Hikvision 8MP DS-2CD2387G2H-LISU/SL Smart Hybrid Light with ColorVu 2.8MM

Mode 1 — Infrared Only

Traditional night vision. Completely invisible, no light pollution, footage in greyscale. The right choice where the camera faces a neighbour's window, where discretion matters, or where you simply do not want the property lit at night.

Mode 2 — ColorVu Full Colour

The white light runs continuously and you get an unbroken colour record all night, regardless of whether anything is happening. Best for shopfronts, car parks and commercial frontages where a permanently lit scene is a deterrent in itself.

Mode 3 — Smart Hybrid

Infrared as the baseline, with the white light triggering automatically when AcuSense confirms a person or vehicle. Colour footage of the events that matter, without a light burning all night. For most residential driveways this is the sensible default.

ColorVu Full-Colour Night Imaging

ColorVu pairs a wide-aperture lens with a highly sensitive sensor to produce colour images in light levels where conventional cameras have long since switched to greyscale. Colour is the first descriptor anyone asks for after an incident — the colour of a jacket, the colour of a vehicle — and it is precisely what infrared discards.

8MP 4K Resolution

Roughly four times the pixel count of a 2MP camera. The benefit shows up during review — you can crop hard into a corner of a recorded frame and still have real image data rather than a block of pixels. On the position that matters most, that headroom is what turns a recording into evidence.

130 dB WDR — Highest in the Range

A step above the 120 dB found on most cameras in this bracket, and it lands in exactly one place: the backlit entrance. A person standing in a doorway with bright sky behind them is the single most common way outdoor footage becomes useless. 130 dB balances both zones so the face stays visible.

Active Strobe and Audio Alarm

A strobe fires and an audible alarm sounds when AcuSense confirms a person or vehicle in a monitored zone. The value is timing — a response delivered while someone is still deciding whether to proceed does work that footage reviewed the next morning cannot.

Two-Way Audio

Built-in microphone and speaker support live two-way talk from the app, from anywhere. A recorded warning says an automated system noticed you; speaking to someone directly makes clear a real person is watching in real time, and that ends most situations within seconds.

Audio and Alarm Interface

Alarm input and output terminals, which most cameras omit entirely. The output can drive an external siren, strobe or relay mounted wherever the response is actually needed; the input lets an existing beam, door contact or alarm panel trigger camera recording and warnings. On a site with security infrastructure already installed, this is what lets the camera participate rather than run alongside.

AcuSense Classification

Deep learning decides whether motion came from a person, a vehicle, or something you do not care about, before anything happens. On this camera it does triple duty — it controls your notifications, it decides when the white light fires in hybrid mode, and it decides when the strobe and alarm trigger.

512 GB Edge Storage

Double the card capacity of most cameras in this class, and genuinely useful at 8MP where files are large. Enough for real standalone operation, or as a continuous backup layer so footage survives on the camera if the recorder is stolen or drops offline.

H.265+ Compression, IP67, PoE

H.265+ compresses substantially harder than H.264, which matters at 4K where storage costs scale quickly. Fully dust-tight and sealed against water for exposed outdoor positions, powered over a single cable run carrying data, power, audio and alarm control together. Available in white or black.

Shopfronts and Retail Frontages

Glass-fronted retail is the hardest lighting problem in the category — brilliant outside, dim inside, subject in between — and 130 dB WDR is specifically what saves those shots. Run continuous ColorVu here: the lit frontage is a deterrent in itself, and you get an unbroken colour record rather than colour only when something triggers.

Residential Front Entrances

Run this position in smart hybrid mode and it behaves exactly as a front-of-house camera should: quiet and invisible all evening, then lighting up in full colour the moment someone actually arrives. The strobe and audio give you a response layer, and 8MP means the footage identifies whoever it was.

Sites With Existing Alarm Systems

Where a site already runs an alarm panel, beams or door contacts, the alarm I/O lets this camera participate rather than duplicate — triggering the existing siren on a person detection, or starting recording and warnings when a sensor fires. One integrated response instead of two systems that ignore each other.

Yards and Commercial Perimeters

High-value stock or plant sitting unattended overnight needs both evidence quality and a response. Colour identification of anyone entering, a strobe and alarm at the moment of detection, and the option to speak live through the camera covers the great majority of after-hours incidents without anyone attending the site.

Choose this model if…

• This is the position where you would rather not compromise on anything.
• Colour footage at night genuinely matters, and you want to choose the lighting behaviour per camera.
• You want deterrence — strobe, audible alarm and two-way talk — as well as recording.
• You have an existing alarm system and want the camera wired into it.
• You have high-contrast entrances where 130 dB WDR will earn its keep.
• You want maximum crop headroom on a key position.

Choose a different model if…

• The position is genuinely dark and low-light colour is the priority. Ask us to compare the 6MP ColorVu figures before deciding — it may be the better camera there.
• You are covering ordinary positions on a budget. This is the flagship; a standard AcuSense turret covers a side fence perfectly well for far less.
• You only need recording, with no deterrence. You would be paying for features you will not enable.
• The camera is within reach and could be interfered with. The IK10 vandal dome is built for that.
• You need night coverage well beyond a standard camera. The long-IR bullet reaches further.
• You need to adjust framing after mounting. Fixed lens — a varifocal gives on-site flexibility.

What is Smart Hybrid Light?

The camera carries two separate illuminators — infrared and white LED — and lets you choose how they behave. Run infrared only for discreet greyscale monitoring, run continuous white light for genuine 24/7 colour, or run hybrid mode where the camera sits on infrared and fires the white light when AcuSense detects a person or vehicle. Most cameras lock you into one of those behaviours at purchase; this one is a settings change.

Is the 8MP ColorVu better than the 6MP?

For daylight detail and crop headroom, yes. For low-light colour — which is the whole point of ColorVu — not necessarily. If more pixels sit on the same size sensor, each one gathers less light, and that can weaken exactly the capability you are buying the camera for. It is worth comparing the minimum illumination figures for both before deciding. On a well-lit shopfront, choose 8MP. On a genuinely dark driveway, ask us — the 6MP may produce better colour.

What is the difference between ColorVu and AcuSense?

They solve completely different problems and this camera has both. ColorVu is about image quality — optics and a sensitive sensor that produce colour footage in very low light rather than switching to greyscale infrared. AcuSense is about intelligence — deep learning that classifies motion as human, vehicle or neither, so alerts stay credible and footage becomes searchable. One improves what you see; the other improves what you get told about.

Can I turn the white light off?

Yes — switch that camera to infrared-only mode and it behaves as a conventional IR camera with no visible light at all. This is the answer if a camera faces a bedroom window, or if a neighbour raises the light after installation. Worth knowing before you buy, because on a fixed full-colour camera the same situation means replacing the unit.

What is 130 dB WDR and do I need it?

Wide dynamic range is the camera's ability to expose bright and dark parts of the same frame correctly. Without it, a person standing in a doorway with bright sky behind them becomes a black silhouette — the single most common way outdoor footage becomes useless. At 130 dB this camera sits above the 120 dB standard across most of the category. If you have any entrance, glass frontage or west-facing door, you need it.

Does active deterrence actually work?

For opportunistic intrusion, generally yes — opportunists depend on being unobserved and unhurried, and a strobe with an audible warning removes both conditions immediately. It is less relevant against someone who has specifically targeted a property and expects a response. Treat it as a strong first layer that resolves most casual incidents, not as a substitute for locks, lighting and an alarm system. The 8MP resolution is your fallback.

Can it trigger my existing alarm system?

Yes — that is what the alarm output terminal is for. It can fire an external siren, strobe or relay when the camera classifies a person or vehicle, letting you put the response wherever it is genuinely useful rather than at the camera. The alarm input works the other way: a beam, door contact or panel output can trigger camera recording and warnings. Plan the wiring during installation rather than retrofitting it.

Should I put these on every position?

Almost certainly not, and doing so usually produces a worse system on a fixed budget. This is the most capable camera we stock and it is priced accordingly. Put it on the two or three positions where footage genuinely has to identify someone or where you want an active response — the front entrance, the shopfront, the problem yard — and cover ordinary positions with something simpler. Tell us the property and we will tell you where it is worth spending.

How much storage will it use?

More than a 6MP or 4MP camera — that is the practical cost of 4K. H.265+ compression offsets much of it by lowering the bitrate during static periods. It also takes a microSD card up to 512 GB for edge recording, which is genuinely useful capacity at this resolution and gives you a backup path if the recorder fails. Use a surveillance-rated or high-endurance card; consumer cards fail quickly under continuous writing.

Are there legal considerations with the audio or the alarm?

Two worth checking. Audio recording is governed by state and territory surveillance device legislation restricting the recording of private conversations — in Victoria the Surveillance Devices Act 1999. A speaker adds a further dimension in shared or public-facing spaces, so signage matters and legal advice is sensible for a workplace or publicly accessible site. Separately, an audible alarm near residential neighbours may fall under local council noise provisions.

Do I need a Hikvision NVR?

Video recording will generally work over ONVIF with third-party recorders. AcuSense classification, searchable analytic events, Smart Hybrid Light event rules, two-way audio and alarm linkage work most reliably on a compatible Hikvision NVR, and some functions may be limited elsewhere. Since those features are why you would choose this camera, pairing it accordingly is sensible — send us your recorder model and we will confirm.

Where can I buy it and what support is included?

Available from Total Security Equipment online and across both showrooms, with Australia-wide shipping and compatible Hikvision NVRs, brackets, junction boxes, surveillance storage and PoE gear in stock. Trade accounts and volume pricing are available for installers, and our team can advise on lighting mode, camera placement, drive sizing and NVR compatibility before you order.

Melbourne HQ

26 Davies Ave., Sunshine North, VIC 3020
03 9079 5566

Sydney Branch

38 Lisbon St., Fairfield East, NSW 2165
02 8722 0348

Ordering & Support

• Australia-wide shipping
• Genuine Hikvision Australian stock
• Available in white or black
• Compatible NVRs, brackets and storage in stock
• Trade accounts and volume pricing
• Phone support on lighting modes and system design
• Download Spec Sheet