Hikvision Special Cameras

Hikvision special cameras cover the specialised end of the surveillance range — the categories that don't fit the standard turret/bullet/dome/PTZ buckets. Thermal imaging cameras for perimeter detection in zero-light conditions or industrial heat monitoring. ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras for car park, depot, and gate-entry plate capture. Fisheye 360° cameras for single-camera coverage of full rooms or open areas. Multi-sensor panoramic cameras for wide-area coverage with a single network address. Explosion-proof (ATEX-rated) housings for hazardous-area installs. These are designed for specific use cases where a standard camera can't do the job — and where specifying the wrong technology means the install simply doesn't work.

Security Cameras Australia stocks the Hikvision special-camera range. For specialised installs we recommend talking to our team — these are categories where install context (target distance, environment, integration) determines the right model.

For the broader Hikvision range see the Hikvision parent collection. For standard form factors see turret, bullet, dome, or PTZ.

What's in the special-cameras range

Thermal imaging

Thermal cameras detect heat signatures rather than visible light. Two primary use cases:

Perimeter detection in zero-light. Long-range fence-line and open-perimeter detection where standard cameras (even with IR) can't reach. Thermal sees a human heat signature at 300–800 m depending on lens. Used in industrial, government, critical infrastructure.
Process and equipment heat monitoring. Detecting overheating motors, electrical hotspots, conveyor friction. Industrial and manufacturing installs.

Thermal does not give descriptive identification — you see "a human-sized heat signature" not facial detail. Pair with a co-mounted standard camera for both functions.

ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition)

Dedicated cameras with specialised lenses, IR illumination, and on-board plate-reading algorithms tuned for vehicle plates in motion. Three deployment patterns:

Entry-gate ANPR. Mounted at a vehicle entry point (car park, depot gate, gated estate), reads plates as vehicles approach, integrates with gate control for automated entry of known plates.
Drive-through ANPR. Mounted alongside roadways or driveways, captures plates of passing vehicles for incident review or traffic counting.
Boundary ANPR. Mounted on long-range perimeters for read-only plate logging.

ANPR cameras are NOT standard cameras with software added — the lens, illumination, exposure and software are all tuned to plates in motion. A standard camera positioned at a gate won't reliably read plates.

Fisheye 360°

Single camera with a hemispherical lens covering 360° (ceiling mount) or 180° (wall mount). Used where a single camera position needs to cover a full room or open area without blind spots. NVR-side dewarping converts the fisheye image into navigable virtual-PTZ views.

Retail floors covered by a single ceiling-mounted fisheye instead of 4 corner cameras.
Open-plan offices, hospitality dining rooms, meeting rooms.
Reception areas with full-room coverage requirement.

Multi-sensor panoramic

Single camera enclosure with 2, 3 or 4 separate sensors covering overlapping fields of view, stitched into a single panoramic image at the NVR. Single network address, single PoE port — replaces multiple cameras with a single camera mount and a single channel.

Wide-area outdoor monitoring where multiple cameras would otherwise be needed.
Carparks, industrial yards, transit interchanges, public spaces.

Explosion-proof and hazardous-area

ATEX-rated and IECEx-rated housings for installation in environments with explosive gas, dust or vapour atmospheres — petrochemical, mining, grain handling, marine fuel. The camera optics and electronics inside are standard Hikvision; the housing certification makes it safe to install in classified hazardous zones.

How to specify a special camera

Special cameras are application-specific, not feature-tier choices. The right specification process:

Define the exact use case. "Long-range perimeter detection at night" → thermal. "Read plates at the driveway entrance" → ANPR. "Cover the whole reception in one camera" → fisheye. "Replace 3 outdoor cameras with 1" → multi-sensor. "Camera in a classified hazardous area" → explosion-proof.
Confirm target distance and environment. Thermal lens choice depends on detection range. ANPR mounting geometry depends on driveway approach speed and angle.
Confirm NVR integration. Some special cameras need NVR-side processing (fisheye dewarping, ANPR plate database integration) that requires specific NVR capability.
Confirm regulatory and certification needs. Hazardous-area installs need matched cable glands, conduit, and electrical certification.

For most special-camera installs, the design conversation precedes the product purchase. Tell us the use case and we'll specify the model and configuration.

Why buy from Security Cameras Australia

Authorised Hikvision dealer · full manufacturer warranty.
Expert support · advice on specification for thermal, ANPR, fisheye, multi-sensor and hazardous-area installs.
Tender support · documentation for industrial, government, and infrastructure procurement.
Price-match · competitive pricing on specialised equipment.

Shop the Hikvision special-cameras range

Browse below — but for any specialised install, talk to us first. Tell us the use case, environment, and target distance, and we'll specify the right model. For standard cameras see the Hikvision parent collection.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hikvision Special Cameras

When does a thermal camera make sense over a standard IR camera?

Long-range perimeter detection in genuine darkness — beyond about 50 m where standard IR illumination can't usefully reach. Thermal sees human heat signatures at 300–800 m depending on lens. Also for use cases where you need detection (not identification) in zero-light — perimeter alerting before a follow-up identification camera takes over. Thermal does NOT give descriptive identification (facial detail, clothing colour); pair with a co-mounted standard camera for both functions.

Can a standard camera read number plates if I add ANPR software?

Sometimes for stationary plates in good light. Not reliably for plates in motion, at angle, or in low-light conditions. Dedicated ANPR cameras have specialised lenses (narrow field-of-view tuned for plate size at expected distance), specialised IR illumination (high-power burst designed for plate retroreflection), and on-board plate-reading algorithms tuned to motion blur and plate angle. For any serious plate-reading install, specify a dedicated ANPR camera.

Does a fisheye camera replace multiple corner cameras?

For room coverage, often yes — one ceiling-mounted fisheye covers a room that would otherwise need 2-4 corner cameras. The trade-off is image quality at the edges (fisheye dewarping introduces some distortion) and identification distance (a fisheye covering a 10 m × 10 m room has less per-pixel resolution at the edges than a dedicated camera focused on one corner). For general coverage in retail, hospitality and open-plan offices, fisheye is excellent. For high-detail identification at specific points, dedicated cameras still win.

What's the install difference between a multi-sensor panoramic and three regular cameras?

Single mount, single PoE port, single NVR channel, single network address — instead of three separate cameras with three separate cables and three NVR channels. The cabling and rack-side simplification is significant for awkward mounting positions or sites with limited NVR channel count. The image is stitched at the NVR. Trade-off: when one sensor fails, you lose the whole camera; with three independent cameras, you lose one. For most wide-area installs the simplification wins.

Are explosion-proof Hikvision cameras certified for Australian hazardous-area installs?

Hikvision explosion-proof cameras carry ATEX and IECEx certifications which are recognised under Australian hazardous-area regulations. For any classified hazardous-area install (petrochemical, mining, grain handling, marine fuel), the install requires matched cable glands, conduit, and electrical certification — not just the certified camera. Specify the install with a hazardous-area-qualified electrical contractor. Talk to us about the spec before ordering.

Hikvision Special Cameras

FiltersFilter & Sort