HIKVISION V5.4.0 International English Version 4.1MP DS-2CD2042WD-I 4mm IP Camera CCTV Camera Firmware Upgradeable

Amazing camera for this price point in Q4 2015 or Q1 2016. Non-chinese firmware as advertised so no firmware hacking required for upgrades, as long as you get it from the same seller I did, SafeGuard Designs. Received <24h on two orders.I had a similar initial experience as another reviewer but resolved it by using a properly spec'ed power supply. I also used a PoE-like injector from an AP but determined it wasn't the correct voltage or wattage for 802.3af (PoE) OR 802.at (PoE+), causing the same symptoms as another reviewer.12V x 0.5A = 6W power supply worked like a champ and the camera is working as expected. The manufacturer claims it'll consume a max of 5W so my 6W power supply is well within tolerance. If you're going the PoE-like injector route, then don't assume its within spec, not all injectors are within the PoE or PoE+ tolerances and/or pin-outs.The default IP is on the box label and on the camera's sticker, 192.168.1.64 /24. It won't take a Cisco certification to set up the thing. As always, there are ten different ways to skin the cat, here's one way: add a secondary IP within the same subnet.For Windows users that want some guidance: google "ncpa.cpl add a secondary ip address", and set something within range (192.168.1.#, anything except 192.168.1.64). OR use the SADP tool from the manufacturer's website and it'll use winpcap to inspect the broadcasts.For those that want slightly brighter IR transmitter (pro's and con's to this), go with the turret style that has the slightly higher wattage IR transmitter(s), aptly named EXIR. Model: DS-2CD2342WD-I, careful to not get the cheaper ones with the locked Chinese firmware and no US warranty.

These cameras are absolutely fantastic. The picture is wonderful. The fact they are POE is wonderful -- no bulky power adapters necessary. The interface is a little cludgey to use, and only seems to support Internet Explorer as it needs to install an active/x control for IE to interact with the camera. Their compact size makes them great for installation in small places. The swivel mount allows orientation in virtually any direction, although this can be somewhat time consuming to get exactly how you prefer it.I purchased 13 of these to install in my stables and paddocks, all running on a gig ethernet network. Another great feature of the camera is the ability to record to a NAS device via NFS or SMB, so I have the cameras set up to record video based on motion detection to my NAS.I do find that the "full motion" video is choppy when recorded to my NAS. It almost appears as if the camera "stutters" while recording. Naturally, I am attempting to record at the best resolution with the best frame rate... I would have thought my gigE network would handle this without a problem, but, perhaps not. I am going to experiment more with reducing the recorded resolution and frame rate to see if I can eliminate the stagger. I did not have this problem with the FosCam cameras I replaced these with. Knock one star off for this.My only real complaint is the lack of a warranty. When I was shopping for cameras, I shied away from the "brown box" versions, opting instead to purchase the higher-priced USA retail box versions. (My cameras all have 'WR' (Western Region), not 'CH' (China) in the serial number. I have done firmware upgrades on the cameras w/o 'bricking' the camera, so they are not 'grey market'/International versions (Chinese versions w/ hacked firmware to give English menus), like some of the other reviewers have encountered.I should have done more research on this -- I know vendors generally do not support "brown box" versions, but I was unaware of HikVision's policy about only supporting cameras which are purchased from "authorized distributors" -- of which, amazon.com is not one on.Thus, I just found out today, after contacting Hikvision technical support for an issue with one of my cameras, despite paying the almost $40 premium per-camera for the USA version, that it turns out, after all, purchasing my cameras on Amazon Prime instantly made them ineligible for any type of technical assistance or warranty repairs. Amazon is not an "authorized distributor".Had I known this up front, I probably would have just opted for the brown box versions and saved myself some money.. After spending $2,000 on these cameras, I feel a bit ripped off, but, I suppose I only have myself to blame, I should have spent more time wading around the vendor's web site to find this "policy".(for yucks, I visited a dozen of Hikvision's "authorized distributors" per their web page... half of them didn't even carry this camera, and the other half apparently only sell to "partners" (e.g. people involved in the security camera installation business) and required me to fill out forms with trade and bank references, etc., to create an account and get pricing information.... so it does not appear there is a viable outlet for end-users to purchase cameras with a warranty even if they wanted to... which makes sense, because "distributors" normally sell to "dealers" and then "dealers" sell to "end users" and one would normally think a large retailer like amazon.com is in fact a "dealer"... but, I digress)

Only had it a couple months so time will tell. So far works great. Defiantly have to have some tech background to get it to work with a Dahua NVR with motion detection, but it's possible. Great picture day and night. At night if someone is too close it will white out the image. Remote app works well, still trying to get remote app to work viewing past video. Might just be my router settings.

I was having problems doing playback of my recorded videos. I also was not able to get the motion detection feature to work correctly. It is not recording motion only videos so in an effort to resolve the problems I wrote HikvisionUSA because I believed this was an English USA model. And their response wasWe checked your unit based on your serial number, that unit was sold from unauthorized distributor. The gray market product can be compromised or altered to the English language and will sometimes lead two adverse effects on other functions of the Camera.It is very difficult to support since your Camera is not running US or EU firmware. Our policy is that we will not support, warranty or service any of the gray market product. So, you will need to contact your place of purchased for support.I spent 30 years in computer programming designing software and I do not want a product that I cannot download software updates or get support directly from the manufacturer’s site so I will be returning the camera.

This camera's video quality and software are both excellent. If you are looking for an economical IP camera, look no further. Be sure to note that it does NOT come with a power supply, so you will either need a compatible wall wart or a POE injector. Go for a POE injector switch if you are going to install more than a couple of these. This one (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WKRBI0W/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_11) is both safe (802.3af) and has worked flawlessly and has a great price.

Genuine US spec Hikvision camera. Connected right to my Hikvision NVR and looks GREAT. Awesome resolution and performance for the price.