Turn an old Android device into a security camera
One of the best uses of an old Android device is to turn it into a security web-accessible webcam. change network settings and set up a personal web server.
Fortunately, a new application of
Pole technologies
has finally taken all the hassle out of setting up a home monitor. It lets you turn your old phone or tablet into a live streaming webcam, with cloud DVR functionality and motion detection, and I'll show you how to set it up below.
Step 1: Install the pole
The app that turns any Android device into a home monitor in seconds is called
Perch
, and it's available for free on the Google Play Store. To get started, search for the app by name and install it, or head straight to the install page at the following link:
Install Perch - Simple Home Monitoring from the Google Play Store
Step 2: Create an account and start streaming
Once the app is installed, open Perch, then tap the "Register" button in the middle of the screen. From there, enter an email account and password to create your new Perch account.
Next, you will be taken to the main app menu. From there, tap on the "Set as camera" button in the middle of the screen. At this point, if your old phone is running Android Marshmallow, you You'll also need to tap "Allow" on a pair of permission requests.
From there, tap the field at the top of the next screen to give this device a name. Something like "Living Room" or "Front Door" should do the trick. After that, you can configure Perch to also record audio, and you can make it wait until your device either connected to Wi-Fi or plugged into a power source before you start streaming. When you're done here, tap the "Finish" button at the bottom of the screen.
From now on, whenever you open Perch on this device, you will see a viewfinder window. To start recording and live streaming from this device's camera, just press the play button on the middle of the screen.
Step 3: Access your live stream from anywhere
When you're on the go and want to see what's happening at home, just head over to
getperch.com
from any web browser, then sign in with the account you created earlier. Right off the bat, you'll see a live feed from your device's camera, and if you choose to set up multiple devices, you can switch between them by clicking on the thumbnail on the left side of the screen.
From there, if you press the
+
just above the top right corner of the video feed, you can even set up motion detection features. To do this, simply type in a name and use your mouse to highlight an "Area" to monitor for motion, then click on "Save". Whenever something moves in the area you have set up, you will receive an email and SMS notification on your phone.
Perch even comes with a DVR feature, so if you want to see something that happened in the past, just hover your mouse pointer over the video and use the slider at the bottom of the frame. If motion has been detected at all times you will also see small markers on the slider that indicate when something has moved.
Step 4: Access your live stream from another Android device
As if all of these features weren't already enough, Perch even lets you view your home monitor from another Android device. To try this one out, just install the Perch app on your primary Android phone or tablet, then select your video stream from the main menu.
Perch is still in beta at the moment so everything is free until they fix the bugs and decide on a premium price. It's currently a great alternative to a
NestCam
with the Nest Aware subscription service, the latter costing $10/month to store 7 days of recordings with motion detection alerts.
Perch also stores 7 days in the cloud for you with motion alerts, but you have the advantage of not having to buy a $200 camera, since you already have one. You'll probably need a long
charging cable
, and you might even want to invest in
a good position
, but you can also
DIY yourself
.
When it comes to video quality, you're only limited by the quality of your Android phone or tablet's built-in camera. And if you need to zoom in to monitor something further away, it exist
lens kits
you can buy for pretty cheap.
For more information see
Perch Help Desk
.
Don't miss these other hacks for older devices:
How to Use Your Android as a Wi-Fi Streaming Camera
How to Turn an Android into a Wi-Fi Camera for Babies and Pets
How to Turn an Old Android into a Streaming Media Player
How to Turn an Android into a Customizable Home Thermostat
How to turn your Android into a wireless computer mouse and keyboard
How to turn your old Android into a hidden spy camera
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