As a new parent or relative, it’s easy to over-buy things for your bundle of joy. Besides bottles, diapers, adorable outfits, crib and changing unit, you might also consider choosing one of The best baby monitors to monitor your child.
While older models need to be wired, many newer models have their own batteries, and as such, you can take them with you on weekend trips or when visiting relatives. However, as a person who already has some The best home security cameras It was set up throughout my entire home—baby room included—I wasn’t willing to spend several hundred dollars on a portable baby monitor to use on several short trips.
Reusing old tools is kind of a hobby for me and just like that I turned an old monitor into a digital dashboard or Making an old portable smart speakerI thought I could come up with an easy way to use an old Android phone as a baby monitor instead of buying one.
Cheaper alternative to baby monitor
Since I didn’t want to remove my security cameras and try to bring them with me on weekend trips – let alone reconfigure them – I needed to find a way to use my old phone as a security camera and my current security camera to watch his feed.
After doing a lot of research on the best security camera apps for Android, I settled on it AlfredCamera (Opens in a new tab). It has more than 10 million downloads on Google Play Store with a rating of 4.8 – and it’s free.
To set up AlfredCamera, you first need to download the app on both devices and either create a new account or sign in with another account. I chose the latter and from here, one phone should be set as a camera and the other as a viewer. All in all, this only took a few minutes to do.
With both phones configured, I set up my old phone on a dresser next to my son’s Pack n Play. I used Lamicall T-Stand (US $15.99 (Opens in a new tab)And the Amazon (Opens in a new tab)) to lift the phone and get it to just the right angle so I can check on my son as he sleeps. It is by far my favorite phone/tablet holder due to the fact that it folds neatly and is compact enough to slip easily into a bag.
Why you might want to invest in a baby monitor or security camera instead
AlfredCamera did the trick and I was even able to turn off the screen on my old phone so it wouldn’t distract my son in his sleep. However, I learned by trial and error that I needed to light up the room so I could see it at night. While he slept with lights on in the house, this wasn’t a problem. However, as your child gets older – and wants the lights out – this may become a problem.
You also lose out on some other features included in dedicated baby monitors, such as sleep tracking as well as humidity and temperature sensors. And thanks to their design, it’s often easier to mount baby monitors and security cameras to walls than a smartphone.
Lots of other use cases
Even if you don’t have a child, there are plenty of good reasons why you might want to use an old smartphone as a security camera. While the security camera will immediately stand out to those who aren’t up to something good, they may not even notice that the camera on their smartphone or tablet is pointed at them.
For example, maybe you are a trending college student Back to school This fall. If you go home for the weekend, you can use AlfredCamera or a similar app to monitor your bedroom while you’re away. The same goes for those who have school-age children and want to monitor them and make sure they are doing their homework. Likewise, frequent flyers who often stay in hotels can set up something similar to keep an eye on their belongings.
In my case, I now have a children’s mobile device that I can bring with me when my family is traveling and I don’t need to bring any extra power cables like my current phone, as well as my old phone, charge via USB-C. Now, wherever we are, my baby and I can rest easy.