less than 95% RH |
| Interfaces | Hikvision DS-2CD2085G1-I | Dahua N85DF62 |
| PoE | Yes, 802.3af | Yes, 802.3af and ePoE |
| Ethernet port | RJ-45 (10/100Base-T) | |
| Wi-Fi | No | |
| SD Card | Yes (128GB max) | Yes (256GB max) |
| Alarm in/out | No | 1 in ,1 out |
| Audio in/out | No | 1 in ,1 out |
| Speaker | No | |
| Microphone | No | Yes, built-in |
| Software features | Hikvision DS-2CD2085G1-I | Dahua N85DF62 |
| Audio recording | No | Yes |
| ONVIF, RTSP | Yes | |
| Backlight compensation | Yes | |
| WDR | Yes (120dB) | |
| 3D Noise Reduction | Yes | |
| Encoding | Main stream: H.265+/H.265/H.264+/H.264 Sub-stream: H.265/H.264/MJPEG Third stream: H.265/H.264 | AI Coding, Smart H.265+, H.265, Smart H.264+, H.264, H.264B, H.264H, MJPEG (Sub Stream only) |
| Max Resolution | 3840 × 2160 (8MP/4K) @ 20 fps | 3840×2160 (8MP/4K) @ 30fps |
| Bitrate | 32 Kbps to 16 Mbps | 32 Kbps to 8 Mbps |
| Simultaneous streams | Up to 6 channels | 3 (1 Main + 2 Subs) |
| Built-in NVR | Yes | |
| Network storage | NAS (Supports NFS, SMB/CIFS), FTP, ANR | NAS, FTP, Local PC |
| Max users | Up to 32 users | Up to 20 users |
| Alert events | Hikvision DS-2CD2085G1-I | Dahua N85DF62 |
| Email alerts | Yes | |
| Push alerts | Yes | |
| Simple motion detection | Yes | |
| Person detection / Human detection | No | Yes |
| Face detection | Yes | |
| Vehicle detection | No | Yes |
| Pet detection | No | |
| Audio Detection | No | |
| Line crossing detection | Yes | |
| Intrusion detection (Dwell detection) | Yes | |
| Abandoned/Missing object detection | Yes | |
| Scene change detection | Yes | |
| People counting | No | Yes |
| Fast moving object detection | No | Yes |
| Parking detection | No | Yes |
| Crowd gathering detection | No | Yes |
| Loitering detection | No | Yes |
| Smart Home | Hikvision DS-2CD2085G1-I | Dahua N85DF62 |
| Built-in smart home features | No (requires 3rd party software such as Blue Iris, Home Assistant) | |
| Built-in NVR feature | Yes (using microSD card) | |
| Price | ||
Verdict
So as you can see the Hikvision and Dahua are both capable IP cameras but have enough differences between them to warrant a closer look. Dahua has caught up on both hardware and software features vs. Hikvision. So I would pick the Dahua over the Hikvision.
Its also interesting that both Hikvision and Dahua are still available for retail buyers like us from their authorized US retailer, B&H Photo who offer a 3 year warranty as well!
Also check out the other recommendations on our best outdoor IP cameras list.
Where to buy
- Hikvision DS-2CD2085G1-I at B&H Photo (authorized US retailer)
- Dahua N85DF62 at B&H Photo (authorized US retailer)
What is your opinion of WatchNET product?
Just another Dahue rebrand?
scott
It might also be worth mentioning that many other brands relabel Hikvision and Dahua cameras. I believe your current “Best Indoor Camera” and “Best Outdoor Camera” both fall into this category. (Amcrest relabels Dahua, and gets them to customize the firmware to make it a bit more user-friendly.)
I haven’t tried any of the two particular cameras you reviewed, but, assuming that it’s still true, another point worth mentioning about both Dahua and Hikvision is that they usually ship cameras set to a static ip, and DHCP is not on by default. That makes it a bit of a hassle for novice users to set up. This is one of the things that’s nicer about the Amcrest cameras, which ship with DHCP on by default.