Can I Turn My Phone Into An Video Motion Detection Device

This story is part of Dwelling house Tips, CNET'south drove of applied advice for getting the near out of your abode, inside and out.

Yous probably accept at to the lowest degree one sometime telephone blimp in a drawer somewhere. Sure,you can sell information technology ordo a trade-in for a fraction of its purchase price. But if it withal turns on, why not give that defunctiPhone orAndroid a second life?

1 of the most useful ways to repurpose an sometime telephone is to catechumen information technology into ahome security camera. It'due south a price-effective play tricks to keeping an heart on your abode when you're not there.

And setting it up isn't hard. In fact, yous can start using that time-worn phone to keep your habitation rubber in simply three steps.

Read more: 8 Reasons Non to Sell or Trade In Your Sometime iPhone

Step 1: Install a security camera app on your old telephone

To brainstorm, you will need to choose a security camera app for your phone. Most apps offer many of the aforementioned features, such as local streaming, cloud streaming, recording and storing footage locally or remotely, and motion detection and alerts. One time y'all're set up, you will be able to monitor your living space and control your security camera from anywhere, straight from your new telephone.

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

Alfred is complimentary to use and gives you lot a remote view of your live feed, motion detection with alerts, free cloud storage, a two-style audio feed and use of both the forepart and rear cameras. To unlock additional features, like higher-resolution viewing and recording, zoom capabilities, ad removal and 30-day deject storage, y'all tin upgrade to Alfred Premium.

1.Download Alfred (Android, iOS) on both your sometime and new phones, or any tablets y'all want to employ.

2.On the new phone, swipe through the introduction and tap Commencement. Select Viewer and tap Next.

three.Once yous get to the sign-in folio, click Sign in with Google (a Google account is required) and sign in with your Google business relationship credentials.

4.On the old phone, repeat the same steps, but instead of selecting Viewer, select Camera. And make sure to sign in to the same Google business relationship.

Once both phones are signed in to Alfred, you're pretty much washed with the setup. Alfred has simplified the photographic camera options to just include a few settings. On iOS, y'all can merely enable motion detection, choose betwixt the front and rear cameras and enable or disable audio. If you're using an Android device, you take those options and you can also enable continuous focus, have Alfred automatically reopen if the phone reboots, set a resolution and enable a passcode lock.

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

While Alfred is a solid choice, keep in heed it'due south not the only choice. Far from it, in fact. Manything, Salient Eye and Presence are all solid gratuitous choices with an affordable subscription model if you need more than features. And IP Webcam is one of the more popular Android-only options.

Read more:nine Ingenious Ways to Give Your Sometime Android Phone New Life

Footstep two: Choose a spot for your phone security photographic camera

After you lot take the stream up and running, you will need to prepare and position the photographic camera. Yous may want it focused on the master entry point to your domicile, your lawn, the place where you store valuables or a point you think might be particularly vulnerable. Y'all tin can also set up an IP camera equally a baby monitor.

If you have multiple old phones lying around, yous tin can prepare multiple cameras for fairly robust video coverage.

Step three: Mountain and ability your new security photographic camera

To mountain or position the camera, a small smartphone tripod or suction-loving cup auto mountain can work wonders and assistance you position the camera in an inconspicuous place. To augment the field of view, consider buying a broad-angle lens for your telephone, something that can be purchased for between $5 and $twenty online.

Streaming video is very power-intensive, and the telephone will be on 24/vii. To keep the telephone from dying in the showtime few hours, you lot volition need to position it close to a power source. A ten-human foot Micro-USB or Lightning cablevision will requite you more flexibility in where y'all put it.

And that's information technology! Now you can employ the security cam app on your new phone to view the feed from your old phone'south camera, and you've made your habitation more secure without spending much.

While you lot're here, bank check outhalf-dozen quick tips for getting the most out of your dwelling security camera, how to use your Alexa device equally a home security camera and the best DIY habitation security systems.

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