Technology explained · 6 min read
What is Hikvision
AcuSense?
The reason most people turn CCTV notifications off within a week is that the camera alerts on everything. AcuSense fixes that by deciding, on the camera, whether the thing that moved is a person, a vehicle, or neither.
The short version
AcuSense is Hikvision's on-camera deep-learning classification. When something moves, the camera decides if it's a human or a vehicle before it tells you. Cats, foxes, rain, headlights sweeping across a wall, branches in wind — filtered out. A person on your drive at 2am — alert, with a snapshot.
Detection zones and rules
AcuSense works with rules you draw per camera: an intrusion zone (alert if a person enters this area) or a line crossing (alert if a person crosses this line in this direction). Draw the zone across the drive, not the pavement, and you stop being told about every passer-by. This set-up is most of the difference between a system people love and one they mute.
Search, not just alerts
Because the recorder tags person and vehicle events, you can search playback for 'people between 10pm and 6am' instead of scrubbing through hours of nothing. On a business system this is the feature managers use most.
Where AcuSense lives
- On the camera: best — classification happens at the edge, alerts are fast.
- On the NVR: some AcuSense NVRs can classify for non-AcuSense cameras, at lower channel counts.
- Neither: a system without it will alert on motion. Expect to mute it.
Limits
It's very good, not magic. Heavy rain at night, a person mostly hidden by a car, or a camera mounted too high can reduce accuracy. Mounting for a clear view of a person's full body at the point of entry is the fix — another survey decision.
Per-camera zones drawn to the property boundary, person-only alerts on garden cameras, person-and-vehicle on the drive, quiet hours where wanted, and a snapshot on every notification.
Your property decides. Not the logo.
Questions
Good to know.
Does AcuSense need a subscription?
No. It runs on the camera or recorder with no monthly fee.
Can it tell the difference between a person and a fox?
Yes — that's its purpose. Very small animals close to the lens can occasionally fool older models.
Do I need AcuSense and ColorVu?
Often both, on different cameras. See ColorVu vs AcuSense.