Here’s how you can turn your old phone into a CCTV security camera

At some point, everyone thought of installing a surveillance camera in their home. What puts many people off is the expense involved in setting up a number of surveillance cameras and then storing all of the recorded footage.

Well, you don’t have to buy an expensive home surveillance system and a bunch of CCTV cameras to keep your house safe. Thanks to a ton of free apps on both the App Store and Google PlayStore, you can actually use your old phones as a makeshift CCTV camera and install it yourself with a few simple DIY tricks.

Step 1: Choose a security camera app and install it.

There are a ton of options to choose from, but ideally you’ll want something that supports cross-platform functionality, has features like local and cloud streaming, records and stores footage locally or via the cloud, and can detect motion and send alerts.

We chose Alfred DIY CCTV Home Camera because it has over 500,000 reviews, has over 1 crore downloads and is highly rated. Setting up the phone with Alfred is super easy too.

1. Download the app on both devices, the phone you want to use as a camera and the phone you are carrying.
2. On your daily driver, complete the tutorial and tap start. Then select Viewer and tap Next.
3. Here you have to register. We recommend signing in with your Google account as it’s easier.
4. Repeat the whole process on the old phone that will be the CCTV camera. But instead of tapping the Viewer option, tap Camera. Make sure you are signed in with the same Google account.

You are now done. You can fiddle with the settings to turn on motion sensors, audio recording, and send you a notification when something suspicious happens. No matter what app you use, the setup process is similar and can be done in a snap.

Step 2: Position your camera

Now that your security stream is up, you need to physically place the camera in a location that gives you the best viewing angle. Choose a shelf that is placed at a height that can show you the view of most of your room. Make sure the field of view includes the entrances to your room and where your valuables are stored. Keep checking your new device to see exactly what view you’re getting. Make sure the camera doesn’t stand out. Also make sure the phone is securely connected to the WiFi and has a strong connection.

Step 3: Mount your device and turn it on

There are literally a ton of ways you can do this. You can use one of those suction cup phone mounts that are used in cars, or you can use mini tripods that are designed for phones.

To power your device, make sure you have a long charging cable for your phone. Ideally, your best bet would be to use something that has a removable battery. This allows you to power the device using only the power cord. If you don’t have a phone with a removable battery, you’ll need to turn off the device and turn it off when not in use.

You can also use a shorter cable and power your device from a power bank. Make sure it has at least 3-4 times the capacity of your phone’s battery as streaming footage is a power-intensive activity.

That’s it. This is how you build a very effective security system with a few DIY tricks and a tight budget. You can actually set up a number of different cell phones on the same WiFI network and account and get pretty extensive coverage of your home.

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