Hikvision DS-9664NI-I8 is a modern IP network video recorder capable of monitoring, recording and playing back images from 64 IP cameras of megapixel resolutions, up to 12 MP. This standalone NVR with four monitor outputs (two HDMI and two VGA) can be directly connected to a monitor or television, without a need for an additional computer. Eight SATA ports allow for connecting up to 8 hard drives with a total capacity of up to 80 TB. Additionally, the eSATA interface can be connected to another hard disk, to record or back up the surveillance data. The NVR also supports network NAS arrays. In the event of a memory overflow, automatic overwrite function prevents the loss of the latest data. Built-in USB ports allow the user to connect a memory stick or external disk and copy specific fragments to the external data carrier.

The hard disk drives can work in redundant, read only or read/write modes. It is also possible to manage the limits of disk capacity usage and allocate different volumes to different channels. During normal operation of the NVR, the RAID 0/1/5/6/10 disks can be replaced. Disks can be turned on and off on demand.

The DS-9664NI-I8 NVR can be the part of a system with automatically switching N+1 backup device. Such a system consists of a group of operating NVRs and a redundancy NVR that, in the case of a failure of any of the NVRs in the system, takes over its functions. After resuming the operation of the "original" NVR, the recordings will be synchronized. The redundancy NVR must have at least the same number of channels as the "largest" NVR normally working in the system.

With the support of ANR (Automatic Network Replenishment), any IP camera equipped with a memory card can record video in the absence of network connection. After the restoration of the network connection, the recordings are automatically synchronized with those recorded on the NVR. This ensures continuous coverage of events, even in the case of communication problems between the camera and NVR.

The local recording and network transmission uses H.265+, H.265, H.264+, H.264, or MJPEG+++ compression methods. The H.265 compression method is about two times more effective in comparison with H.264. This further saves network and memory resources or proportionally increases the data retention time. H.265+ and H.264+ are Hikvision standards based on the original systems and optimized for CCTV applications. They further minimize the streams in typical video surveillance scenarios. The advanced video compression algorithms have to be supported by the connected cameras. Any compression method can be specified individually for each channel.

The NVR supports alarms generated by VCA functions (face detection, license plate recognition, crossing virtual lines, area intrusion detection, an entry/exit to/from an area, loss of focus, etc.) implemented in cameras. The response to such an event (e.g. someone crosses virtual line in a specified direction) can be the change of the state of the alarm output, email notification sent to a monitoring center etc., depending on the configuration. Advanced analytics allows installers/users to implement more advanced projects, perform quick search of interesting events and preset intelligent recording that saves disk space.

IP CCTV systems based on Hikvision IP cameras and NVRs can be configured for continuous recording with special parameters in the case of specific events. Each channel can be configured individually in this aspect. It is possible to increase the frame and bit rates, independently of the continuous recording settings. After the occurrence of an event (motion detection, camera tampering etc), the NVR automatically switches to the event-recording mode (usually with higher parameters). During the rest of the time the recording is carried out in the continuous mode. The increased parameters just before and after the event allow to play back every second of the period with high detail and smoothness, while the recordings between events may have a much lower performance, taking significantly less space on the storage media.

HIKVISION NVRs in IP networks can be controlled via IVMS 4200 software. The software allows for configuration and management of NVRs/DVRs and IP cameras. The iVMS 4200 utility can remotely manage up to 256 NVRs/DVRs, with the use of up to four monitors. One monitor can display images from up to 64 cameras. In addition to the preview and configuration, the application allows for remote playback of recordings, displaying alarm messages, preform two-way audio communication, using multi-level e-maps.

Hik-Connect is a mobile application, intended for smartphones running Android or iOS operating systems. It can be used for remote live viewing of images from DVRs, NVRs, network cameras via Wi-Fi, 2G or 3G networks, and for playing back recorded video files. The application connects with the devices by IP addresses and/or through the P2P cloud.

Hik-Connect is also a network service for Hikvison devices. The service is based on data processing in the cloud and integrates the following functions:

• Remote access through the cloud - it allows access to the device without having an external IP address and when simplicity is the most important thing. Only the basic configuration of the network is required. The application on a PC or smartphone connects with the device via P2P cloud service,
• DDNS server - DDNS assigns a fixed domain name to dynamically changing IP addresses (Dynamic DNS). This feature is useful when the ISP does not provide users with a fixed IP address. The condition for using DDNS is having a public IP address and providing access from the external network to the appropriate ports of the NVR (server and http, by default 8000 and 80). The connection is possible via a web browser, client application on a PC and on smartphones.

SADP (Search Active Device Protocol) is a free and simple to use utility for searching Hikvision IP cameras and Hikvision DVRs/NVRs in the local network. The network device search tool can also be used for modification of network parameters of the Hikvision devices, including the change of passwords or recovery of default passwords. Detailed information on the software and its use is contained in the SADP application - LAN tool for organizing CCTV systems based on Hikvision devices article.