SecuritySpy turns your Mac into the recorder. It can pull the channels from a Hikvision NVR using its built-in Hikvision profile, but it stores footage on the Mac, not on the recorder. That means an always-on Mac, an external drive, and a licence priced by camera count, from GBP 35.90 for 1 camera to GBP 749 for unlimited cameras, as of October 2026. If you only want to view and play back what the NVR already records, a viewer is cheaper and simpler.
Updated October 2026.
What does SecuritySpy actually do with a Hikvision NVR?
SecuritySpy is Mac-native video recording software from Ben Software. It connects to cameras over the network, records to local or external storage, runs motion detection and serves its own web interface. It is a Universal app, so it runs natively on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs according to Rosetta Check.
With a Hikvision NVR in the picture, the relationship changes. In a Ben Software forum thread from December 2024 to January 2025, the developer explained how SecuritySpy pulls individual channels from a Hikvision recorder through its Hikvision profile, and the user confirmed it worked. The NVR carries on recording to its own disks, and SecuritySpy records a second copy to the Mac.
So you end up with two recorders, or you retire the NVR, connect the cameras to a PoE switch and let SecuritySpy record them directly. Ben Software describes both paths in its January 2025 post on replacing a hardware NVR with SecuritySpy. For the wider set of Mac routes, start with our hub on viewing Hikvision cameras on a Mac.
How to set up SecuritySpy with a Hikvision NVR
You need the NVR's IP address on your LAN, an admin or operator account on the NVR, and RTSP enabled in the NVR's network settings. Have an external drive formatted and connected before you start recording.
- Install and open SecuritySpy. Download the current build from Ben Software's download page. Version 6.21 was released on 5 August 2026 and needs macOS 10.13.6 or later.
- Grant Local Network permission. On macOS Sequoia and later, open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network and switch SecuritySpy on. Skip this and the app may report "no route to host" when it tries to reach the NVR. Ben Software's fix is to toggle the permission off and on again.
- Add a camera and choose the Hikvision profile. Go to Settings > Cameras and click the plus (+) button at the bottom left to add a new network device. On the Device tab, set Profile to Hikvision; if it is not in the short list, click Show All (SecuritySpy manual).
- Enter the NVR address and login. Use the NVR's IP, port 554 for RTSP unless you changed it, and the NVR username and password. Avoid special characters in the password until the first channel works; they often need URL-encoding.
- Set the input number. With the Hikvision profile, the Input or stream number setting picks the NVR camera: 1 for the first camera, 2 for the second, and so on, per Ben Software's forum guidance. The 101 and 201 channel codes in our Hikvision RTSP URL guide, taken from Hikvision's RTSP bulletin, are for a manual RTSP path, not this field.
- Repeat for each channel. Each NVR channel is a separate camera in SecuritySpy and counts towards your licence.
- Point recording at the external drive. Set the capture destination to the external volume and choose how many days to keep. Internal SSDs fill fast and wear out under continuous video writes.
Sequoia "no route to host" fix
Ben Software covered this in the same forum thread in January 2025. If SecuritySpy shows "no route to host" when you first open it under Sequoia, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network and toggle SecuritySpy off and then on again. The developer called it the only Sequoia issue they knew of at the time, and the user in the thread upgraded without needing the fix.
What does SecuritySpy cost against keeping the NVR?
SecuritySpy licences are priced by camera count. The figures below were read from Ben Software's download page on 14 October 2026 and are in GBP; the page also offers payment in euros and US dollars. The figures were unchanged when we rechecked on 20 October 2026. There is a 30-day free trial. Each licence covers one Mac and never expires; it includes two years of updates and email support, and extending that is optional.
The "keep your NVR" column uses HikGrid as the viewer. HikGrid is our app: a native Mac viewer for Hikvision and HiLook recorders with live view, playback, recording search and footage download. It does not record and it does not change recorder settings, so it is only a fair comparison if your NVR stays in service.
| Cameras | SecuritySpy licence (GBP, one-time) | Keep NVR + HikGrid (GBP, one-time) | Keep NVR + iVMS-4200 for Mac (GBP) | Extra hardware for SecuritySpy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 35.90 | 39.95 | 0 | Always-on Mac, external drive |
| 4 | 84.75 | 39.95 | 0 | Always-on Mac, external drive |
| 8 | 169.50 | 39.95 | 0 | Always-on Mac, external drive |
| 12 | 254.25 | 39.95 | 0 | Always-on Mac, external drive |
| 16 | 339.00 | 39.95 | 0 | Always-on Mac, external drive |
| 24 | 469.00 | 39.95 | 0 | Always-on Mac, external drive |
| 32 | 589.00 | 39.95 | 0 | Always-on Mac, external drive |
| Unlimited | 749.00 | 39.95 | 0 | Always-on Mac, external drive |
Three caveats. First, iVMS-4200 for Mac is free but Intel-only and runs under Rosetta 2 on Apple Silicon, per Rosetta Check; many Mac users describe it as slow. Second, the HikGrid price is for one Mac and includes a lifetime licence and monthly feature upgrades, with a free trial so you can confirm it works with your recorder first. Third, the storage and electricity costs of a Mac running around the clock are real but vary too much to tabulate honestly.
If you are weighing a Mac-as-recorder setup against other software, our best NVR software for Mac post covers Agent DVR, Frigate and Shinobi too.
What do you give up by moving recording to the Mac?
SecuritySpy is good at what it does, but it is not a drop-in replacement for the recorder's own software. These are the main losses, several of them raised in the Ben Software forum thread.
- NVR storage. The NVR's hard drives sit idle unless you keep both recording. Your Mac's external drive becomes the archive, so its failure is your problem.
- Line-crossing and intrusion configuration. SecuritySpy has its own motion detection. It does not configure Hikvision's smart events on the camera or recorder. Ben Software confirmed in the forum that SecuritySpy has no line-crossing feature, though it can alert when a person is detected in a chosen area.
- Older recordings. Footage already on the NVR is not imported. To watch it you still need the NVR's interface, iVMS-4200, or a viewer that reads NVR recordings.
- Hikvision event search. Smart search by event type on the NVR is not available from SecuritySpy. You get SecuritySpy's own motion events instead.
- An always-on Mac. If the Mac sleeps, updates, or is closed, recording stops. A dedicated Mac mini is the usual answer, which adds to the cost table above.
When SecuritySpy is the right choice
Choose SecuritySpy if you want the Mac to be the system of record, you have cameras from more than one brand, or you want a web interface and notifications you control. It is also the path if your recorder is failing and you would rather not buy another NVR.
Keep the NVR and add a viewer if the recorder works, you want the Hikvision event search and smart features to keep working, and your complaint is only that iVMS-4200 is slow or broken on your Mac. That is the gap HikGrid and the other options in our Hikvision on a Mac hub aim to fill; they are ranked in iVMS-4200 alternatives for Mac.
The review above is an older overview of the app's layout and recording settings. Menu names have moved since, but the recording model it shows is the same.
Compare: SecuritySpy vs HikGrid and Hikvision's Mac software compared with HikGrid.
View your Hikvision or HiLook cameras natively on your Mac. HikGrid (our app) gives you live view, playback, recording search and footage download in one native macOS window: no iVMS-4200, no Windows virtual machine and no browser plugin. It runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs (macOS 13 Ventura or later), connects to several Hikvision and HiLook systems at once, and costs £39.95 one-time per Mac with monthly feature upgrades included and no subscription.
FAQ
Does SecuritySpy work with a Hikvision NVR?
Yes. It pulls channels from the NVR using its Hikvision device profile and the NVR's channel numbering. A user confirmed it on the Ben Software forum in January 2025, following the developer's steps. The NVR still records to its own disks; SecuritySpy records separately to the Mac.
Can SecuritySpy play back recordings stored on the NVR?
No. SecuritySpy plays back what it has recorded to the Mac. For recordings that live on the NVR you need iVMS-4200, the recorder's own interface, or a viewer that reads NVR storage; see Hikvision playback on a Mac.
How much does SecuritySpy cost for 8 cameras?
The 8-camera licence was listed at GBP 169.50 on Ben Software's download page on 14 October 2026. A 30-day free trial is available. Prices can change, so check the page before buying.
Is SecuritySpy native on Apple Silicon?
Yes. Rosetta Check lists it as a Universal build, so it runs natively on M-series Macs. iVMS-4200 for Mac, by contrast, is Intel-only and runs through Rosetta 2.
Why does SecuritySpy say "no route to host" on macOS Sequoia?
Sequoia added a Local Network permission for apps that talk to devices on your LAN. Ben Software's advice is to open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network and toggle SecuritySpy off and then on again, which usually resolves it.
Do I need an external drive?
Realistically, yes. Continuous video recording fills an internal SSD quickly and wears it. Ben Software recommends a dedicated drive connected by USB or Thunderbolt, though the Mac's internal drive can also be used.
Sources
- SecuritySpy download page (version, macOS requirement, pricing)
- SecuritySpy product page
- SecuritySpy user manual, Settings - Cameras - Device
- Ben Software forum: Replacing Hikvision iVMS-4200 software
- Ben Software blog: Replacing a hardware NVR with SecuritySpy
- Ben Software forum: How to set up Hikvision NVR with 4 cameras
- Rosetta Check: SecuritySpy
- Rosetta Check: iVMS-4200
- Hikvision RTSP and HTTP URL bulletin — https://web.archive.org/web/20250827133620/https://us-legacy.hikvision.com/sites/default/files/tb/tb_rtsp_and_http_urls_120915us.pdf (archived copy)
- HikGrid