How To Make Sethbling's Security Camera

manything-2 — Utilize Manything, Salient Eye or a similar free app to plough an old phone into a security photographic camera.
Chris Monroe/CNET

Nearly people have at to the lowest degree one old smartphone collecting dust in a drawer somewhere. Y'all can sell your old phone or do a trade-in for a fraction of its purchase toll, but if information technology however turns on, at that place are a number of good uses for sometime phones effectually the house. You can plough that old Android phone into ainfant monitor or amakeshift Google Home speaker, for example. One of the most useful ways to upcycle an old phone is to convert information technology into a home security photographic camera.

Y'all'll relieve a ton of cash by upcycling an old phone instead of buying a new home security photographic camera. And setting it up isn't hard. In fact, you tin can commencement using that old, dusty iPhone or Android phone equally a dwelling house security camera in just three steps.

Read more: 8 reasons not to sell or trade in your former iPhone and ix ingenious ways to requite your sometime Android telephone new life

Step 1: Install a security photographic camera app on your erstwhile telephone

To begin, you lot volition need to choose a security camera app for your phone. Virtually apps offer many of the aforementioned features, such every bit local streaming, cloud streaming, recording and storing footage locally or remotely, and move detection and alerts. In one case y'all're set up, you will be able to monitor your living space and control your security photographic camera from anywhere, straight from your new phone.

One of the best app options for setting upward your telephone as a security photographic camera is Alfred. It'southward cross-platform, and so it doesn't matter if your old phone was an Android phone or iPhone. And the aforementioned goes for your new phone.

Alfred is costless to use and gives you a remote view of your live feed, motion detection with alerts, complimentary cloud storage, a two-fashion audio feed and apply of both the forepart and rear cameras. To unlock additional features, like higher-resolution viewing and recording, zoom capabilities, ad removal and xxx-twenty-four hours deject storage, you tin can upgrade to Alfred Premium.

Download Alfred (Android, iOS) on both your quondam and new phones, or any tablets you desire to utilise.
On the new phone, swipe through the introduction and tap Start. Select Viewer and tap Side by side.
Once you lot go to the sign-in folio, click Sign in with Google (a Google account is required) and sign in with your Google account credentials.
On the old telephone, repeat the same steps, but instead of selecting Viewer, select Photographic camera. And make certain to sign in to the aforementioned Google account.

In one case both phones are signed in to Alfred, yous're pretty much done with the setup. Alfred has simplified the camera options to only include a few settings. On iOS, you tin only enable motion detection, cull between the front and rear cameras and enable or disable audio. If you're using an Android device, you have those options and you can too enable continuous focus, have Alfred automatically reopen if the telephone reboots, set a resolution and enable a passcode lock.

From your new telephone, yous tin change a few more settings, such as turning notifications on or off, setting a camera or viewer proper name, adding other people to your Trust Circle (granting other people access to your video feeds), removing a photographic camera, checking how many times a camera has disconnected, setting motion detection sensitivity and enabling a low-calorie-free filter on cameras.

While Alfred is a solid choice, keep in listen it's not the simply selection. Far from it, in fact. Manything, Salient Centre and Presence are all solid gratis choices with an affordable subscription model if you demand more features. And IP Webcam is one of the more than popular Android-only options.

Step 2: Choose a spot for your telephone security camera

After y'all have the stream up and running, you lot will demand to set up and position the photographic camera. You lot may desire information technology focused on the main entry point to your home, your backyard, the place where you store valuables or a indicate you think might exist peculiarly vulnerable. Yous can besides set an IP camera equally a baby monitor.

If you have multiple onetime phones lying around, you tin can set upward multiple cameras for fairly robust video coverage.

Step three: Mount and power your new security camera

To mount or position the camera, a small smartphone tripod or suction-cup car mount can work wonders and help you position the camera in an camouflaged place. To broaden the field of view, consider ownership a wide-angle lens for your phone, something that tin be purchased for between $5 and $20 online.

Streaming video is very ability-intensive, and the phone will be on 24/seven. To keep the phone from dying in the get-go few hours, you volition need to position it close to a power source. A ten-foot Micro-USB or Lightning cable will give you more flexibility in where y'all put it.

And that'southward it! Now you lot can use the security cam app on your new phone to view the feed from your onetime phone's camera, and you've made your home more than secure without spending much.

While you're here, check outsix quick tips for getting the most out of your domicile security photographic camera, how to employ your Alexa device as a home security photographic camera and the best DIY home security systems.