Whatever Happened to Samsung CCTV? Meet Hanwha Wisenet

If you searched for a Samsung security camera and landed on a product page for something called Wisenet, you have not been sent to the wrong site. This happens to a lot of people who bought a Samsung-branded CCTV system years ago and are now trying to find a matching camera, replacement part, or firmware update.

Samsung security cameras still exist. They are just not called Samsung anymore, and understanding why matters if you are deciding whether to trust the brand with your next system.

What actually happened to Samsung's CCTV business

Samsung Techwin, the division that built Samsung's security cameras, was sold to the Hanwha Group in 2014. Hanwha is one of South Korea's largest industrial groups, with interests spanning defence, chemicals, and electronics, so this was not a struggling brand being offloaded. It was a targeted acquisition of a working, profitable camera business.

The division was renamed Hanwha Techwin, and later Hanwha Vision as the company restructured its global security arm. Throughout all of this, the product line kept the Wisenet name, which Samsung had already been using as its camera platform branding before the sale. So a Wisenet camera bought today is built by largely the same organisation, using the same imaging heritage, just under a new parent company.

This is worth saying plainly for anyone who has been burned by a brand quietly getting bought out and quality dropping: that is not what happened here. Hanwha kept investing in the range. The Wisenet X and P series that installers use on commercial jobs today are a direct continuation of that Samsung engineering lineage.

Why the Samsung confusion is still happening in 2026

A decade on, the confusion has not gone away, and there are a few reasons for that.

• Old signage and documentation still reads Samsung, especially on commercial and government installs done before 2016.

• Search habits die hard. People who bought Samsung gear years ago still search for Samsung camera app or Samsung CCTV support before they ever hear the word Wisenet.

• Samsung the electronics giant still sells an unrelated consumer product called SmartCam, which has confused plenty of people into thinking that is the same product line. It is not. SmartCam was a separate Samsung Electronics consumer gadget, since discontinued, and has nothing to do with the professional Wisenet CCTV range Hanwha now makes.

If you are trying to find support for an old system and searching Samsung CCTV keeps landing you on Wisenet pages, that is the correct result, not a mistake.

Is Wisenet the same quality as the old Samsung cameras

In practice, most installers would say Wisenet has moved on rather than stayed still. Hanwha has continued Samsung's tradition of designing its own image sensors and processing chips in-house rather than buying off-the-shelf silicon like many budget brands do. The current WiseNet5 and WiseNet7 chipsets sit behind the noise reduction, wide dynamic range, and low-light performance that Wisenet cameras are known for.

What has changed is where the brand sits in the market. Wisenet has settled into a premium, slightly higher-priced position compared with the volume Chinese brands, and it tends to get chosen for a specific reason rather than by default. Government buildings, schools, and defence-adjacent sites lean toward it because Hanwha is South Korean, not Chinese, which sidesteps NDAA-style origin restrictions that some contracts require.

The Wisenet range explained

The current line-up is broad enough to confuse a first-time buyer, so here is the shape of it in plain terms.

• P series: flagship, high-channel-count cameras with the strongest AI analytics, aimed at large commercial and government sites.

• X series: the workhorse commercial range, covering dome, bullet, and PTZ formats with solid AI object detection.

• Q and D series: mid-range and entry commercial cameras, a common pick for retail and small business fit-outs.

• XRN NVR range: the recorders that pair with the above, from small 8-channel units through to large multi-bay 64-channel systems for bigger sites.

For most Australian homeowners and small businesses, the Q and X series cameras paired with a mid-size XRN NVR cover the vast majority of use cases without paying for P series government-grade features you will never touch.

How Wisenet compares to Hikvision, Dahua and Uniview

Common mistakes people make with Wisenet

• Assuming Samsung still directly manufactures the cameras. It does not, though the Samsung engineering DNA is real.

• Expecting the consumer Samsung SmartCam app to work with a Wisenet professional camera. It will not. Wisenet uses its own SmartViewer and Wisenet Mobile apps.

• Searching by an old Samsung model number when trying to buy a replacement or compatible accessory, instead of the current Wisenet model naming.

• Assuming Wisenet cameras are interchangeable with any NVR brand without checking ONVIF compatibility first.

Should you buy Wisenet in 2026

If you specifically want a non-Chinese-manufactured system, sitting alongside brands like Ajax on the alarm side, Wisenet is one of the few professional CCTV options that ticks that box without dropping build quality. It also holds its own on straight image performance against Hikvision and Dahua, it is just priced a notch higher for it.

For a straightforward home job where origin of manufacture is not a deciding factor, Hikvision or Dahua will usually get you more camera for the same budget. Wisenet earns its place when there is a specific reason to choose it: government tender requirements, a body corporate wanting to match an existing Wisenet install, or a buyer who has simply always trusted the Samsung name and wants its direct successor.

Browse the current Wisenet camera and kit range to see where it sits on price against Hikvision and Dahua for your property.

Hanwha Wisenet CCTV kit Pick

Hanwha Wisenet 4 Camera Dome CCTV Kit

A strong option for dome camera installations, featuring 4MP outdoor vandal-resistant dome cameras, a 4-channel AI NVR, PoE setup, H.265 recording, and included HDD storage.

View Product

Frequently asked questions

Does Samsung still make CCTV cameras?

No. Samsung sold its CCTV division to Hanwha in 2014. The cameras continued under the Wisenet name and are now made by Hanwha Vision, using much of the same engineering team and imaging technology Samsung developed.

Is Wisenet as good as Hikvision or Dahua?

On image quality and build, yes, it holds its own. Wisenet tends to sit at a slightly higher price point and is often chosen specifically because it is not Chinese-manufactured, which matters for some government and institutional buyers.

What does NDAA mean and does it affect me?

NDAA refers to US legislation restricting government use of certain Chinese-made surveillance equipment. Most Australian homes and small businesses are not affected by it, but government departments, schools, and some corporate tenders often specify NDAA-compliant or non-Chinese hardware, which is where Wisenet is frequently chosen.

What app do Wisenet cameras use?

Wisenet systems use the SmartViewer desktop software and the Wisenet Mobile app. This is a completely different app to the discontinued Samsung SmartCam consumer product, so do not expect any crossover between the two.

Are Wisenet cameras made in Korea?

Wisenet is a South Korean brand under Hanwha Vision, and its engineering and design work is based there, though like most global camera manufacturers, some hardware assembly happens across multiple facilities.

Can I still get support for an old Samsung-branded camera?

For very old Samsung Techwin-era hardware, support and firmware updates can be limited. For anything from the Wisenet era onward, current support channels apply. If in doubt, check the model number against the current Wisenet range or ask us to help identify it.