Hik-Partner Pro: how installers add customer sites and hand them over

Hikvision describes Hik-Partner Pro as a cloud-based security solution that helps you manage services for your customers. Three clients matter for a normal installation job, and which one you use depends on who you are.

Hikvision's manual lists the service provider types as installer, system integrator, distributor, reseller, alarm receiving center and OEM. It calls the people who bought the devices end users, and says they use Hik-Connect. If you used Hik-ProConnect or Hik-ePartner before, you can log in to Hik-Partner Pro with the same account and the app walks you through the upgrade.

• Hik-Partner Pro Portal: for Installer Admins and Installers, in a browser. It covers permissions and employees, sites, devices, project registration, orders and device health.
• Hik-Partner Pro Mobile Client: for service providers, on a phone. You manage sites, ask customers for permission, configure devices, handle return requests and create quotations.
• Hik-Connect Mobile Client: for your customers. They manage their own devices, accept the site handover from you and approve your requests for access.

There are two types of account, Installer Admin and Installer. Each company has one Installer Admin and can have many Installers. The company registers the Installer Admin account first, then invites its employees to register Installer accounts.

• Installer Admin: full access to the functions, usually the manager of the installation company.
• Installer: a sub-account whose powers are set by permissions. For example, an Installer can manage only the sites assigned to them. The Installer Admin creates roles and invites employees.
• Authentication: after registering you can authenticate your company, either with an authentication code from Hikvision or a distributor, or by sending an online application, depending on your country. Hikvision says this lets you buy value-added services and use more features.
• Country differences: Hikvision says some functions cost extra and some are only offered in certain countries and regions. In some countries only the Installer Admin account exists. Ask your Hikvision distributor what your country gets.

Do you install CCTV for customers? See the partner programme

Hikvision says you can search for Hik-Partner Pro in the app stores, including the App Store, Google Play, Galaxy Store, HUAWEI AppGallery, OPPO, VIVO and Xiaomi GetApps. It also shows a QR code on its landing page at hik-partner.com. The store listing is named Hik-Partner Pro (Formerly HPC), and the App Store lists the developer as HIKVISION EUROPE B.V.

If you already have a Hik-Connect account, you can register your Installer Admin account through it. Tap Hik-Connect on the login page and authorize the app. The two accounts must be in the same region.

• 1. Open the app and choose the country or region of your company. Hikvision says you cannot change it after registration.
• 2. Tap Register and choose your identity and service provider type.
• 3. Choose email or phone number. Some countries only support email.
• 4. Enter your name, company name, email, phone number, the verification code sent to you and a password.
• 5. Agree to the privacy policy and tap Register. The app then offers to authenticate your company now or later.

On the login page, pick the country or region of your account, then enter your registered email address and password. Where the country supports it, a phone number works too. Depending on your country, the login option is called OneHikID or Hik-ProConnect account. If an old Hik-ProConnect account has not been upgraded yet, the app tells you to upgrade it.

If you forgot the password, tap Forgot Password, then Get Verification Code. The code is sent to your email. Enter it and set a new password.

A site is a physical place where devices are installed, such as a customer's shop, factory or home. You create the site first and add devices to it afterwards.

Set the site name, time zone, scene, address, city and state or region. Choose the time zone carefully, because Hikvision says it cannot be changed after the site is added. You can also enter the customer's contact number and notes. The customer can read those notes in Hik-Connect.

• 1. Tap Site at the bottom, then the add button, then Add New Site.
• 2. Fill in the site details and tap OK.
• 3. Add Existing Site is for a customer site that no installer manages now. Enter the Site ID or scan the QR code that the customer can share from Hik-Connect. The customer gets a request to approve.

Hik-Partner Pro reaches a device in one of two ways. The Hik-Connect (P2P) way gives secure communication and the full set of cloud features, such as handover and exception notifications. The IP address or domain name way is faster but gives no access to the Hik-Connect features.

If the device is not activated, the app lets you create the admin password and activate it. If Hik-Connect is switched off in the device, the app asks you to enable it and create a device verification code.

• Scan the QR code on the device label. Hikvision says it is usually on the back cover.
• Enter the serial number by hand.
• Find devices on the same network and add them in a batch after configuring them.
• Link your Hik-Connect account and synchronize its devices into Hik-Partner Pro.
• Enter an IP address or domain name.

Handover moves the site and its devices to your customer's Hik-Connect account. The customer becomes the Site Owner. Do it when the installation is finished. The site must have the status Not Handed Over.

• 1. Open the site and tap Hand Over.
• 2. Choose Email or Phone Number and enter the customer's email address or phone number.
• 3. If you want ongoing access, tick the permissions to apply for, such as site information management, configuration, live view and playback, and set how long they last. If the customer accepts, they are granted straight away.
• 4. Add a remark, for example the reason for the handover. The customer sees it in Hik-Connect.
• 5. Tap OK to send.

The customer gets an email or a text message with a download link for Hik-Connect. If they have no Hik-Connect account, they register one first. Then they accept the handover and become the site owner. Hikvision says customers need Hik-Connect version 4.15.0 or later, and the app's Home page shows a QR code and link you can send them.

If the customer does not respond, you can send the handover again, up to five times in one day. A new handover cancels the earlier one.

• Not Handed Over: the site is new, or the customer has not accepted the handover.
• Not Registered: the handover went to a customer who has no Hik-Connect account yet.
• To Be Accepted: the handover is waiting for a customer who has an account.
• Handed Over, Not Authorized: the customer accepted, but you have no permission to manage the devices.
• Authorized and Monitoring: the customer has given you the permissions you asked for.

Handing over a site does not by itself keep your access. If you did not ask for permissions during the handover, apply for site authorization afterwards. The customer approves the request in Hik-Connect.

A customer can also invite you to manage a device that is already in their Hik-Connect account. You give the customer your Hik-Partner Pro email address, they send the invitation from Hik-Connect, and you get an email. Accept it within three days or it expires. Hikvision says this is more privacy friendly than asking the customer for their Hik-Connect user name and password.

If you and the customer both lost a device password, Hik-Partner Pro can reset it for supported devices. The customer must have authorized the device to you first. You can do it off site, when the customer's Hik-Connect and the device are on the same local network, or on site, when your Hik-Partner Pro phone and the device are on the same local network. Hikvision says not every device supports this. Our Hikvision SADP tool guide covers the other official reset routes.

Health monitoring shows the near-real-time status of devices on all your sites, and some of its features need the health monitoring service to be activated. Co-branding shows your company logo and details in your customers' Hik-Connect app. Hikvision says how you qualify depends on your country. The app also has quotations, return requests, tools such as calculators, and the SADP tool for phones.