I pay downwards of $60 per 4MP IP dome. You're really arguing up the wrong tree if you're insistent you can get genuine US for less than $120. We work with ADI on a regular basis at work for large scale commercial projects and they want around $150 for the same thing. While I do agree with you that Hikvision's initial offering price has definitely lowered (when 3MP was the cool new thing on the block) they were in excess of $200+. So yes, on that note the margin has shrunk significantly. However when you purchase 50-100 unit lots, that adds up quickly, even if you factor in bulk pricing with an authorized distributor. ADI, who we go through, IS an authorized distributor of Hikvision products. We've had such great experience with Hikvision's build quality that for the price we pay per unit for CH models, it's worth dropping support. There was only 1 instance of a firmware issue, and the Chinese distributor sent me a firmware update to correct the problem, and all was well.
An important distinction that also needs to be made is between an authorized Hikvision Distributor and companies who simply slap their name onto a Hikvision product and sell it as their own, often changing model numbers etc to help disguise it. Anyone who works with the equipment regularly can look at a Hikvision product and spot it in no time. There are very distinct characteristics that are unique to their design. Places like LTS and SuperCircuits (another company we dealt with years ago) are rebranded sellers and in no way shape or form are an Authorized Hikvision distributor, because the camera isn't Hikvision branded. They are by all means free from regional restrictions and any of the fluff that comes along with Chinese reseller product, so it's still a legitimate dealer to go through when purchasing. Since they purchase from Hikvision and simply have the cameras branded under their own name, it's still legitimate, and they aren't on Hikvision's shitlist. (Nelly's Security is on this list but I would purchase from them again; great staff and support and it's the real deal, just not as cheap as overseas of course) The catch (if you even want to call it a catch, I don't think it is) is that any and all support is limited to the reseller, regardless of the manufacturer's responsibility (none in such case) to warrant the product. They're basically a middle man who is bearing all of the weight. TVs are another good example of this. There's only a handful of display manufacturers in the world. Everything else is rebranded. If a no-name TV uses a Samsung panel does that mean you can cry to Samsung when the TV fails? Absolutely not.
The way I see it, support is really the only thing you have to lose. Everyone has their opinion, but at the rate I purchase these I'm more than willing to give it up. Although the seller we work with has been exceptional at support, emails us back same day and was very helpful in resolving our 1 issue over a 3 year span and counting.
NVRs, on the other hand, I will never ever purchase a CH region. Since that's what I directly interface with, I don't screw around. The cameras are always isolated and generally never touched, which is why we go the CH route for those. We do still purchase those from Chinese sellers (also cheaper), but ensure they're US regioned every time, which allows for firmware upgrades.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
.
