Holidays are nice. You possibly can go away behind your every day worries, your obligations… your work. On the similar time, you allow behind your own home and your pets. Each time I go away for various days, I fear in regards to the safety of our home and miss our cats so badly that I take into consideration reducing the holiday brief.
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It isn’t nearly holidays. A yr in the past, one in every of our cats had a critical accident and wound up in a solid and collar. As a result of I wanted to maintain a continuing eye on him — and nonetheless meet my deadlines — I made a decision to repurpose one of many many Android telephones I had mendacity round. With the assistance of a simple-to-use software referred to as DroidCam, I turned my cellphone right into a webcam appropriate for quite a lot of safety and monitoring purposes.
Since I first wrote this text, the developer has launched a extra highly effective model of the software program, referred to as DroidCam Webcam & OBS Camera, which provides OBS Studio integration. For those who solely want to make use of this as customary webcam, the unique software program will suffice.
Let me present you the way that is carried out.
The best way to use an outdated Android cellphone as a safety or pet digital camera
What you may want: An Android cellphone (working model 5.0 and up), an influence wire for the cellphone (you do not need your battery to expire), the DroidCam app, and an internet browser on the identical community because the cellphone.
Open the Play Retailer in your Android system.
Seek for DroidCam and, as soon as you have discovered it, faucet Set up.
DroidCam is free to put in and use.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Ensure your Android system is on the identical wi-fi community because the desktop or laptop computer you may be utilizing to view the digital camera, then begin the appliance. As soon as it begins, it should current you with the tackle you employ to attach out of your browser.
The DroidCam interface is a bit old-school however works like a allure.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
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The output on the display screen shows the IP tackle and the port you must use to entry the digital camera. For those who level an internet browser to http://SERVER:4747/video (the place SERVER is the IP tackle displayed by DroidCam), you may see the video output from the digital camera.
My cat is being watched and he does not even realize it.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
The free model of the app solely provides 240p or 480p resolutions. To get 720p and 1080p resolutions you could buy the professional model of the app (DroidCamX $5.49 on the Google Play Retailer), which provides sound, HD mode, and SmoothFPS for extra steady video. Nonetheless, for very fundamental safety/child/cat cam utilization, the free model does simply superb.
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Bear in mind to plug that cellphone into an outlet, as streaming video can eat away on the battery. The excellent news on that entrance is that the app will proceed streaming, even after your cellphone is locked and asleep.
That is the gist of utilizing DroidCam as an internet/safety cam. I’ve used this setup for a couple of purposes, the place I wanted extra eyes than evolution gave me.
