Keep, add AI or replace your Hikvision and Dahua cameras?

India's 2026 CCTV rule controls which cameras may be sold. It does not order a private factory to remove cameras it already runs. So for most plants the cheaper path is to keep working Hikvision and Dahua cameras, replace failures with certified models and add analytics over RTSP. With 40 cameras, 30 of them Hikvision or Dahua, the calculator puts full replacement at about ₹2.40 lakh against about ₹2.25 lakh for analytics boxes, at the illustrative prices. If you supply cameras or systems to government buyers, the answer for those jobs is replace.

General information, not legal advice. Confirm current rules on the BIS and STQC portals before a regulated tender or a large purchase.

How the calculator works

The calculator takes seven inputs:

• Cameras in total. Every camera in the plant, any brand.
• Of them Hikvision or Dahua branded. Capped at the total.
• Of those, analog (on a DVR). HD-over-coax cameras recording to a DVR rather than IP cameras on an NVR. Shown for information; it does not change the ₹ figures.
• Do you supply cameras or systems to government or PSU buyers? 1 for yes, 0 for no. The default is 0.
• Price of a certified replacement camera (₹) and install cost per replaced camera (₹). Your quotes. The defaults are illustrative assumptions; Mama names no prices.
• Analytics box for 16 existing cameras (₹). An on-site box that reads existing cameras' streams. Illustrative default.

The formulas:

Hikvision/Dahua cameras = the smaller of the branded count and the total
Cost to replace all of them = Hikvision/Dahua cameras × (replacement price + install)
Cost to add analytics to all cameras = ceil(total cameras ÷ 16) × box price

The verdict follows the government question. If you answered 1, the calculator tells you to plan to replace the Hikvision and Dahua cameras on those jobs with certified models, and shows the replacement cost. If you answered 0, it says nothing requires a private factory to remove working installed cameras. Keep them, replace failures with certified models and add analytics over RTSP if you want; it shows the cost of the boxes. Analytics is costed for every camera, not only the Hikvision and Dahua ones, because the boxes read any camera that streams.

Worked example (India)

A plant with 40 cameras installed over several years. All figures are assumptions; they are the calculator's default inputs.

The two figures buy different things. ₹2.40 lakh gets you 30 new cameras that record exactly what the old ones recorded. ₹2.25 lakh leaves the cameras alone and adds software that reads all 40 of them. The third box is only partly used (40 cameras fill 2.5 boxes), so a plant with 32 cameras would pay for two.

What the 2026 rules say

• The ER covers sale. MeitY added "Essential Requirement(s) for Security of CCTV" to the Compulsory Registration Order by S.O. 1652(E) of 9 April 2024 (e-Gazette). BIS guidelines require a separate security test report for each lead model (BIS, 22 Oct 2024). MeitY's office memorandum of 16 January 2026 withdrew the old-stock relaxation: from 1 April 2026, no CCTV camera that does not conform to the ER may be sold (BIS-hosted OM). The ER applies to IP cameras. The obligation sits on those who make, import and sell; nothing requires a private factory to remove working installed cameras.
• Analog cameras are outside the sale-side ER. BIS's circular of 1 April 2025 says analog cameras need only the IS 13252 safety test report and no ER test (BIS). Government tenders under S.O. 1119(E) word the ER to include analog cameras (below).
• Government buying is stricter. The Make in India procurement order binds "procuring entities": central ministries and departments, their attached offices and autonomous bodies, Government companies, and state or local-body purchases under centrally funded schemes. A private factory buying for itself is not one (DPIIT order, 2024 revision). For CCTV under that order, S.O. 1119(E) requires a security test report and lists analog as well as IP cameras (e-Gazette). The order also sets local-content minimums, so "certified" alone may not be enough for a government job. That is why the calculator's verdict changes when you supply government buyers.

The full comparison is in STQC ER vs BIS CRS vs Make in India PPO.

What typical numbers look like

We found no credible public figure for how many Hikvision or Dahua cameras Indian factories run, or for the typical cost of a certified replacement or an analytics box. Prices vary by model, resolution, volume and installer. Use your own quotes. To check whether a specific replacement model is certified, use the CCTV certificate checker.

What this number does not tell you

• Whether your cameras can feed analytics. The box costs nothing useful if a camera cannot give a clean stream. An IP camera needs RTSP or ONVIF; an analog camera can stream only through a DVR that supports RTSP. Test one stream in a free player such as VLC before buying anything. See running AI on existing CCTV and analog CCTV and AI analytics.
• The real cost of replacing analog cameras. Swapping an analog camera for a certified IP one usually means new network cable, PoE switches and an NVR. The flat install figure may not cover that.
• Security. Some Hikvision and Dahua products have had serious flaws that attackers have used, for example CVE-2021-36260 and CVE-2021-33044. Keeping a camera means changing passwords, closing internet exposure and putting cameras on their own network. The calculator does not cost that work.
• Recorders. NVRs and DVRs are a separate question: see do NVRs and DVRs need STQC/BIS certification.
• What a buyer's audit demands. An OEM or export customer can ask for certified cameras in its own audit checklist even where the law does not. Get the requirement in writing and replace only that scope.
• Whether the cameras point at the right things. A gate camera cannot tell you why a machine stood idle. Sometimes the right move is to keep a camera and re-aim it.

Related guides

• Hikvision & Dahua Cameras in 2026: Keep, Add AI or Replace? (Factory Decision Guide, India)
• STQC ER vs BIS CRS vs Make in India PPO: Which Applies to CCTV in India
• Can You Run AI Analytics on Your Existing CCTV? (Retrofit Guide)
• Unsecured Camera Feeds: A Factory Audit Checklist (India)
• CCTV certificate checker

FAQ

Do I have to replace Hikvision and Dahua cameras in my factory in 2026? Not because of the brand. The rule effective 1 April 2026 stops the sale of cameras that do not meet the security Essential Requirements; nothing requires a private factory to remove working installed cameras. Replace a camera when it fails, when you expand, or when a buyer or tender requires certified hardware.

What does it cost to replace 30 Hikvision cameras? Multiply the number of cameras by the price of a certified replacement plus installation. At the illustrative ₹6,500 and ₹1,500, 30 cameras cost about ₹2.40 lakh, before any new cabling or recorder.

Can I add AI analytics to my existing Hikvision or Dahua cameras? Usually, if they are IP cameras with RTSP or ONVIF, or analog cameras behind a DVR that offers RTSP. The calculator assumes one box per 16 cameras; 40 cameras need three boxes, about ₹2.25 lakh at the illustrative price.

Why does the answer change if I supply government buyers? Government procurement under the Make in India order requires a security test report for CCTV cameras, analog and IP, plus local-content minimums. Cameras you supply into those contracts should be certified models that meet the tender's local-content class. A private plant buying for its own use is not bound by that order.

Are analog Hikvision cameras on a DVR affected by the ER? Under the BIS order, analog cameras need only the IS 13252 safety test report, not the ER test. Government tenders under S.O. 1119(E) word the ER to include analog cameras.

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