3 simple steps to turn your old phone into a security camera

With the development of smartphones and the emergence of many new versions of them within short periods, many of us have many old phones, which we do not know how to take advantage of instead of selling them at a negligible price, but fortunately if these phones are still working, it is possible to use them Usefully in your home.

Many seek to buy sometimes expensive security cameras to monitor their children while they are outside the house, to monitor their pets, or even to secure the house from the outside, but what many users do not know is that they can do all this without spending any extra money, through recycling Old phones you no longer use.

You can turn one of the old phones into a camera to monitor children at home, or as a voice assistant such as (Google Home), or as a remote control, or (wireless mouse), and turning the old phone into a security camera is one of the most useful ways to restore use it.

Here are 3 simple steps that will help you turn your old phone into a security camera:

1- Choosing the right security camera app:

In the beginning, you will need to choose the appropriate security camera app that you will use, and the app stores have many of these applications that offer the same features such as: live broadcasting, motion detection and sending instant alerts, providing a wireless connection unit, and cloud storage to facilitate the process of saving and sharing your videos.

Once you choose the app that works for you and set it up on your old phone, you'll be able to monitor where you need to be, and control your security camera from anywhere right from your new phone.

The Alfred app is one of the best options for setting up your old phone as a security camera, because it is available to work on any operating system, so it doesn't matter if your old phone is Android or iOS, the same goes for your new phone.

The Alfred application is free and gives you a lot of features, the most important of which are: live broadcasting around the clock, motion detection with alerts, and free cloud storage, and it also works as a walkie-talkie that allows you to interact with visitors, or calm children remotely, and use front and back cameras .

You can upgrade to the paid version to access additional features such as: higher resolution viewing and recording, zoom in and out capabilities, ad removal, and unlimited cloud storage.

The application is available for users of Android devices on the Google Play Store, and for iPhone and iPad users via the App Store. Download it on both your old and new phone, and follow these steps:

Once both phones are registered to the Alfred app, you are done with setup. And you will find that the camera options are limited in the operating system (iOS), where you can only enable motion detection, choose between the front and rear cameras, and activate the sound or stop it, but if you are using an Android device, you have these options in addition to the ability to activate continuous focus, and reopen the application Automatically if phone restarts, set video resolution, and secure your data with a passcode.

2- Choosing where to put the security camera:

After you set up the security camera app, and launch it, you'll need to set up the camera and place it in the appropriate location. You may want to focus on the main entry point into your home, your backyard, where you store valuables, or a point you think would be particularly vulnerable. You can also set it up as a baby monitor, and if you have several old phones, you can set up multiple cameras for strong security coverage.

3- Installation and operation of the security camera:

Once you decide where you want to secure it, you will be left with how to install the old phone in this place, and here you can use a tripod camera mount, or a suction cup that sticks to surfaces easily like the one used to install phones in cars, which is better because it will help you position the camera in an inconspicuous place.

To expand your field of view, consider buying a wide angle lens for your phone's camera, which can be purchased for anywhere from $5 to $20.

Streaming video is very battery consuming, and to avoid unplugging the phone, you will need to place it near a power source so consider getting a 10-foot Micro-USB or Lightning cable which gives you more flexibility in choosing the right location, as the phone is available 24/7 the week.