Are you the type of person who saves your old tech? If you’ve been hoarding an iPhone or Android phone without any real vision for what you’ll do with it next, we’ve got a good suggestion. Turn one into a useful security camera. With the right setup, your retired iPhone or Android can keep an eye on your entryway, garage or backyard without the need for expensive hardware.
All it takes is a free home security camera app and a steady place to put the phone. A mount or basic stand can give you the right angle, and in just a few minutes, you’ll have live video streaming from a device you weren’t using anyway.
Repurposing your old phone this way doesn’t just save money, it adds peace of mind. Whether you want to monitor packages, check in on pets, or simply add an extra layer of protection to your home, this simple hack puts unused tech back to work.
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Step 1: Install a security camera app on your old smartphone
Alfred Camera is free and lets you set up a cam solution yourself.
To begin, you will need to choose a security camera app. Most apps offer many of the same features, such as local streaming, cloud streaming, recording and storing footage locally or remotely, and motion detection and alerts. Once you’re set up, you will be able to monitor your living space and control your security camera from anywhere, straight from your new phone.
One of the best app options for setting up your phone as a security camera is Alfred. It’s cross-platform, so it doesn’t matter if your old phone was an Android phone or iPhone. And the same goes for your new phone.
Alfred is free to use and gives you a remote view of your live feed, motion detection with alerts, free cloud storage, a two-way audio feed and use of both the front 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.
1. Download Alfred (Android, iOS) on both your old and new phones. You don’t have to use a phone as a monitoring tool — you can also download Alfred to your tablet or PC if you prefer to keep watch from there. Just make sure the app is on both devices.
2. On the new phone, swipe through the introduction and tap Start. Select Viewer and tap Next.
3. Once you get to the sign-in page, click Sign in with Google (a Google account is required) and sign in with your Google account credentials.
4. On the old phone, repeat the same steps, but instead of selecting Viewer, select Camera. Be sure to sign in to the same Google account.
Alfred’s app supports night vision, people recognition and more.
Once both phones are signed in to Alfred, you’re pretty much done with the setup. Alfred has simplified the camera options to include only a few settings. On iOS, you can only enable motion detection, choose between the front and rear cameras, and enable or disable audio. If you’re using an Android device, you have those options and 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 can change a few more settings, such as turning notifications on or off, setting a camera or viewer name, adding other people to your Trust Circle (granting other people access to your video feeds), removing a camera, checking how many times a camera has disconnected, setting motion detection sensitivity and enabling a low-light filter on cameras.
If Alfred isn’t really doing it for you, you can explore other cam app options. Other apps that can give your old phone a security cam upgrade include:
- Faceter: Faceter is a surveillance app that offers quick setup and cloud storage for Apple and Android phones.
- Epoccam: EpocCam is a very speedy cam app that’s made for content creators but can serve a wide variety of purposes. It’s currently made only for iPhones.
- iVCam from E2ESoft: iVCam is a more open-source cam solution that’s best for those who really want to tinker with camera settings and customize them, although like EpocCam it’s focused a bit more on webcam-related activities than security.
Step 2: Pick a spot for your new smartphone security camera
You can use your new security camera in a variety of ways after the transition.
After you have the stream up and running, you will need to set up and position the camera. You may want it focused on the main entry point to your home, your backyard, the place where you store valuables or a point you think might be particularly vulnerable. If you have multiple old phones, you can set up multiple cameras for fairly robust video coverage.
Step 3: Mount and power your security camera smartphone
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 inconspicuous place. To broaden the field of view, consider buying a wide-angle lens for your phone, something that can be purchased for between $5 and $20 online.
Streaming video is very power-intensive, and the phone will be on 24/7. To keep the phone from dying in the first few hours, you’ll need to position it close to a power source. A 10-foot Micro-USB,Lightning cable or USB-C cable and spare phone charger will give you more flexibility in where you can put it.
And that’s it: Now you can use the security cam app on your new phone to view the feed from your old phone’s camera, and you’ve made your home more secure without spending much at all.
Note: When choosing your mounting location, be sure to avoid furnace vents and other heat sources, such as in a window that gets full sun all day. Heat sources can damage your camera’s lenses and battery over time, especially when combined with the heat of a power-hungry task like livestreaming.
Final note: Old smartphones and security concerns
Smartphones will eventually age out of security updates, which means they can eventually become vulnerable to attacks. If your old phone is still online — like when you’re using it as a security camera — that’s a problem.
First, we recommend wiping any personal data off the phone before you transform it into a camera. Second, automate your updates when possible. Third, consider giving the phone a final use-by date, after which you’ll recycle it. These days, companies try to push security updates for five to seven years after release (with some going even longer in recent years). We have a full guide on the security of older phones if you’d like to learn more.
Finally, if we’ve got you excited about using your smartphone for home security purposes, don’t forget that you can also download an app like Hidden Camera Detector to automatically search for telltale signs that there’s a cam watching in the room. Airbnb may have outlawed indoor security cameras, but we don’t blame you if you still want to check when you’re traveling.
For more, check out the best DIY home security systems.
We’ve never heard of anyone hacking into these kinds of apps, and it’s generally not worth the trouble. The bigger security risks, as mentioned above, come from using phones that no longer receive security updates.
Camera apps like Alfred Camera include low-light modes that use software to enhance visibility in the dark. While it’s not true night vision, it’s suitable for most low-light situations.
Yes, apps like Alfred Camera do include a two-way audio option using the phone’s speakers.
