7 apps to turn your mobile into a surveillance camera

In the past, acquiring a surveillance camera system for your home or business was quite an investment. Now, however, we can get a spy device set up with almost no investment. We only need a phone with a camera and an app.

The technology that allows live streaming is adapted in this case to surveillance and security. We are going to show you up to seven apps that you can download for free and that will help you establish a control perimeter.

WardenCam

This app is quite simple. We have to install it on two devices, as will happen in other apps that we will see later. Once WardenCam is installed, we choose which of the two devices we want to be a camera and which one is a viewer. We can use both Android and iOS phones for this case.

We have the possibility to record up to 48 hours of video, in 480p quality And where is all this information stored? We are given the option of using Google Drive or Dropbox. Thus, we will have access to the recordings from any other device. We can also choose to record up to 1080p, but that may affect the space it occupies, so we must consider if it is worth it.

Alfred

Once again, this app (whose name and logo remind us of Batman's butler) refers us to the use of two devices. For this case, both have to be Android and with a Gmail account When starting it, we have to decide which device we want to be a player and which camera device.

Once chosen, we can see in real time what the other phone is playing. In this app, we can't choose the video quality, but we can choose to disconnect the camera's audio if we don't care. This will reduce battery drain. We can also activate the autofocus.

IP Webcam - Acid

IP Webcam-Acid uses a fairly simple interface with symbols reminiscent of those of Google.As in other apps, we start by having to configure the camera or the viewer. When configuring the camera, we are given an identification number so that we can locate it later from the viewfinder. Unlike other apps, IP Webcam-Acid allows you to use both the rear and front cameras

Here there is no record of any kind, just an ID number with which we connect both cameras. The recording limit is in the phone's own memory. It is a simple app, without complications.

AVS and AVC

This system works with two different apps: Athome Video Streamer and Athome Video Camera. The first is used to establish the device that will be used to broadcast the video. A through a username and password, we will put this app in contact with the different cameras.

We say different because you can install all the cameras you want by relating them to the device that acts as a relay. The phones that download the AVC and enter the user number and password will connect directly to the first device. This can be a mobile or a computer, both PC and Mac.

The apps are free, but offer paid add-ons. One of those options is the possibility of contracting storage in a cloud Otherwise, we depend on the capacity of the phone. Also through the payment option we can download the videos, apart from watching them in streaming.

DroidCam

This application only for Android devices is intended to work with a PCWhat we have to do is go to the DroidCam website and download the client. Then we download the DroidCam app on the phone we want to turn into a camera.

Both have to be connected to the same WiFi network. Through the IP address, we will share both devices. Its original use is as a kind of portable Webcam, for YouTube or Skype, but if we want we can also use it to monitor from one part of the house what happens in anotherDoes not require a username or password, although we can add it if we want.

IP Webcam

This simple app, developed by an individual (Pavel Khlebovich) turns your mobile into an IP camera. We have a large number of options to choose how to make the recording. We can include night vision, establish movement detectors and adjust the resolution up to a maximum of 1280 x 960 pixels

We can also choose if we want the camera that reproduces to be the main one or the secondary one. Finally, we have the option of choosing the video format in which it is recorded, and establish a re-recording system in the old shots to save space.

The only limitation of this app is that it only serves to establish the camera, but not to broadcast it. To be able to remotely view what is being viewed on our phone, we have to get hold of another app, specifically iVideo. This app will recognize the camera connected to the network and will be able to view what happens from a distance.

Camera Streamer

This last app is very simple, and like the previous one, it focuses solely and exclusively on offering us the possibility of using our camera to emit an IP signal It allows you to rotate the recording, which is useful if we want to record at unusual angles. We can also adjust the quality, up to a maximum of 1,280 x 960 pixels.

There is a flash option, in case we want to illuminate the scene, although if it is going to be a surveillance camera, it might not be a good idea. Finally, we do not have a connection to the microphone, so what is recorded will always be without audio.

Once we press play, the camera will connect to the IP. It will not record anything, it will only play. To view it, we will have to download any IP camera viewer (we recommend the OWLR Foscam, but there are many). In these players, we only have to enter the IP address to which the camera is connected and that's it, we already have the system mounted.

With this selection you have all kinds of apps available to make your home or business an impregnable fortress. One last piece of advice: always keep your phone connected to the network, or else you won't be monitored for long.