DirectorLink · Hikvision for Control4
Free, open-source Control4 drivers for Hikvision IP cameras and NVRs. Add one driver, type the camera login once, and every camera on the network is in Control4, named and ready. They work on your local network: no cloud, no extra hardware and no subscription.
Free. No subscription, no license key, no account with us.
Made by DirectorLink, the open-source management layer for Control4 homes. Works on its own: DirectorLink is not required.
What you get
| Feature | Control4 app | Programming |
|---|---|---|
| Find and add every camera | Nothing to do: cameras appear, named | Hub actions: Search Network, Add New Cameras |
| Live video and snapshots | The camera view; the driver picks the H.264 stream that fits each screen | – |
| Detections | – | Motion, person, vehicle, line crossing, intrusion, region entrance and exit, tamper, scene change, face, objects left or removed, alarm inputs, PIR: events, variables, conditionals and contacts |
| Alerts for people | Notifications with a snapshot: any detection, people and vehicles, or people only | Alert and Camera Alert events, last-alert variables |
| One alerts tile for the home | Tap to turn alerts on or off; shows an alert, off, snoozed or a camera offline | Set Alerts, Snooze Alerts; Alerts On and Off events |
| Camera controls | In the camera view: alerts, alert filter, snooze, motion detection, day and night, light, reboot | Commands for each, and image settings |
| PTZ | Arrows and home in the camera view | Go to preset |
| Camera health | The tile shows a camera that is offline or refuses the login | Camera Online and Offline events, online counts |
Control4 plays H.264 video only. The hub switches each camera's sub stream to H.264 when it adds it; the main stream, which the NVR records, is not touched.
Two drivers, install both
| Driver in Composer | File | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| DirectorLink · Hikvision | DirectorLink-Hikvision.c4z |
Added once (it shows as Hikvision Hub): finds every camera and NVR, adds them with one login, and gives the home one alerts tile. |
| DirectorLink · Hikvision Camera | DirectorLink-Hikvision-Camera.c4z |
One per camera, added by the hub (or by hand): video, detections, alerts, controls and programming. |
What it needs
- A Control4 controller on OS 3.2 or newer (tested on 4.2.4), and Composer Pro.
- Hikvision IP cameras and NVRs with ISAPI, which covers almost all current models. Tested with AcuSense and ColorVu G2 cameras and a K-series NVR.
- The cameras on the controller's network. Cameras on other subnets or VLANs are listed by address in the hub.
- One login that works on the cameras, and H.264 on at least one stream (the hub sets it).
Setup in three steps
-
Add the drivers
In Composer Pro: Driver → Add or Update Driver or Agent, once for each file. Search for DirectorLink and add DirectorLink · Hikvision to the room where new cameras should appear.
-
Enter the login once
In the Hikvision Hub's properties, set Username and Password. The hub searches the network and lists what it found.
-
Add them
Run Actions → Add New Cameras. The hub checks the login first, then adds, names and sets up each camera. Drag each one to its room.
For events, turn each detection on in the camera (or NVR) with Notify Surveillance Center ticked. Each step, NVRs, other subnets and what each message means are on the drivers' Documentation tab in Composer and in the full guide.
Ideas for programming
-
One notification for every camera
On the hub's Camera Alert, send a notification with the snapshot from the camera that raised it.
-
Alerts follow the alarm
Turn alerts on when the security system arms, and off when it disarms.
-
Lights for people at night
On Person Detected, if it is dark, turn on the porch lights, even with alerts off.
Privacy and support
- The drivers talk only to the Hikvision cameras and NVRs on your home network. They send nothing to DirectorLink and collect no usage data. Camera logins stay in your Control4 project, and reports and logs never show passwords.
- Keep the exact file names: a browser's
… (1).c4zcopy installs as a separate driver instead of updating. Cameras keep their settings, rooms and programming when you update. - Community-supported, best effort. Report a problem with the camera or NVR model and firmware, your Control4 OS version and each driver's Driver Version.