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Does the Hikvision DS-2CD2387G2-LU work without internet?
Still checking this one. 6 of 7 criteria ticked so far for the Hikvision DS-2CD2387G2-LU.
Verdict · as sold
UnverifiedNot checked enough to say yet. What is known is shown, with sources.
- Checked
- 6/7 checked
- Brand
- Hikvision · CN
- Model
- DS-2CD2387G2-LU
- Home Assistant
hikvision· vendor cloud: never- Track record
- Not reviewed yet
Seven questions, as sold.
6 of 7 checked. Every yes or no links to its source and the date it was checked. Nothing here assumes a flash: that’s the next section.
- Works with the internet cut 01 · Not checked
Does the main function survive with the WAN cable pulled?
- No vendor account needed 02 · Yes
Can it be set up without creating an account with the manufacturer?
Hikvision's network camera manual activates the camera by setting an admin password via web browser or SADP on the LAN; enabling Hik-Connect during activation is described as optional.
- Documented local API 03 · Yes
Is there a publicly documented local protocol: HTTP, MQTT, ONVIF, RTSP, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, Modbus?
Hikvision's datasheet for the DS-2CD2387G2-L(U)K variant lists ONVIF Profile S/G/T, ISAPI and SDK under API; the -LU datasheet itself is no longer served by Hikvision's CDN.
- Can be firewalled off for good 04 · Yes
Can it be cut off from the internet permanently without anything breaking?
Platform Access (Hik-Connect) is an Enable checkbox under Configuration > Network > Advanced Settings that you tick to opt in; with it off nothing in the camera talks to Hikvision.
- Firmware updates without the cloud 05 · Yes
Can it be updated by hand, with no forced auto-update?
Configuration > System > Maintenance > Upgrade & Maintenance: browse to a local firmware file and click Upgrade.
- Runs alternative firmware 06 · No
Can it run ESPHome, Tasmota, OpenBeken, Valetudo or OpenIPC?
Not on OpenIPC's supported-devices list nor on Thingino's camera list.
- Home Assistant talks to it locally 07 · Yes
Is the Home Assistant integration local_push or local_polling?
iot_class: local_push
Already own one? Into Home Assistant, then.
A different question from the verdict. Home Assistant can talk to a device locally and still need Hikvision’s servers to get started, or for good. This is what the integration itself needs.
Yes, and Hikvision is not involved: Home Assistant talks to the Hikvision DS-2CD2387G2-LU directly. Nothing in the integration needs the vendor's servers.
- Route
- Built-in integration
- Integration
hikvision- Vendor cloud
- Never
- Verified
- 2026-09-22
The core hikvision integration (local_push) subscribes to the camera's event stream with its local credentials and exposes motion and line-crossing as binary sensors; pair it with the generic ONVIF integration for the video stream.
Question 08 · the company
Hikvision’s track record.
Nothing on record. That isn’t a clean bill yet: it takes a proper look through the vendor’s changelog, and that hasn’t been done for Hikvision. No documented removal found. Firmware 5.5.0 turned ONVIF off by default and requires creating an ONVIF user, which is a default change the owner can undo, not a revocation. No source establishes the opposite either.
Editor’s note
In plain words.
Activate it with an admin password from its web page, leave the Hik-Connect checkbox alone, and Hikvision's servers never enter the picture: ONVIF, RTSP and ISAPI serve the video and events, and firmware is a file you upload. It records to a microSD card, a NAS or an NVR. What is still missing here is a written Hikvision statement that recording carries on with the internet cut, so the verdict stays unverified until someone sources it.
Wrong? Probably somewhere.
Say where. A link and a sentence is enough. Every claim above carries its source so it can be checked.