Quick answer

Switch on Hik-Connect in the recorder's network settings (look for Platform Access), choose a verification code, and scan the QR code on that screen with the Hik-Connect app. The recorder needs a cable connection to your internet router.

Hik-Connect is Hikvision's free app. Once it is linked to your recorder, you can watch live video, play back recordings and get alerts on your phone wherever you are. Setting it up takes about ten minutes, and you do it in two places: first on the recorder, then on your phone.

What you need

  • Your DVR or NVR plugged into your internet router with a network cable. Wi-Fi alone will not do.
  • A monitor and mouse on the recorder, and its admin password.
  • The free Hik-Connect app on your phone.

Part 1: Switch it on in the recorder

Open the recorder's main menu and look in the Network section for a page called Platform Access.

  • On older recorders you right-click, choose Menu, and find it under Configuration > Network.
  • On newer ones you click the cog icon and find it under Network > Advanced.

On that page, tick Enable, then make up a verification code of 6 to 12 letters and numbers. Keep it somewhere safe: the app asks for it the first time anyone opens your cameras on a new phone. Press Apply, give it a minute, and the status should read Online.

Part 2: Link it to your phone

Open the app, pick United Arab Emirates as your region, and sign up or log in. Tap the + at the top, choose to scan a QR code, and point your phone at the QR code on the Platform Access page (the sticker on the recorder works too). Tap Add, open the recorder from your list, and type the verification code when it asks.

That's it. You should see your cameras.

Status still says "Offline"?

Work through these in order, checking the status after each:

  1. Look at the network port on the back of the recorder. No light means a cable or router problem.
  2. In the recorder's network settings, turn on DHCP so the router hands it an address.
  3. Change the preferred DNS to 8.8.8.8.
  4. Restart the router first, then the recorder.

If it is still offline after all four, the router itself may be blocking the connection, which needs a technician.

Letting family or staff watch too

Don't hand out your own login. Ask each person to create their own Hik-Connect account, then share the recorder with them from your app's device settings. You decide which cameras they see and whether they can play back footage, and you can remove them later in a couple of taps.

Still stuck?Send us a photo or short video of the screen on WhatsApp. We support systems from any installer in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman.
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Frequently asked questions

Do I pay anything for Hik-Connect?

No. Both the app and the service are free. You only need internet at the property where the recorder is.

I forgot the verification code. What now?

Go back to the Platform Access page on the recorder and set a new one. Phones that already work keep working; new phones use the new code.

Can I watch on my laptop as well?

Yes. Hikvision's free iVMS-4200 software for Windows can sign in with the same Hik-Connect account.

Related

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Menu names can differ slightly between models and software versions. Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Back to the help centre