How to connect a Hikvision camera to the Internet

Want to connect your Hikvision camera to the Internet?

Well, there are different ways to do that, so let's talk about this topic.

You can access your Hikvision IP camera via a web browser, software, smartphone, or even via the cloud. It's just a question of having the right configuration.

I think the last option (use a cloud service) is the best and fastest one.... 

Connection via a web browser

You can use a web browser such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari to connect to your Hikvision camera via Internet, as long as you have your router ready to forward the traffic from your local network.

The picture below shows the image of a Hikvision camera via a web browser.

Hikvision Camera via web browser

The first thing you need to do is connect the camera to a router or a switch in your local network and give the camera an IP address, either manually or via DHCP.

DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, which means your router can give an IP address to the camera as long as this option is enabled.

The picture below shows the Hikvision camera with the DHCP enabled.

Hikvision Camera DHCP Menu

Your camera gets the IP from the router, and then you can open a web browser and type the IP address to have access to the camera, as shown in the picture below.

Hikvision camera login interface

As long as you have local access to your IP camera via a web browser, you can also connect to it via the Internet after the port forwarding setup.

The idea is to let your router know that a request from the Internet can get to your camera located in your local network. This involves a few extra steps for the configuration; click the link below to learn more about this topic.

==> To learn more, read the articles: Hikvision Port Forwarding and How to enable DHCP on Hikvision DVR.

Connection via a software

You can use software to connect to your Hikvision IP camera.

There are many options available out there, but if you want to keep it simple, just use the Hikvision software iVMS-4200 to connect to the camera.

Once again, you can either use the software for local connection or use the port forwarding configuration to connect via the Internet.

The picture below shows the Hikvision iVMS-4200 software.

Hikvision Software iVMS 4200

This software is free and very easy to use; you just need to open it will find the camera in your local network. After that, you need to set up the port forwarding in your router, and you are ready to access the camera via the Internet.

You can also use other software such as the Blue Iris or any other that may look interesting for your needs. If you in a budget, the i-VMS-4200 is the best option.

==> To learn more, read the article: Best CCTV software for IP cameras.

And now, let's move on to the easier options...

Connection via Hik-connect

You can use the Hik-connect service to have your Hikvision camera available via the Internet so you don't need to deal with the port forwarding configuration.

The picture below shows how to enable the Hik-connect.

Hik-connect

The process is straightforward, just open the network menu, go to the advanced settings tab, click the "Platform Access" option and click "Enable".

After this step, just visit the Hik-connect website and create your account to get the verification code.

==> To learn more, read the article: How to set up the Hik-connect.

And now let's see how to have remote access and record videos from your camera.

Connect a Hikvision camera to the cloud

Cloud service is pretty popular for IP cameras,

You can have your Hikvision camera connected to a cloud in less than 5 minutes.

The easiest way to do that is by using a service like Videoloft.

Hikvision NVR streaming to Videoloft platform

I've been testing this platform, and I like it because it is very easy to get a Hikvision camera live on the Internet with some simple steps.

I recommend you to use this service to get your Hikvision camera on the Internet.

==> To learn more, read the article: Videoloft Cloud Surveillance Review.