Remote maintenance for an IoT world

There are more and more connected ‘IoT’ devices appearing throughout homes and businesses. In fact, statistics show a rise of IoT devices from 30.73 billion in 2020 to 75.44 in 20251. Their benefits are indisputable, but how can they be maintained? The very concept of the IoT phenomenon responds to the ‘always on’ nature of modern life. So for updating and troubleshooting activities to be a part of that, remote maintenance is needed.

Hikvision already offers an app – Hik-Connect – to help people monitor their homes and small businesses while on the move – but now there’s another tool that allows them to get installer professionals to oversee maintenance remotely. This is called Hik-ProConnect.

Remote interaction

IoT security devices are becoming popular to cater for a need for visibility and flexibility as people go about their daily lives. It’s a great comfort to be able to see what’s going on at home or in your business from your phone. Many people also use this technology to monitor their front door, or even allow trusted people access to their home remotely.

This phenomenon has also led to another change in behaviors that has been building for a while – raised expectation. With more services, and activities, going online, the perception of ‘immediacy’ is coming to the fore. People expect things to happen much more quickly, and to be able to do things seamlessly. For example, research by Salesforce has found that 64% of consumers and 80% of business buyers expect companies to respond to and interact with them in real time2.

Speed is now of the essence for interactions. The fact that people can control their own devices remotely means that they naturally expect other services to be as real-time.

And this is where Hik-ProConnect comes in. It can identify and resolve device failures, communications loss, and other issues remotely and efficiently. Depending on the access a customer agrees to, installers can keep an eye on a system, potentially fixing any issues even before their customer is affected by them. This means customers get fast service, without having to wait for a technician to make the journey to their premises.

Peace of mind – in many ways

Hik-ProConnect provides flexible linkage rules among multiple Hikvision devices, so it can integrate cameras, recorders, security control panel, access control and video intercom devices, and doorbells. These can all be customized according to customers’ specific needs, for rules like event type, time schedules and triggered actions. Customers can use their Hik-Connect app to get notifications and view events with video clips.

As it is a convergent, cloud-based security solution, Hik-ProConnect can also offer a ‘safe haven’ for data if there are power interruptions at the customer’s site, or their recording device get damaged or stolen, for example. Installer companies can also offer ‘storage’ facilities for their customers.

This could improve safety in a customer’s building. For example if a battery in a smoke detector is depleted, it could be flagged remotely through the system. This could be a life saver if this isn’t picked up locally.

One of the most important aspects of Hik-ProConnect is remote operations. Customers can customize access permissions as needed, which means their sites will be managed remotely with explicit consent and authorization. For example, they can manage configuration requests through their Hik-Connect app. The use of the Hik-ProConnect system can provide peace of mind to busy customers. It also, crucially, free up a lot of time for them.

As we all adapt to the world of IoT, we expect those supporting us to follow suit. Now they can, with technical support offered remotely in a safe manner. The combination of Hik-Connect and Hik-ProConnect becomes a powerful ally in the drive to keep up with the speed and urgency of modern life.