How To Watch My Cameras On Iphone

A hand holding a phone — Use Manything, Salient Eye or a similar free app to turn an erstwhile phone into a security camera.
Chris Monroe/CNET

The cheapest way to get optics on your firm when you're not there? Probably rummaging around in your junk drawer and converting 1 of your old smartphones into a security camera. Most people have at least i sometime phone collecting dust in a drawer somewhere. Y'all'll save a ton of cash by upcycling an old telephone instead ofbuying a new home security camera. And setting it up isn't hard. In fact, you tin start using that old, dusty iPhone or Android phone equally a habitation security photographic camera in just three steps.

Sure, y'all tin sell your erstwhile phone or practice a trade-in for a fraction of its buy cost, only if information technology still turns on, at that place are a number of expert uses for old phones around the firm. You tin can turn that sometime Android phone into ababy monitor or amakeshift Google Home speaker, for example. One of the nigh useful means to upcycle an old phone is to convert it into a abode security camera.

Read more: eight Reasons Non to Sell or Trade In Your Old iPhone and nine Ingenious Means to Give Your One-time Android Phone New Life

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

To brainstorm, yous will need to choose a security camera app for your phone. Well-nigh apps offering many of the same features, such every bit local streaming, cloud streaming, recording and storing footage locally or remotely, and motion detection and alerts. Once you're prepare up, y'all will be able to monitor your living space and control your security camera from anywhere, directly from your new telephone.

One of the all-time app options for setting up your phone every bit a security camera is Alfred. It's cross-platform, so it doesn't matter if your erstwhile phone was an Android phone or iPhone. And the same goes for your new phone.

Alfred is free to use and gives yous a remote view of your live feed, motion detection with alerts, gratuitous deject storage, a two-way sound 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 cloud storage, you can upgrade to Alfred Premium.

Download Alfred (Android, iOS) on both your old and new phones, or any tablets you desire to apply.
On the new phone, swipe through the introduction and tap Start. Select Viewer and tap Next.
Once you get to the sign-in page, click Sign in with Google (a Google account is required) and sign in with your Google business relationship credentials.
On the onetime phone, repeat the same steps, but instead of selecting Viewer, select Camera. And brand certain to sign in to the same Google business relationship.

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

From your new telephone, you lot can change a few more than settings, such every bit turning notifications on or off, setting a camera or viewer name, calculation other people to your Trust Circumvolve (granting other people access to your video feeds), removing a camera, checking how many times a camera has asunder, setting motion detection sensitivity and enabling a low-light filter on cameras.

While Alfred is a solid pick, keep in heed it's non the only pick. Far from it, in fact. Manything, Salient Eye and Presence are all solid costless choices with an affordable subscription model if you need more features. And IP Webcam is one of the more than pop Android-only options.

Stride 2: Choose a spot for your telephone security photographic camera

After y'all have the stream upwards and running, you will need to fix and position the camera. You may want information technology focused on the main entry signal to your home, your backyard, the identify where y'all store valuables or a betoken y'all recall might be particularly vulnerable. You can as well prepare up an IP photographic camera as a baby monitor.

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

Stride 3: Mountain and power your new security camera

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

Streaming video is very ability-intensive, and the telephone will be on 24/7. To keep the telephone from dying in the first few hours, yous will demand to position it close to a power source. A 10-foot Micro-USB or Lightning cable will give yous more flexibility in where you put it.

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

While y'all're here, check outsix quick tips for getting the most out of your habitation security camera, how to utilize your Alexa device as a home security camera and the best DIY habitation security systems.