iVMS-4200 and iVMS-4200 Lite: download it and add your cameras on a PC

iVMS-4200 is the main program. It shows live video from Hikvision cameras and recorders, plays back recordings and lets you change device settings. The full version also handles access control, video intercom and alarms.

iVMS-4200 Lite was the shorter version. Its manual covers only adding devices, Cloud P2P, live view, playback, downloading video and settings. Hikvision's download pages do not list it today.

Two other versions have been retired as well. Hikvision discontinued iVMS-4200 VS, another shortened version, in January 2021, because iVMS-4200 already covers everything it did. It discontinued iVMS-4200 AC, for access control, in March 2025 and named HikCentral Access Control as the replacement.

So if you searched for iVMS-4200 Lite, install iVMS-4200. It is the version Hikvision lists today, and it covers live view, playback and device management.

Download it from Hikvision's own website. Go to hikvision.com, then Support, then Download, then Software, and choose iVMS-4200. The same page has the release notes, datasheet and user manual. Only download it from there.

Hikvision runs regional sites, and each one can carry a different version number, so use the page for your region. On some regional pages, such as the US one, the installer is bundled with HikCentral Lite, a newer multi-user package from Hikvision. It is optional.

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• A Windows PC. Hikvision's datasheet for version 3.13 lists Windows 7 SP1 and later, including Windows 10 and 11, an Intel Core i3 or better, 4 GB of memory and a screen of at least 1280 by 768.
• The recorder's or camera's IP address, if the PC is on the same network. If it is not, you need the device's serial number and verification code instead. The serial number is on the label on the device, and the verification code is usually there too.
• The device's user name (admin unless someone changed it) and its password. This is the password that was set when the device was activated. It is not your Hik-Connect account password.

Use this when the PC is on the same network as the recorder, or when the recorder has an address you can reach from outside. From outside your network, your router also has to forward the device's ports. Hikvision's FAQ lists port 8000 for iVMS-4200 and port 10554 for the video stream.

• 1. Install iVMS-4200 and open it. In the Maintenance and Management area, click Device Management, then Device.
• 2. If the device is new and shows as inactive, activate it first: click Online Device, pick the device, click Activate and create a password. The PC and the device must be on the same network for this.
• 3. Click Add and choose IP/Domain as the adding mode.
• 4. Enter a name, the IP address or domain name, the port (8000 by default), the user name (admin by default) and the password.
• 5. Leave Import to Group ticked, then click Add. Open Main View, pick a camera in the list and start live view.

Hik-Connect is Hikvision's cloud service, and iVMS-4200 shows it as Cloud P2P Device. You add the device with its serial number and verification code instead of an IP address. The device has to be online, and Hik-Connect has to be switched on inside it. You also need a Hik-Connect account. You can register one with a phone number or an email address.

• 1. Switch Hik-Connect on in the device. On the device's web page go to Configuration, Network, Advanced Settings, Platform Access, tick Enable and create a verification code if it asks.
• 2. In iVMS-4200 go to Device Management, then Device, then Cloud P2P Device, then Add.
• 3. Pick your region and log in to your Hik-Connect account. You can register one from the same window.
• 4. Enter the serial number from the device label, then the verification code. On the same network you can click Online Device to fill in the serial number.
• 5. Click Add. If it says the device already belongs to another account, it has to be unbound from that account first. A device can be added to only one Hik-Connect account.

Every Hikvision camera sends two video streams. The main stream is the high quality one, and it is the stream the recorder saves to its hard disk. The sub stream is lighter and is meant for watching on computers and phones, especially over the internet. Watching the sub stream does not change what the recorder saves.

If iVMS-4200 shows a black picture or an error code 91, or stutters when many cameras are open, the stream type is the first thing to check.

• In Main View, right-click the camera and choose Main Stream or Sub Stream.
• Error 91 means the camera or recorder cannot give the stream type iVMS-4200 asked for. Choose Main Stream for that camera. In some versions you also need to turn off Auto-change Stream Type in System Configuration.
• With many cameras on one screen, use the sub stream in the grid and the main stream for full screen. Lowering resolution, frame rate or bit rate on the device also helps.

Most problems fall into three groups: the device cannot be reached, the password or code is wrong, or the picture is too heavy for the connection.

• Device offline in Hik-Connect: check the device has power and is on the network, and that Hik-Connect is switched on in its Platform Access settings. Then check its IP address, subnet mask and gateway, and set its DNS server to 8.8.8.8 or your usual DNS. From a PC on the same network, type ping dev.hik-connect.com in the command prompt. No reply points to a DNS problem.
• Device offline when added by IP address: the address or port is wrong, or the address has changed. If the recorder gets its address from the router, that address can change. Hikvision's support site says to check the IP has not changed and, if you go through ports, that the ports are still open.
• Verification code: it is usually on the device label. If the label has none, use the code you created when you switched Hik-Connect on. You can also set it on the device's configuration page.
• Wrong password: it is the device's password from activation, not your Hik-Connect account password. Too many wrong tries can lock the device for a while. If you have forgotten it, use the official reset in Hikvision's SADP tool, which our Hikvision SADP guide covers.
• Device missing from Online Device: that list only shows devices on the same network as the PC. Hikvision's own guide says iVMS-4200 cannot auto-detect devices on other networks. Add those by serial number or by IP address instead.

For several sites or many users, Hikvision's iVMS-4200 page points to Hik-Connect Team Mode and to HikCentral Professional, its larger management platform.