The brands we install
What each brand is actually good at.
Every manufacturer says "AI" and "4K" on the box. The differences that matter on a real site are range, recorder platform, cyber posture and what it costs to run for ten years. Here's how we'd describe each one to a client.
Axis Communications
Sweden
The enterprise benchmark
Axis invented the network camera and still sets the standard for image quality, build and firmware support. Cameras run an open platform, so analytics from Axis or third parties run on the camera itself, and every model works with any serious VMS. You pay more per camera and get a longer service life, documented cyber security and a manufacturer that answers the phone.
Hospitals & aged careCampuses & councilsOpen-VMS estatesLong asset life
Read the Axis brief →
Hikvision
China
The widest range, and the best value for a complete system
Hikvision makes a camera for nearly every mounting position, lens length and budget, and its own NVRs add on-recorder AI search that is genuinely useful for finding an incident. For a commercial premises buying cameras and recorder together, it is usually the most capability per dollar. Check your procurement rules first: some government and critical-infrastructure sites exclude it.
Commercial premisesRetail & hospitalityFull systems on a budgetAI search on the NVR
Read the Hikvision brief →
UniFi Protect
Ubiquiti · USA
Cameras and network in one console, with no licence fees
If your building already runs UniFi networking, Protect adds cameras to the same dashboard and app, with no per-camera licence and no cloud subscription to keep recording. The interface is the cleanest of the six and remote viewing just works. The trade-off is a closed ecosystem: Protect cameras record to Protect hardware, and the range is narrower than Hikvision or Axis at the specialist end.
Offices & small businessSites already on UniFiOwners' committeesNo recurring fees
Read the UniFi Protect brief →
Dahua TiOC
China
Cameras that do something about it
TiOC stands for three-in-one camera: full-colour night vision, accurate people and vehicle detection, and an active deterrence light and siren that fires when someone crosses a line after hours. For a home, small yard or shopfront where the goal is to make an intruder leave rather than film them leaving, it is the strongest option at its price.
HomesSmall yards & shopfrontsAfter-hours deterrenceColour at night
Read the Dahua TiOC brief →
HiLook
Hikvision value brand
The sensible budget choice
HiLook is Hikvision's value line: the same core hardware and app, fewer models, simpler features and a lower price. The all-in-one models with colour night vision and a deterrent light cover most of what a home or small shop needs. We recommend it when the budget is fixed and the site is straightforward, and we say so when it isn't.
Homes & small shopsFixed budgetsSimple sitesColour deterrence
Read the HiLook brief →
Hanwha Wisenet
South Korea
Enterprise quality where procurement rules apply
Hanwha builds its own image sensors and chipsets, ships strong cyber-security certifications, and is the brand we reach for when a client's procurement policy rules out Chinese-made equipment but the Axis budget isn't there. Excellent low-light performance, on-camera analytics, and a free VMS for single sites. Less well known in Australia than it deserves to be.
Government & critical sitesEnterprise estatesProcurement-restricted tendersLow light
Read the Hanwha Wisenet brief →
