By the SightShield team · · 4 min read
Why so many DVR systems are due for replacement
A large share of the CCTV installed in Bangalore homes, shops, apartments and factories between 2012 and 2020 is analog: coaxial cable to each camera, a separate power supply, and a DVR in a cupboard. Many of those systems still record, but the picture is often 1MP or 2MP, the infrared has faded, the hard disk is on its last legs and the mobile app no longer works properly.
Moving to IP (network) cameras with an NVR gives sharper images, reliable phone viewing, human and vehicle detection, and a system that can grow camera by camera. It also brings the system in line with India’s 2025–26 security certification rules for network cameras, provided you choose certified models.
Signs it is time to upgrade
- You cannot read a face or a number plate at the gate, even in daylight.
- Night images are grey, noisy or dark beyond a few metres.
- The DVR beeps, reboots, or shows “HDD error” or “no disk”.
- The mobile app has stopped connecting, or works only on an old phone.
- The recorder’s firmware has not been updated in years. Old DVRs are a common target of internet botnets.
- You need more cameras than the DVR has channels for.
- You need features the old system cannot provide, such as intrusion alerts, audio, or longer storage for compliance.
What changes when you move to IP
| Old analog DVR system | IP system with NVR | |
|---|---|---|
| Cable to each camera | Coaxial cable plus a separate power cable | One Cat6 cable carrying video and power (PoE) |
| Typical resolution | 1–2MP | 2–8MP, chosen per location |
| Smart detection | Usually none | Human and vehicle detection, line crossing, intrusion zones |
| Audio | Rare | Built-in microphone on many models |
| Adding cameras | Limited by DVR channels | Add cameras on the network as you grow |
| Power | Central power supply box | PoE switch or PoE NVR on a UPS |
Can the old cables be reused?
IP cameras need network cable, so the coaxial cable itself is usually retired. What can almost always be reused is the route: existing conduits, casing and holes through walls. Pulling Cat6 through an existing conduit is far quicker and neater than cutting new paths, and it is the main reason an upgrade costs less than a fresh installation.
Where a conduit is full, blocked or too long, there are two options. Ethernet-over-coax adapters can carry network data and power over an existing coaxial run for a single camera — useful for a hard-to-reach spot. For runs over 100 metres, such as a far gate or a separate block, a small outdoor switch or a fibre link is the right answer.
A staged upgrade
You do not have to replace everything in one day. Many apartments and factories upgrade in stages so the premises are never without cameras:
- Stage 1: install the NVR, PoE switch and UPS, and move the most important cameras — main gate, entrances, cash counter, parking entry — to IP.
- Stage 2: move perimeter and common-area cameras, reusing conduits.
- Stage 3: retire the DVR once its recordings are no longer needed for the retention period you follow.
Choosing cameras for the upgrade
Use the upgrade to put the right camera in each place rather than replacing like for like. A 4MP camera is a good default for most positions; 6–8MP or a narrower lens at the main gate for faces and number plates; colour night-vision cameras where there is some ambient light; and vandal-resistant domes where cameras are within reach.
Since April 2026, IP cameras sold in India must be from models certified under the government’s Essential Requirements testing. SightShield installs IP systems only, from CP Plus, PRAMA, Honeywell and Hikvision, and quotes only models whose certification we can confirm.
PRAMA CCTV →What it costs
The cost of an upgrade depends on the number of cameras, the resolution, the days of recording you want and how much of the existing cable route can be reused. Compared with a new installation, upgrades usually save on labour and conduit, but the cameras, NVR, hard disk and PoE switch are new. Use our CCTV estimator for a quick ballpark, then we confirm the figure after a free site survey that checks every existing route.
Don’t forget the hard disk and old recordings
Before the DVR is switched off, export any footage you may need for an incident, insurance claim or police complaint. If you follow a retention rule — for example, 30 days for premises covered by the Karnataka Public Safety Act — keep the old recorder running in parallel until that period has passed, or archive the footage. Old DVR hard disks are rarely worth moving to an NVR; a new surveillance-grade disk sized for your cameras is safer.
Quick answers
Can I connect my old analog cameras to a new NVR?+
Not directly. An NVR records IP cameras. Analog cameras need a DVR, so a proper upgrade replaces the cameras as well as the recorder. A staged upgrade lets you replace the most important cameras first.
Can I reuse my coaxial cables for IP cameras?+
For one or two hard-to-reach cameras, Ethernet-over-coax adapters can carry network and power over existing coax. For the rest, we pull new Cat6 through the existing conduits, which keeps the work neat and quick.
How long does an upgrade take?+
A typical home or shop with 4–8 cameras takes a day. Apartments and factories are usually done in stages over a few days so the site is never without coverage.
Will my old CCTV app work with the new system?+
Usually not. The new system uses the brand’s current app, which we install and set up on your phones during handover, with separate logins for each family member or manager.
Do you upgrade systems you did not install?+
Yes. We survey any existing system, whatever the brand, and give you a written, itemised upgrade proposal.