Not worth the cost and aggravation
Hikvision seems to be a popular brand that is installed by professional alarm system installers. However, as mentioned by other reviews, the software is overly complex, buggy, and at times outdated in its interface. Popular consumer brands such as Eufy or Blink have better software apps that are user friendly and easier to retrieve recordings. We have Hikvision that was installed as part of our new home construction, but regret that we didn't take a more active role in researching this brand before having it installed. We had trusted the alarm installation company since they were very professional. I think Hikvision software would be fine if you are an alarm installer yourself, but for everyone else, please stay away and save yourself a ton of money and aggravation. You can just buy a consumer brand and pay an alarm installer to set them up for you if you wish.