Hikvision DS-2CD2032-I from Amazon.

[ak_camguy 0]

I already ordered two of these cameras from amazon because they were half the price... $88 shipped per camera. I assume these are going to be Chinese based cameras? Will Firmware 5.1.6 work on these cameras? That's what I am currently running and I want to keep my cameras all at the same level if possible.

 

Also, do I need to do anything to enable English on these cameras?

 

Sorry if this has been asked already, but I imagine for this price point many others are going to be interested in these cameras as well.

 

[MaxIcon 0]

Recent Chinese Hiks have been shipping with 5.2.5 or 5.2.8 (which tends to have problems), hacked for English displays. Frequently, the installed version is not the same as what's on the cam's label - you have to check the firmware report. They should come with English enabled.

 

Trying to install earlier versions has resulted in some bricked cams, and the latest versions are designed to not allow down-rev installations, though the TFTP load still works (with some risk of problems).

 

I'd recommend trudging through some of the threads before attempting to downgrade.

[alkizmo 0]

Sorry to butt in, but I ordered one of these for aliexpress (I'm just waiting a life time to have it shipped from my wife's land).

 

Is the firmware change necessary?

 

I figured that using ONVIF Manager and a software like Blue Iris removed the necessity to even deal with the language of the firmware.

[MaxIcon 0]

OP wanted his new cams to match his old cams.

 

In general, the cam will work fine with what it ships with (except for the 5.2.8 problems people have reported). It's when you try to update that the problems happen, so it's a good idea to research the version you want first.

 

I've got 2 Hiks labeled 5.2.8 but running hacked 5.2.5 from an AE vendor, and have had no problems with them.

 

It's good to have a language you can read for when you change setup on the camera, but once a cam's up and running with good settings, many people don't bother with future changes. Chrome can be set to translate for you, as well.

 

Hik's fighting the gray market cams by not allowing easy firmware downgrades and such, which makes life more complicated for those who buy the inexpensive Chinese versions.

[ak_camguy 0]

Thanks Max. I haven't read up on the bugs in the new software to see if its going to cause an issue for me or not. I will wait until I receive the cams and go from there.

 

Thanks for the feedback.