Hikvision DS-2CD2186G2H-I 8MP AcuSense Dome

A very good camera for indoor installations

The surveillance camera is from Hikvision’s AcuSense family. That means it can send you notifications about people and vehicles and reduce false alarms from, for example, animals, shadows, and trees moving in the wind. It is well suited for private and office environments

Watch the video showing how it works

As you can see in the video below, the camera’s specialty is distinguishing between people, vehicles, and uninteresting objects.

About the camera

The camera comes from Hikvision’s Dome series. These are best suited for indoor use, as they require a lot of cleaning to maintain a good night image outdoors. It is made of metal and the camera is IP67 rated, which means it can withstand harsh weather and can be used both indoors and outdoors.
The camera is also easy to mount, as it can be placed on both vertical, horizontal, and angled surfaces. 

People and vehicle detection (Acusense)

Although the camera is smart, it still needs some input from you. Once the camera is mounted, you can choose between several types of "smart events":

Intrusion detection: where a box is drawn in the image, and when a target moves into the box and stays longer than you have allowed (1-10 seconds), your "reaction" is triggered.

Line crossing: detects whether a "target" moves across the line you have drawn. This can be in both directions or only one direction. It can, for example, be used on one-way roads so an alarm is triggered when someone drives the wrong way, or in a driveway so you only get notified when people arrive, but not when they leave.

What is a reaction? The event triggered when a rule is violated is called a "reaction". Depending on the model selected, you have different options.
Most commonly used "reactions":

• Push notification on your mobile (receive an image directly on your phone of the target that violated the rule, with a link to live playback in the app)
• Send email (use this function with caution, as the mail provider may close your account on suspicion of spamming if too many images are sent)
• Alarm output (open a garage door, turn on lights, send a signal to your alarm system, integrate with IHC, etc.)

To get all functions, you must choose the models whose model number ends with ISU

Which Acusense dome cameras can do what?

The model name tells you which functions the camera has if it ends with:

• DS-2CDXXX6G2H-I = Standard with infrared night vision
• DS-2CDXXX6G2H-ISU = With infrared night vision, one microphone, alarm input and output

IP67 rated

The camera is IP67 classified. That means it can withstand both wind and weather. The camera can be used both indoors and outdoors.

• Dust-tight (6): Full protection against dust.
• Waterproof against immersion (7): Can withstand temporary immersion in water up to 1 meter deep for up to 30 minutes.

Supports micro-SD cards

The camera can take a micro-SD card up to 512GB
(SD card (memory card not included, but can be purchased here).

About the lens

The camera is available with several lenses, and the lens affects the "FOV" (Field Of View) or in Danish: viewing angle.
2.8 mm lens gives a horizontal FOV of 105.1°, vertical FOV of 54.8° and diagonal FOV of 128.2°
4 mm lens gives a horizontal FOV of 90°, vertical FOV of 45.8° and diagonal FOV of 109.4°

Mounting

The camera is very easy to install and can be mounted directly on the wall or in the ceiling/eaves. A back box/bracket may be necessary if the connection cannot be placed behind the wall, ceiling, or eaves.
Under accessories, you can see which brackets fit

Power over Ethernet

Do like the professionals. POE means that only one cable is needed for the camera. The camera gets power through the network cable, typically from a recorder with built-in PoE, or from a POE switch.

Alarm in/out

Start shooting when the alarm goes or a door is opened - and use the image analyzes to control your Philips Hue or open a port.
Alarm in and out allows you to connect cameras and recorders to other equipment.

Face Capture

Can register and save faces for later review and search, so you can get all the faces that have been registered over a selected period shown as a kind of crime album.