How to Set Up Hikvision Smart Hybrid Light Cameras

When setting up a security camera, one of the key decisions is how the camera behaves in low-light or nighttime conditions.

For users of Hikvision’s Smart Hybrid Light cameras, the question often comes down to this: Do you want discreet infrared night vision or full-color visibility using a white LED light?

Fortunately, Hikvision has developed a solution that offers flexibility—allowing you to choose, switch, or even automate the lighting mode based on activity.

These cameras feature both IR and white LED lighting systems that can be independently controlled. Better yet, they offer an intelligent Smart Hybrid Mode, which uses infrared lighting until a person or vehicle is detected, at which point it activates full-color white light.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to access and configure the light settings on these cameras for three modes: Smart Hybrid, IR Mode only, and ColorVu Mode only.

How to set up Hikvision’s Smart Hybrid Light Cameras

Accessing the Camera’s Light Settings

Before diving into the configuration, it’s important to note that these settings are not accessible via the NVR interface. You’ll need to access the camera’s settings directly through its web interface.

How to Log In:

Use the camera’s IP address or, if it’s connected to a Hikvision NVR, utilize the NVR’s virtual host feature to access the camera’s login page.

Once logged in, navigate to: Configuration → Image → Display Settings → Day/Night Switch.

By default, Hikvision cameras come preset to ColorVu only mode, meaning the white LED stays on in low light while the IR is never used. Below, we’ll explore how to tailor this behavior to your specific environment and security needs.

Setting the Camera to Smart Hybrid Mode

Smart Hybrid Mode is ideal for users who want the best of both worlds: discreet IR monitoring under normal conditions and full-color footage when activity is detected.

This setup is perfect for areas where you want minimal disruption but still need detailed footage during critical moments.

Step-by-Step Setup:

1. Set up an event trigger (e.g., human or vehicle detection) in your camera. Without this, the camera won’t know when to activate white light.

2. Go to Day/Night Switch and set it to Auto. This enables automatic adjustment based on ambient light.

3. Adjust the Sensitivity setting to 4 (recommended), which controls how dark it must get before switching to night mode.

4. Set the Filtering Time to 5 seconds. This controls the delay before the camera switches lighting modes.

5. Turn Smart Supplement Light to ON. This ensures balanced lighting by adjusting intensity based on object distance.

6. In the Supplement Light Mode dropdown, select Smart. This tells the camera to use IR normally and switch to white LED when a person or vehicle is detected.

7. Set Light Brightness Control to Auto to let the camera optimize lighting intensity automatically.

Setting the Camera to IR Only Mode

IR Only Mode keeps the camera discreet, relying solely on infrared for night vision. This is a great option for situations where you want to avoid drawing attention to the camera or using bright lights at night.

Step-by-Step Setup:

1. In Day/Night Switch, select Auto to activate IR at night.
2. Keep Sensitivity at 4 to balance ambient light sensitivity.
3. Leave Filtering Time at 5 seconds for most use cases.
4. Enable Smart Supplement Light to allow dynamic IR brightness control.
5. Select IR Supplement Light from the dropdown. This ensures the camera only uses infrared lighting at night.
6. Set Light Brightness Control to Auto for optimal IR brightness levels.

Setting the Camera to ColorVu Only Mode

ColorVu Only Mode is best for those who prefer full-color images 24/7, even at the cost of being less discreet. This mode turns on the white LED at night and keeps it on constantly, ignoring IR entirely.

Step-by-Step Setup:

1. Under Day/Night Switch, choose Auto.
2. Keep Sensitivity set to 4. This will dictate how dark it must be for the white light to turn on.
3. Set Filtering Time to 5 seconds to avoid false triggers.
4. Enable Smart Supplement Light to adjust white LED strength based on object distance.
5. In the Supplement Light Mode, choose White Supplement Light to force the use of white LEDs at night.
6. Use Light Brightness Control set to Auto for intelligent brightness adjustments.

Hikvision’s Smart Hybrid Light cameras give users the flexibility to fine-tune nighttime surveillance to match their exact needs.

Whether you value discretion, full-color detail, or an intelligent mix of both, understanding how to configure your camera through its web interface is essential.

Note: Always test your settings in a real nighttime scenario to confirm your adjustments are working as expected. You can fine-tune Sensitivity and Filtering Time to better match your lighting conditions.