Vivotek Naming Convention Guide
With a growing demand for non-Chinese/NDAA CCTV products, we are seeing an increase in customers asking us to explain the difference between model numbers from some of these NDAA manufacturers. One of the most popular/discussed manufacturers is Vivotek.
If you are someone that has only used one specific CCTV manufacturer for many years it can feel like encountering an entirely new language when reading the Vivotek model numbers for the first time. In this post, we will help you to understand the differences between models by explaining exactly how Vivotek’s Naming Convention works.
Network Cameras
Below is a diagram with an example Vivotek camera model number and a breakdown of what feature/characteristic each digit of the model number relates to.
1-2nd Digits - Model Category
The 1st & 2nd digits are probably the most important for customers wanting to filter by category when searching for network cameras. If you search for any of these 2 digits and a 3rd digit (most likely 9 - see explanation below) you will be shown a list of all the available cameras of a specific body type, see examples below:
CC9xxx = Cube Camera
FD9xxx = Fixed Dome Camera
IT9xxx = Turret Dome Camera
3rd Digit - Audio/Video Type
Although there are 2 options for this digit, as explained above in most cases you will only see 9 as this digit. The reason for this is that those models that use 8 for the 3rd digit only support H.264 & MJPEG CODEC, as CODEC compression has developed over time these models have been replaced by models using 9 as the 3rd digit which means they support the new/current H.265 CODEC as well as the old CODECs.
(one of the only current products where you will find the 8 (H.264) being used would be the Video Server [VS8100-v2] which doesn’t need the H.265 CODEC as it is only used for bringing low data analog cameras onto an IP system and most analog cameras don’t need/support H.265)
4th Digit - IP Camera Type (VC Series - Amount of Channels)
In most scenarios, the 4th digit will indicate if the camera model you are looking at is for indoor or outdoor use, for a small number of products (like the MD - Mobile Dome model) you may see a 5 as the 4th digit which means they are cameras for mobile installations like trains or buses.
For Video Core (VC) and Video Server (VS) products, the 4th digit actually indicates the number of channels the device supports. The VS8100-v2 Video Server mentioned above supports encoding 1 analog camera channel and the VC9101 is a Split-type Camera* that can support 1 Camera Unit/channel being connected to it.
*Split-type cameras are made up of a Video Core [VC] box that acts as the brains of the camera and can have different Camera Units [CU] with different lens types connected to it.
5th Digit - Camera Resolution
This digit on the surface seems like the most self-explanatory one, but as usual, Vivotek does like to complicate things. Unlike some other brands where the number of megapixels is the number in the model number (e.g. Hikvision 2386G2 or GeoVision GV-EBD8800 use 8 to denote 8MP) Vivotek has skewed their numbering system.
To keep the model numbers short, Vivotek has designated that numbers 1 to 5 denote the 2-figure high-resolution models (e.g. 1 = 10MP, 2 = 20MP, 5 = 50MP) which are mainly specialist cameras like the MA9322-EHTVL 20MP Multi-Sensor Camera.
For most customers you can ignore 1 to 5, the numbers you will see more often are 6 to 9. As you will see from the above table, each of these numbers relates to a specific megapixel resolution (e.g. 6 = 2MP, 8 = 5MP, and 9 = 8MP/4K) but you will also see they are each preceded by the “greater than or equal to” symbol (≥) which means that some outlying models that don’t use these main megapixel options will still use the same number.
The most common appearance of this in the Vivotek camera range is with the 12MP Fisheye cameras which use the number 9 for their 5th digit to signify “greater than 8MP”.
6th Digit - Running Number
Vivotek support has officially told us that the 6th digit is not defined and has no meaning, but when comparing models with different 6th digits we do believe that this is some kind of internal marker for hardware updates/generational changes between similar models.
7th Digit(s) - Features
Sometimes the first 6 digits will all be quite similar/the same, in these cases, it is the digits after the first hyphen that indicates the key spec differences between the models. Below is an example of this from the Vivotek camera range:
IB9365-HT = H - High (Wide) Dynamic Range (HDR) / T - Remote Focus
IB9365-EHT = E - Extended Temperature ≤ -40°C / HT - HDR & Remote Focus
IB9365-EHTV = EHT - Extended Temperature ≤ -40°C, HDR, and Remote Focus / V - Vandal Proof
IB9365-LPR = All of the above (except Temperature) + LPR - License Plate Recognition
(this is just an example of the naming protocol, not all of these models are current models)
8th Digit - Version/Extension
If the model number you are looking at has a version number (-v2) or a version letter (-A) then this means the model you are looking at is an upgraded version of an existing model and is using newer hardware (e.g. sensor, chips, lenses, etc…) than the previous version.
The other extension digit you might see as the 8th digit is O which denotes that the product supports OSSA. OSSA (Open Security & Safety Alliance) is a shared standard created by Vivotek and 4 other security companies, the idea of the partnership was to share specifications for common components including operating system, IoT infrastructure, and collective approach for data security and privacy.
OSSA is only currently supported by a limited number of products including an 8MP AI Dome Camera (FD9392-EHTV-O) and AI Box (IE9111-O) to bring smart OSSA & event features to non-OSSA cameras.
Network Video Recorders
Below is a diagram with an example Vivotek NVR model number and a breakdown of what feature/characteristic each digit of the model number relates to.
1-2nd Digits - Model Category
Like with the cameras, these first 2 digits are key to understanding what category an NVR model falls under. Search for one of these 2-digit options and add a 3rd digit (most likely 9 - see below explanation) and you will be presented with the available Recorders from that category, see below examples:
ND9xxx = Small Desktop NVR
NR9xxx = Big Rackmount NVR (includes rackmount kit)
NS9xxx = All-in-One CMS Station
3rd Digit - Audio/Video Type
2 options are possible here, but the reality is that now that most Vivotek cameras support H.265 CODEC you won’t be able to find a current Vivotek Recorder that doesn’t support H.265 and so you will only be looking for models with 9 as the 3rd digit.
4th Digit - Number of Channels
Again the 4th digit is another example of Vivotek making their model numbers confusing. Most CCTV brands will identify how many channels an NVR has by stating the channel numbers in the model number (e.g. Hikvision 7608NI has 8-channels or Wisenet QRN-1630S has 16-channels), but Vivotek has clearly wanted to keep the model numbers shorter so have created the calculation shown in the above table (2 to the power of…) to reduce the larger channel numbers down to 1 digit.
5th Digit - Number of HDDs
The 5th digit is the opposite of the 4th in that it is pretty self-explanatory, the numbers 1-9 denote the number of HDDs an NVR model supports (0 HDD is mentioned in the table but currently there are no 0 HDD models in the range). See below:
ND9213P = 1 HDD
ND9542P = 4 HDDs
The only time the above does not apply is with NR Rack Mounted NVRs, NR models will only use 8 for this digit because it doesn’t actually refer to the total number of HDDs but actually the maximum number of HDDs you can have in each group. This will be explained more in the next section.
6th Digit - HDD Groups/Hardware Revisions
To further explain the above 5th digit for NR Recorders, the number 8 signifies that the NVR supports a group of up to 8 HDDs and the 6th digit that comes after it tells you how many groups of HDDs that NVR supports which then gives you the total number of HDDs. See the examples below:
NR9581-v2 - 1 Group of 8 HDDs = 8 HDDs Total
NR9782-v2 - 2 Groups of 8 HDDs = 16 HDDs Total
For the ND/NV/RX products the 6th digit has no definition but based on our experience with previous & current NVR models we believe this digit relates to revisions/design updates to certain NVR models. For example, the old ND9322P-v2 8-channel NVR was replaced by the ND9323P 8-channel NVR.
7th Digit - Extension/Features
For the ND/NV/RX models there are 2 letters you might see on the end of the main part of the model number, if it is a P then that means the NVR includes a built-in PoE switch for connecting cameras directly to the NVR and if it is a W that means the device has some form of Wireless/WiFi function (although currently there are no WiFi Recorder models in the Vivotek range).
For the NR/NS models, the 7th digit just means a hardware/design revision. This is indicated by an (A) at the end of the model number which means it is a revised/updated model replacing the non-(A) model.
8th Digit - Extension/Version
The final digit is the same as the cameras, if there is a version number (-v2) at the end of the model number it simply means that some element of the recorder's hardware has been changed/upgraded and so a new model version has been created.
SVC - Vivotek NVR & Camera Series
The final thing to mention in relation to the naming convention is the Vivotek NVR & Camera Series. Vivotek splits its entire NVR & Camera range into 3 different series - Supreme / Versatile / Competitive - that are grouped under the umbrella acronym SVC, see below for definitions for each of these 3 Series:
Models in the S Series include: NR Rack Mounted NVRs, IB9391-EHTV-v2 4K Bullet Camera, and FE9391-EHV-v2 12MP Fisheye Camera
Models in the V Series include: ND Desktop NVRs, FD9387-HTV-A 5MP Fixed Dome Camera, IT9389-H-v2 5MP Turret Dome Camera, and SD9161-H-v2 2MP Speed Dome
Models in the C Series include: IB9388-HT 5MP Varifocal Bullet Camera, IT9360-H 2MP Turret Dome Camera, and CC9381-HV 5MP 180° Panoramic Camera (currently there are no C Series NVR models)
