The Short Answer
If your building runs Hikvision, Dahua, or one of the dozens of budget brands built on their hardware, the FCC's 2026 import ban means replacement units and spare parts are being cut off at the border. The good news: every covered camera has a straightforward compliant replacement — Avigilon, Axis Communications, Hanwha Vision, or Vivotek, depending on your budget and use case — and because a swap reuses your existing cabling and mounting points, most replacements land at the low end of the $300–$800 per-camera installed range. This guide maps each covered brand to its compliant replacement and prices the swap.
New to the topic? Start with what NDAA-compliant actually means for private businesses — this post assumes you already know you have (or suspect) covered gear and want the replacement plan.
First: Confirm What You're Actually Running
The five covered manufacturers under Section 889 are Hikvision, Dahua, Hytera, Huawei, and ZTE — plus their subsidiaries and OEM partners. The trap is that most covered cameras in the field don't say any of those names on the housing. Budget lines sold online and in big-box stores have long been relabeled covered hardware — Lorex and Amcrest, for example, have historically been built on Dahua hardware, and Hikvision OEMs are all over the budget camera market.
Three checks, a few minutes per device: the FCC ID on the label (resolves to the true manufacturer in the FCC's public database), the System Information page in the recorder's web interface, and the model numbers on your install invoice. Or skip the detective work — our free on-site assessment inventories every device and gives you the covered-or-clean verdict in writing.
The Replacement List: What to Install Instead
There's no certification body for NDAA compliance — a camera qualifies by containing no covered equipment or components. These are the compliant platforms we install and service, and where each one fits:
| Compliant Brand | Ownership / HQ | Where It Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Avigilon | Motorola Solutions (Chicago, US) | Enterprise deployments — strong video analytics, appearance search, enterprise video management |
| Axis Communications | Sweden | The reliability benchmark — invented the IP camera; premium build for critical positions |
| Hanwha Vision | South Korea | Best image quality per dollar in the commercial mid-range — the workhorse pick for most swaps |
| Vivotek | Taiwan | Value line — solid commercial cameras when budget drives the project |
Mapping from what you have to what replaces it:
| What You're Running | Compliant Replacement Path |
|---|---|
| Hikvision (or a Hikvision OEM rebrand) | Hanwha Vision or Vivotek for like-for-like coverage; Axis where the position is critical (entrances, cash handling) |
| Dahua / Lorex / Amcrest-heritage hardware | Vivotek or Hanwha Vision at the value end; Avigilon where you want analytics the old system never had |
| Covered-brand NVR | Compliant NVR sized to your camera count ($500–$3,000) — often worth upgrading storage while you're in there |
| Huawei / ZTE network gear behind the cameras | Ubiquiti UniFi switching and routing — US-headquartered, no license fees |
One system-level note: compliance is judged on the whole chain, not just the lens on the wall. A compliant camera recording to a covered NVR, or riding a covered PoE switch, hasn't solved the problem. Every quote we write covers the full path from camera to recorder to network.
Need help with this?
Call (629) 280-2800 or request a free assessment. We respond within 24 hours.
What a Swap Actually Costs
The expensive half of any camera install is infrastructure — cable runs, conduit, mounting, the network behind it. In a rip-and-replace, that half already exists. We reuse the Cat6 cabling and mounting points, pull the covered units, and hang compliant cameras in their place:
| Swap Size | Typical Installed Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Per camera (cabling reused) | Low end of $300 – $800 | Camera hardware + labor; your cable plant carries over |
| 4-camera swap | from ~$2,000 | Small retail or office; usually one day on site |
| 8-camera swap | from ~$4,000 | Restaurant or mid-size retail; NVR swap typically included |
| 16+ camera swap | from ~$8,000, often phased | Priority positions first, remainder by attrition |
Full new-install pricing — including what changes when cabling can't be reused — is in our security camera installation cost guide. Camera hardware by resolution tier: 2MP at $150–$300, 4MP (our default recommendation) at $250–$500, 4K at $400–$800.
The Phased-Swap Playbook
Almost nobody should replace every camera in one purchase order. The sequence we quote most:
- Phase 1 — the positions that matter: entrances, cash handling, exterior approaches, and anything a contract or insurer specifically asks about. These get compliant cameras now.
- Phase 2 — the recorder and network: if the NVR or switching is covered gear, it goes in the same phase — it touches every camera, so it's the highest-leverage single swap in the building.
- Phase 3 — everything else by attrition: interior hallway cameras ride out their service life and get swapped as they fail, on a per-camera price you've already locked in.
You spread the spend across quarters, and at every point the documented inventory shows exactly what's compliant and what's scheduled — which is precisely the paperwork an insurer, landlord, or contracting officer wants to see. If you're doing federal work — and around Fort Campbell a lot of Middle Tennessee businesses are — Section 889 flow-down language may make Phase 1 a contract requirement rather than a choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best NDAA-compliant replacement for Hikvision cameras?
For most commercial swaps, Hanwha Vision offers the closest like-for-like replacement at a mid-range price, with Vivotek as the value alternative. For critical positions or enterprise video management, step up to Axis Communications or Avigilon. All four are outside the covered list; the right pick depends on the position each camera covers, not brand loyalty.
How much does it cost to replace Hikvision or Dahua cameras?
With existing cabling reused, swaps land at the low end of the $300–$800 per-camera installed range — roughly $2,000 and up for a 4-camera swap, $4,000 and up for 8 cameras. Add $500–$3,000 if the NVR is covered gear and needs replacing too. A free on-site assessment turns those ranges into an itemized number for your building.
Can I keep my existing cabling and just swap the cameras?
Usually, yes — and it's the main reason swaps cost less than new installs. Modern compliant IP cameras run on the same Cat6 and PoE standards as the covered gear they replace. We test each run during the swap; the occasional failed or undersized run gets re-pulled at normal per-drop rates.
Do I need to replace my NVR too?
If the recorder is covered-list hardware, yes — it's a network device with the same firmware and support risks as the cameras, and compliance is judged on the whole system. If your recorder is already compliant, new cameras from the same ecosystem usually integrate directly.
Is there a deadline to replace covered cameras?
Not for private businesses — the import ban stops new gear at the border but doesn't mandate removal. The practical deadline is the day a covered unit fails and its matching replacement can't be imported. Federal contractors are different: Section 889 has applied since 2019, so contract requirements may already set the timeline.
Get the Replacement Plan in Writing
One walkthrough gets you a device-by-device inventory, a covered-or-clean verdict, and — if a swap is needed — a phased plan with itemized pricing that reuses everything worth reusing. Request a free assessment or call (629) 280-2800. ICTAlly installs NDAA-compliant camera systems across Nashville and Middle Tennessee — and has never installed covered-list equipment.