IP vs Analogue CCTV Systems
Which Should You Install?

Hardware Requirements

An IP system is cameras, a recorder (NVR) and a cable to each camera. For most commercial jobs we fit Hikvision 8MP ColorVu turret cameras, which give colour pictures in low light, and an 8-channel PoE NVR with two drive bays. Two numbers matter when choosing the recorder: the PoE budget and the incoming bandwidth. ColorVu cameras draw about 8W typically and up to roughly 11W at peak, so eight cameras can approach the 75 to 80W available on an 8-port NVR. Where they would, we use an external PoE switch. An 8-channel NVR is also rated for a maximum total camera bitrate, around 80 Mbps on the K-series, so we check that figure instead of just counting channels.

An analogue HD system is cameras, a recorder (DVR) and a coax cable to each camera. With PoC (power over coax) cameras the DVR powers each camera down the same cable, so there are no power supplies at the cameras. A typical house uses a 4-channel DVR. Cameras that are not PoC need a separate 12V supply, and a PoC camera on a standard DVR needs the same.

In both cases the recorder is supplied without a hard drive. We fit surveillance-rated drives, such as WD Purple or Seagate SkyHawk, because ordinary desktop drives are not built for continuous recording.

Cabling: Cat6 vs Coaxial

IP cameras use Ethernet. We run solid copper Cat6, never copper-clad aluminium, which can fail under PoE load. The limit is 100 m per run. Beyond that you add a PoE switch part-way or a fibre link.

Analogue HD uses coax, normally RG59 with a copper centre conductor. Hikvision's PoC cameras are typically specified to about 200 m. The main attraction is reuse: coax installed for an old standard-definition system can often carry HD analogue once it has been tested and re-terminated, which avoids new cabling altogether. We check the cable before we promise that, because poor terminations and damaged cable are common in older runs.

Whichever you choose, the cable route is usually the biggest cost, not the camera. One of our recent three-camera house installs took 14 hours because two of the runs had to cross the roof apex. On commercial sites the first-fix cable and containment is often installed by the electrician before the cameras go on, which keeps the camera visit short.

Storage: NVR vs DVR

Both types record to a hard drive inside the recorder, and neither needs cloud storage. Storage need is set by the number of cameras, their resolution, the hours recorded each day and how many days you want to keep. Higher resolution fills a drive faster, which is the hidden cost of going to 8MP.

As a guide, on a recent eight-camera 8MP install a single 8TB drive held about 13 days of continuous recording. A second 8TB drive roughly doubled that to about 26 days. Recording on motion, or on person and vehicle detection only, stretches the same drive much further.

Decide retention before you buy, not after. An insurer, a landlord or your own data policy may set a number of days, and it changes how many drive bays the recorder needs. An 8-channel NVR with two bays leaves room to add a second drive later.

Remote Access and Smart Alerts

Both IP and analogue HD recorders connect to Hikvision's free Hik-Connect app for live view, playback and push alerts from a phone. There is no monthly fee, and no need for a static IP address or port forwarding on your router.

On AcuSense models of either type, the camera or recorder can tell people and vehicles from shadows, insects and swaying branches, so alerts are about things that matter. That is also what makes searching footage quick: you filter for a person at the gate instead of scrubbing through hours.

Once a system is in, it needs looking after. Our Hikvision health monitoring checks cameras and drives remotely, so a failed drive or an offline camera is found before you need the footage.

What Each Type Costs

Camera hardware is where the two types differ most. At trade prices in October 2026, an 8MP IP ColorVu turret costs roughly three to four times a 5MP PoC analogue ColorVu turret. The installed system is a different story, because cable, labour, the recorder and the drive are shared costs that do not depend on the camera type.

These are the two nearest comparable systems we have installed recently, as supplied and fitted prices excluding VAT:

That works out at about £510 per camera for the analogue HD house and about £620 per camera for the IP hall, roughly 20% more for IP in these two examples, even though the IP camera hardware cost several times more. Treat it as a sanity check rather than a price list. Two jobs are not a sample, the IP example has a much larger drive and more labour, and the cable route can swing either figure. A typical straightforward domestic four-camera Hikvision system starts from around £895, and we price every job from a site survey.

Upgrading Analogue CCTV to IP

If you already have analogue CCTV, you have three realistic options.

Keep and expand. A hybrid recorder keeps your existing analogue cameras and adds IP channels alongside them. It suits sites where the analogue cameras are still working well and you want one or two better cameras in key spots, perhaps over a wireless link where a cable cannot go.

Replace on the existing coax. Swap the cameras and recorder for current analogue HD or PoC models and reuse the cable. This is the cheapest route to a clear step up in picture quality, as long as the coax tests well.

Move to IP. New Cat6 to each camera, a PoE NVR and 4K-capable cameras. It costs more but gives the most headroom, and IP is where Hikvision's newest camera and analytics features arrive first.

Before recommending any of these we test the existing cable and check the age and model of the recorder, because a recorder that has reached end of life limits what can be added to it.