News Here's how I reuse old phones

[AC News]

Most of us have old phones that are just gathering dust in a drawer. Here are a few things you can do to reuse older phones.

Here's how I reuse old phones : Read more

 

[spARTacus]

If one really wants to get away from online services/subscriptions/accounts for security camera needs, then something like the IP Webcam app on an old Android phone/device could perhaps be more worthwhile, in terms of being able to turn the old device into truly just a local broadcasting IP Camera.

IP Webcam - Apps on Google Play

Turn your phone into a wireless camera!

play.google.com

 

[Peter Wood2]

I keep an old phone by my bed as my alarm clock. Mainly because I like to have an alarm automatically set for my work shifts (still nursing along the dead AlarmPad app to turn calendar events into alarms) but also dislike having the "alarm is active" icon permanently occupying space on my taskbar. I've been thinking about replacing it with an ESP32-based project though. I just have to learn everything about developing for ESP32 boards.

 

[spARTacus]

I keep an old phone by my bed as my alarm clock....

For sure. I've got an old Z10 as my alarm clock.

 

[tube517]

If one really wants to get away from online services/subscriptions/accounts for security camera needs, then something like the IP Webcam app on an old Android phone/device could perhaps be more worthwhile, in terms of being able to turn the old device into truly just a local broadcasting IP Camera.

IP Webcam - Apps on Google Play

Turn your phone into a wireless camera!

play.google.com

I might try this to use as an indoor webcam for my dog. Just curious what he does during the day when we are gone. He doesn't chew things but sometimes I see some couch pillows on the floor. He has some separation anxiety but not too serious.

 

[spARTacus]

I might try this to use as an indoor webcam for my dog. Just curious what he does during the day when we are gone. He doesn't chew things but sometimes I see some couch pillows on the floor. He has some separation anxiety but not too serious.

You might need to setup a local software NVR server for such, if you're going to get really serious and via any truly local only IP cameras (or the IP Webcam App). There are some limited free versions that run on simple PCs. Most of those however have some strings attached, just like most "cameras"also do for what one can get from Amazon or elsewhere. Most people prefer to just buy an inexpensive camera from Amazon and then be tired to whatever online account/services come with such. Some of those work fine. Others are more akward then one would think. From what I can tell, almost all of them involve network traffic up and down from the cloud, and whatever the companies have for terms of service and how they get something from you for what they offer to you for "free".

I think the IP Webcam App also permits for local (on the host old phone) recording of pics/videos based on motion detection. I don't now specifically remember anymore. If so, it could probably serve well as a limited local only monitoring and recording device for that scenario of yours. When you are on your local home network using another device, you can also browse to the host old phone running the IP Webcam App, to see in real time what the camera sees. There are ways to setup port forwarding or open dns, to then also be able to do that from anywhere on the internet when you are not at home on your local network. However, I don't suggest doing that unless you know what you're doing (opening up publicly facing ports or port forwarding or such, that could then also end-up as security risks).