The truth is that many of us accumulate smartphones over the years at home, having a good part of them in drawers, forgotten and without giving them any kind of use.
The life of these phones could be longer, being able to use them for some tasks for which surely more than one of them still works, such as a kind of console for our young son or as a GPS for the car.
But there is also another way by which we can take advantage of it, since it is something very practical and it can be really interesting. We can use them as if they were a security or surveillance camera.
Before turning it into a surveillance camera
Before we get down to business and see how we can do so our old smartphone be it our new surveillance camera, the truth is that there are certain options that we must take into account.
The first thing we must make sure is that the mobile can not only make video, but is also capable of taking photos and above all that can be connected to the internet.
The second thing to consider, and possibly the most important thing, is the location of the same. We must find a place where we can place it and that does not show too much, but that allows the phone to focus on what we want.
If, for example, it were to guard the entrance of the house, we could put it on the dresser at the entrance behind some type of ornament so that it is not seen, clearly focusing on the entrance.
If, on the other hand, we wanted it for a room, it would be convenient to have it elevated so that it could focus the maximum possible stay.
As we have already told you, it must always be connected, so it would be convenient to put a SIM card so that you always have data coverage, in case the power goes out and the WiFi does not work.
Also, it should be near a socket to be able to connect it to the electrical network permanently, since it is not that the battery matters too much at first.
Finally, it is convenient to leave it with the minimal possible applications, since we do not want it to be saturated in its memory, nor in the RAM, nor in the internal storage, since we are both going to need them in the best possible way.
Once we have all this clear, it is time to see what are the main Android applications that will allow us to put our smartphone to work as if it were a security camera.
Camy
It is a very simple application to handle and with an undeniable quality.
It is as easy as installing Camy on the Android phone that you are going to use as a surveillance camera, and then install it on the smartphone from which we are going to operate it, ending with read a QR code from the first terminal to synchronize them and thus have remote control.
We will be able see everything that happens in the house totally live, but you can also record, change from one camera to another (front or rear) activate a motion detection system and it even works at night, as it has a low light filter.
Another good thing about Camy is that you can download for free, although there is a paid version that removes the ads and can broadcast at 1080p.
AtHome Camera
This is an application that can work as a baby monitor, pet camera, elderly care, and of course a security camera.
Something very interesting is that it can also be used from the computer, so the control is even more complete.
With AtHome Camera you can monitor the home from anywhere you are, in addition to receive alerts in case the app has detected any kind of problem.
The video transmission uses the technology of P2P transfer to protect our privacy. Also, use a AI system to control everything that happens and not give false positives, learning more the more time passes.
Incorporates a night vision system with which we can manage to control everything even at night.
Another interesting facet is the fact that be able to interact with people who could be on the other side of the camera, something that allows us through the speakers of the emitting device.
It is interesting that it also has a cloud service to save videos in addition to a service multiscreen to view up to 4 at the same time.
Alfred
Alfred is an application that can broadcast 24 hours a day and 7 days a week without any problem, with a good quality live.
It will notify us of any movement that detects so that we are informed of everything that happens, in addition to having unlimited space in the cloud to download, share and even play videos.
Equip a low light filter which ensures that the night viewing is quite good and can continue to control the room where we have placed the smartphone that acts as a surveillance camera.
The Walkie Talkie function It is used to establish communication between the two devices, the transmitter and the one through which we are viewing the image. This is a good way to communicate with someone in the house or potential thieves who might break in to try to dissuade them.
It also has a series of very interesting additions such as the fact that it can zoom to zoom in, a reminder system that we can program ourselves, in addition to indicating any incident by means of a alarm.
We have all this from free form With this application, for which we will not have to pay anything, just download it from the Google Play Store, install it and start enjoying it to control the stay we want.
As you have read, making our smartphone a surveillance camera is extremely simple and does not pose the slightest problem, in addition to having free applications that will serve us perfectly for this purpose.