FCC Camera Ban 2026: Hikvision, Dahua, Hanwha and What to Do Now

The Short Answer

Hikvision and Dahua are banned; Hanwha is not. On June 26, 2026 the FCC prohibited the continued importation and marketing of previously authorized equipment from Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua, the five manufacturers that have sat on its Covered List since 2021, and this time the ban reaches older models, not just new ones (FCC Public Notice DA 26-635). It took effect July 16, 2026. Your existing cameras will not shut off, and nothing in the order requires you to remove them. But no new Hikvision or Dahua model has been able to get FCC authorization since November 2022, and the July order now blocks the older models too when they are imported or marketed for public-safety, government-facility, or national-security uses. If your building runs Hikvision or Dahua gear (and a lot of Nashville buildings do, often without knowing it), the supply of matching replacement units and spare parts is aging out. The smart move is to find out what you're actually running, then plan the swap on your schedule instead of during an emergency.

ICTAlly has never installed covered-list equipment. Every camera platform we deploy (Avigilon, Axis Communications, Hanwha Vision, Vivotek) is outside the banned list, which is why none of our clients have to care about this news. Here's what everyone else should know.

Status as of September 2026

Last verified September 25, 2026 against the FCC Covered List page and the Federal Register documents linked below. Hikvision and Dahua are covered. Hanwha Vision is not. The prohibition on importing and marketing previously authorized covered equipment has been in force since July 16, 2026, and it is set to widen on October 13, 2026. This section is dated on purpose so you can tell whether what you are reading is current.

• The operative date is July 16, 2026. The prohibition took effect ten days after publication in the Federal Register (91 FR 41023, July 6, 2026). It reaches older, previously cleared Hikvision, Dahua, and Hytera models when they are imported or marketed for public safety, government facility, and other national security uses.
• The next date is October 13, 2026. The FCC adopted a narrower definition of critical infrastructure on July 22, 2026 (FCC 26-50), published in the Federal Register (91 FR 57798, September 11, 2026) and effective October 13, 2026. The July notice said the paused critical infrastructure part of the ban switches on when that definition takes effect, so from October 13 importing or marketing this gear for physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure is set to be prohibited too.
• No new models since November 11, 2022. According to the FCC, equipment from the five manufacturers listed in 2021 has not received a new authorization since that date, so no newly authorized model from those makers has reached the US market in nearly four years.
• Installed equipment is untouched. The FCC states the prohibition does not affect the continued use or operation of equipment you legally bought. Nothing in the FCC's orders requires you to remove a working camera. Separately, Section 889 of the NDAA bars federal agencies from buying this equipment and from contracting with companies that use it, even outside the federal job itself.
• Hanwha Vision is not on the list. It is a South Korean manufacturer and it is not named in any of these FCC actions. The confusion comes from its name sitting next to covered brands in search results and replacement guides, not from anything the FCC has said.
• Litigation is still open. Hikvision's challenge to the FCC's 2025 equipment authorization rules, Hikvision USA, Inc. v. FCC, No. 25-1274 (D.C. Cir.), was fully briefed in June 2026. We found no decision as of September 25, 2026, and the July 2026 prohibition is in force while it is pending.

If your building runs covered brands, the next step has not changed: inventory what you own, then map each unit to its replacement. Our commercial security camera installation team does the inventory as part of a walkthrough.

Which Camera Brands Are Banned? Brand by Brand

The FCC Covered List names five manufacturers: Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua. Here is where the camera brands Nashville businesses ask us about most actually stand.

What Is the FCC Covered List, and Which Camera Brands Are on It in 2026?

The FCC Covered List is the federal government's roster of communications equipment deemed a national security risk. As of September 2026 the equipment makers on it are Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua, plus certain foreign-produced drones and routers added in 2025 and 2026. For video surveillance specifically, Hikvision and Dahua are the two camera makers on the list; both lost FCC authorization for new models in November 2022, and since July 16, 2026 their older, previously authorized models cannot be imported or marketed for public safety, government-facility, or national-security uses either.

Are Hikvision Cameras Banned?

Yes. Hikvision has been on the FCC Covered List since 2021, the FCC has not authorized any new Hikvision model since November 11, 2022, and since July 16, 2026 its older, previously authorized models can no longer be imported or marketed for public safety, government facilities, or other national security purposes (FCC Public Notice DA 26-635). Section 889 of the NDAA has separately barred Hikvision equipment from federal contract work since 2019. Installed Hikvision cameras keep working, but the pipeline of new models closed in 2022, so matching replacements and spare parts get harder to find every year.

Are Dahua Cameras Banned?

Yes. Dahua sits on the FCC Covered List alongside Hikvision and is covered by the same rules: no new models authorized since November 2022, and since July 16, 2026 no importing or marketing of its older, previously authorized models for public safety, government-facility, or national-security uses. Dahua also builds hardware that other companies relabel, and brands like Lorex and Amcrest have historically been built on Dahua equipment, so an off-brand camera can be covered gear inside.

Are Lorex or Amcrest cameras banned?

Lorex and Amcrest are not named on the FCC Covered List themselves, but both brands have historically sold cameras built on Dahua hardware, and Dahua is banned. Whether a specific Lorex or Amcrest unit is affected comes down to what is actually inside it, so check the FCC ID on the label against the FCC's public database instead of trusting the logo on the housing.

Are Hanwha Cameras Banned?

No. Hanwha Vision is a South Korean manufacturer and is not on the FCC Covered List, so its cameras are not affected by the 2022 authorization freeze or the July 2026 import ban, and it is not one of the five companies named in Section 889 of the NDAA. Hanwha is one of the most common NDAA-compliant alternatives we install when replacing covered Hikvision or Dahua systems, alongside Axis Communications and Avigilon.

Are Axis or Avigilon Cameras Banned?

No. Axis Communications is a Swedish manufacturer, and Avigilon is owned by Chicago-based Motorola Solutions; neither is on the FCC Covered List, so neither is touched by the import ban. Along with Hanwha Vision, these are the NDAA-compliant platforms we install in place of covered Hikvision and Dahua gear.

Where Is the Official FCC Covered List, and What Does It Say?

The official list lives on one page: the FCC's Covered List, maintained by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. It names the equipment makers, not individual model numbers, and it is the only version that counts. Reseller pages, forum posts, and vendor comparison charts are secondhand and go stale fast.

Two details trip people up when they read it for the first time. First, the video surveillance entries are listed on a use basis: the equipment is covered when it is used for public safety, security of government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure, and other national security purposes. Second, the July ban on importing or marketing this gear for critical infrastructure surveillance was put on hold, because a 2024 D.C. Circuit ruling sent the FCC's earlier definition of critical infrastructure back to be rewritten. The new definition takes effect October 13, 2026 and covers systems and assets so vital that losing them would have a debilitating impact on national security, the economy, or public health or safety. Until that date, coverage reads narrower in practice than the headlines suggest.

The July 2026 action itself is Public Notice DA 26-635 in PS Docket No. 26-72, released June 26, 2026. If you need to point a tenant or a customer to the source, the primary documents are that notice, its Federal Register publication, and the FCC 26-50 definition. Federal bid packages are governed by Section 889 and the FAR clauses that implement it, so check your contract language with your contracting officer or counsel.

What the FCC Actually Announced

Back in November 2022, the FCC stopped authorizing new models of telecom and video surveillance equipment from five Chinese manufacturers it designated as national security risks: Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua. That left a loophole: models authorized before the 2022 cutoff could keep flowing into the country, and they did, by the container load.

The June 26 action closes most of that loophole. Importing or marketing the older, previously grandfathered models is now prohibited too, effective July 16, 2026, when the equipment is sold for public safety, security of government facilities, or other national security purposes (the critical infrastructure surveillance category joins that list on October 13, 2026, when the FCC's new definition of the term takes effect). Any camera system that ever touches government or public-safety work is squarely inside that line.

This is the third Covered List action since December 2025, and the direction of travel is obvious:

• December 2025: certain foreign-produced drones (UAS) and their critical components added to the Covered List
• March 2026: certain foreign-produced routers added to the Covered List
• June 2026: the camera and telecom ban extended from new models to the older, previously authorized models

Each round reaches further into gear that ordinary businesses buy. Betting your security system on this trend reversing is not a plan.

This Started With the NDAA, Not the FCC

If the five names sound familiar, it's because Congress got here first. Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act barred federal agencies (and contractors doing federal work) from using video surveillance and telecom equipment from these same five companies. That's been the law for federal work since 2019; it's why NDAA-compliant camera systems are their own service line for us, especially around Fort Campbell.

The sequence looks like this: 2019, banned for federal work. 2022, no new models authorized for sale. 2026, the older models cut off too for public-safety, government, and national-security uses. Every step pushed the restriction deeper into the ordinary commercial market. If your business ever touches government work (federal, and increasingly state and municipal), the compliance bar you'll be asked to clear already exists, and it's written into contracts as Section 889 flow-down language.

How to Tell If Your Building Is Running Covered Gear

Here's the trap: most covered cameras in the field don't say Hikvision or Dahua anywhere on the housing. Both companies build cameras that get relabeled and sold under dozens of other brand names. Lorex and Amcrest, for example, have historically been built on Dahua hardware, and Hikvision OEMs are all over the budget camera market. A logo you've never heard of, or even one you have, can be covered equipment underneath.

Three ways to check what you actually own:

• Log into the recorder. Open your NVR or camera web interface and look at the System Information page; manufacturer and model are usually listed there, even on rebranded units.
• Read the sticker. Every camera and recorder has an FCC ID on the label. The first characters identify the actual manufacturer, and the ID can be looked up in the FCC's public database.
• Pull the invoice. Model numbers on your original install paperwork can be cross-referenced. If your installer can't tell you who actually made the cameras, that tells you something too.

If you don't want to crawl through admin pages, we inventory the make and model of every device as part of a free on-site assessment; it takes us about an hour for a typical small building.

Are Cameras Sold at Big Box Retailers Section 889 Compliant?

Some are and some are not, and the shelf label usually will not tell you. Section 889 of the 2019 NDAA is a federal procurement rule: it restricts federal agencies and their contractors from buying or using covered equipment. It does not regulate what a home improvement store or an online marketplace may stock, so a retail listing is never proof of anything either way.

The reliable check is the manufacturer of record, not the brand on the box. Plenty of value priced cameras are built by an original manufacturer and sold under a different label, which is how a building ends up with covered hardware behind an unfamiliar name. Ask the seller in writing who manufactures the unit, then compare that answer to the Covered List. If the seller will not answer, treat the unit as unknown and keep it out of any project with a federal customer downstream.

The FCC is tightening this from its side too. The same FCC 26-50 order bars new authorizations, from October 13, 2026, for devices that contain a logic-bearing chip or module made by a Covered List company, confirms that its marketing rules reach online marketplaces, and will require those marketplaces to show a device's FCC ID at the point of sale, with the display rules phasing in during 2027.

This matters most for multi-building portfolios, where purchasing happens in a dozen places over a decade. If that sounds like your situation, our property management security systems team can standardize the spec before the next purchase order goes out.

Your Cameras Won't Shut Off. Here's the Real Risk

Nothing in the FCC order requires you to remove installed equipment, and there's no kill switch. The risk is slower and more expensive than that:

None of this means panic-ripping cameras off the wall this week. It means the clock on your current system started ticking, and you get to choose whether the replacement happens as a planned project or an emergency. (New to the topic? Start with our plain-English explainer: what NDAA-compliant actually means for private businesses.)

What Replacing Covered Cameras Actually Costs

Real numbers from our Middle Tennessee project data: commercial camera installation runs $300 to $800 per camera installed, and a full 8-camera commercial system typically lands between $4,000 and $7,000.

Swap-outs usually come in at the low end of that range, because the expensive half of a camera install is the infrastructure, and yours already exists. In most rip-and-replace projects we reuse the existing Cat6 cabling and mounting points, pull the covered units, and hang compliant Avigilon, Axis, or Hanwha Vision cameras in their place. It is the same crew and process as our commercial camera installation work, minus most of the cabling labor. The building keeps its cable plant; only the hardware changes.

For buildings with a lot of cameras, a phased swap works: covered units watching entrances, cash handling, and exterior approaches get replaced first; interior hallway cameras ride out their service life and get swapped by attrition. You spread the cost over quarters instead of eating it in one bite. We've mapped the whole decision (which compliant brand replaces which covered brand, and what each swap size costs) in our NDAA camera replacement list and cost guide.

How ICTAlly Stays Ahead of This

We made the platform call years ago and it wasn't complicated: gear that Congress bans from federal buildings has no business in our clients' buildings either. So we never stocked or installed covered-list equipment; every system we've deployed is NDAA-compliant, and every project ships with a documented make-and-model inventory so a compliance officer, insurer, or contracting officer can verify it in writing.

Where a US-based manufacturer competes on merit, we spec it: PDK access control is built by a Utah company, and Ubiquiti's UniFi line (much of our network gear) is a US-headquartered company. On the camera side, the compliant market is led by Axis (Sweden), Hanwha Vision (South Korea), and Avigilon (owned by Chicago-based Motorola Solutions), and as more US-made camera lines mature, we'll spec those when they win on performance and price. What we won't do is put banned equipment on your network because it was cheap that week.

One honest disclaimer, same as we give every compliance client: we install and document the equipment; final compliance determinations for your contracts rest with your contracting officer or counsel. We just make sure the equipment facts are in writing and on your side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to remove my Hikvision or Dahua cameras now?

No. The FCC order covers importing and marketing, not use. The Commission states the prohibition does not affect the continued use or operation of equipment you legally bought, and nothing in it requires removal. Federal contractors are the exception: since 2020, Section 889 has barred agencies from contracting with companies that use this equipment anywhere in their operations, unless a waiver or exception applies.

Is Alhua the same thing as Dahua?

Yes. Alhua is a common misspelling of Dahua Technology, the camera maker on the FCC Covered List, so everything on this page about Dahua applies to your equipment. Labels on the camera body sometimes read DH or DHI rather than the full brand name, which is part of why the misspelling spreads.

Is there a new FCC deadline for cameras coming up?

Most likely yes. The FCC's new definition of critical infrastructure takes effect on October 13, 2026 (FCC 26-50, 91 FR 57798), and the July notice says the ban then also reaches importing or marketing covered Hikvision, Dahua, and Hytera gear for physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure. We found no camera customs deadline in September 2026: the September 14 date in trade bulletins was the Section 232 copper smelt and cast reporting rule (CBP CSMS 69711865), which has nothing to do with cameras.

Can I still buy Hikvision or Dahua cameras in the US?

The FCC rules fall on the companies that import and sell this gear, and those companies may now offer it only for uses outside the covered purposes. Since July 16, 2026, importing or marketing these models, which includes selling or offering them for sale, is prohibited for public safety, government facility, and other national security purposes, and critical infrastructure surveillance joins that list on October 13, 2026. No new model from either maker has cleared FCC equipment authorization since November 2022, so buying deeper into either platform in 2026 means buying into a parts supply that is getting harder to find.

Is the FCC import ban the same as the NDAA ban?

No. Section 889 of the 2019 NDAA is a procurement rule aimed at federal agencies and their contractors. The FCC Covered List and the July 2026 prohibition work through equipment authorization, importing, and marketing, and they apply to anyone importing or selling this gear in the US, not only federal buyers. Gear can sit outside your procurement obligations and still be caught by the FCC rule.

What cameras can I install instead?

The commercial platforms we deploy sit outside the Covered List: Avigilon, Axis Communications, Hanwha Vision, and Vivotek. A like for like swap reuses your existing cabling, mounts, and PoE switching, so the labor is far lighter than a new build. Our NDAA compliant camera replacement list maps each covered model to its closest match, and the NDAA compliant camera installation page covers how we phase a building.

What should defense contractors near Fort Campbell do?

Don't wait on the import ban; Section 889 already applies to your contracts. Get a documented make-and-model inventory of every camera and network device, replace anything covered, and keep the paperwork. That inventory is exactly what we hand over on every NDAA-compliant deployment.

Get a Quote

If you want to know what is actually on your walls before a failed camera forces the question, we will go find out. A walkthrough gets you a device by device list with manufacturer, model, and Covered List status in writing, plus a phased replacement plan for anything covered and a price for the work. No obligation, and you keep the inventory either way.

Book a walkthrough with ICTAlly, read how we handle low voltage and security work across Nashville, or call us at (629) 280-2800 and describe what you are running.