Flashing.

So, in my hands I have a phone on which the Android operating system version 4.1.2 is already installed. By today’s standards, the system is already old and it is desirable to update it to something more modern. Surprisingly, as the Android version rises, phones tend to run faster. An update built into the phone shows that the phone already has the latest firmware available for the phone. But if you read the m forum w3bsit3-dns.com. then you can see that there is a more recent firmware based on Android 4.4.2. In addition, there are variants of this firmware with already obtained root rights, installed by BusyBox and CWM recovery. In the future, these additional gadgets will allow you to customize the phone more subtly for the needs of video surveillance. Therefore, I install just such a modified firmware with CWM already installed and obtained root rights.

Of course, you can do without flashing your phone. This operation is not trivial, in the process, if suddenly what goes wrong, you can get a non-working unit. And if someone does not feel the strength to take such a step, then it is better to refrain from it. And instead of flashing the phone, just reset the settings to the factory settings.

Way 3. Organize the broadcast of the RTSP stream from the phone.

It was this path that was subsequently recognized as the most efficient option for implementing the video surveillance function on a smartphone. To implement it, you need to install a program on your phone that will broadcast video from the phone’s camera to the network according to the RTSP standard. There are many such programs, but I liked IP Webcam. The program, on the one hand, is lightweight, does not overheat the processor, on the other hand, it does what is required of it and even more.

Accessing the IP Webcam interface via a browser on a computer

IP Webcam organizes a Web server on the phone, with which you can view some information from the phone, and at the same time observe what the phone “sees”. You can record what you see in a video file or take photos. In extreme cases, the video stream can be recorded on the phone itself, and then the recorded from it can be taken. Although I prefer another option, when only stream broadcasting is enough from the phone. The stream itself is already processed by a full-fledged solution, for example, the same Xeoma or iSpy installed on stationary PCs. The program interface contains several examples of connecting to popular video surveillance systems.

It was on this option that I stopped. It is possible that IP Webcam is generally the best solution for video surveillance from a phone, since the functionality of the product is at least impressive, and at the most worthy of sincere admiration.

LG Optimus L7 II Dual P715

The LG Optimus L7 II Dual P715 smartphone appeared on my desk as a test device. For its time, the device is quite good, although far from being top-end. The phone can work with two SIM-cards and supports communication according to the 3G standard. Among other things, a microSD card can be inserted into it, and a microUSB connector is used as charging. In general, the device is fully operational, although it slows down noticeably when working with a network or in capacious applications, for example, cards.

In order to transform the phone into something useful, you need to do some shenanigans with it. Some of them are optional and can be simply omitted. Below I present the steps that were taken for the P715 phone, but in general they are suitable for any of the similar devices.

On practice

Firstly, connecting to a mobile phone network is possible only via Wi-Fi, and we are not considering the option of connecting via a mobile network at all. The LG model being disassembled has a maximum LAN connection speed of only 54 Mbps, which makes it possible to push MJPEG videos with a frame rate of about 5 frames per second and a resolution of 800×600 pixels or so more or less tolerably over a wireless communication channel. On the other hand, the modest performance of the phone does not allow raising the resolution higher, although it is capable of recording videos in FullHD format, but slightly different codecs are used there. But even with such a flow, gigabytes of information are pumped for knocks, I managed to intend about 35 gigabytes of traffic from the phone to the network.

Secondly, the lifespan of the device received. In theory, electronics without moving parts will not wear out. But this is only in theory, but in practice, everything is subject to gradual wear and tear. For this reason, it is impossible to vouch for the long term use of the phone as a camera. It is possible that he will work in this mode for 3-5 years, but no more. Another reliability factor is the lithium battery that comes with the smartphone. The term of its use is even less than the term of the phone. It is capable of storing very large amounts of energy, and sometimes ignite or explode. A device left unattended with an old battery is alarming. You can use the phone without a battery in most cases, but after any power outage you will have to turn on the phone with your hands.

Turn Webcam into IP Camera

Third, practically limited outdoor use. To use such a device without an external protective casing on the street, I would not risk it. There is a very high risk of its premature failure due to excess moisture in the case. But the effect of just a negative temperature, for example, in winter, will not bring a noticeable change in the performance of the device. Manufacturers limit the temperature range of using phones due to the catastrophic loss of battery capacity at negative temperatures, followed by inadequate operation of the battery controller, plus the LCD screen simply will not display information when all its liquid crystals are trivially frozen. However, both are not critical if you do not use the screen, which is not needed and you use a low-power charger that does not exceed the dangerous limits of the charging current.

Additional software.

Since it is assumed that a surveillance camera is usually installed at some inaccessible distance, it needs to be able to somehow remotely control it. A phone turned into a camera is no exception. For remote control, not complete, but at least partial, I installed an SSH server on the phone. Now, using the client application, you can remotely connect to the phone and perform some actions to control it.

SSH is commonly used to manage, configure and monitor servers running Linux operating systems. Android is a close cousin to Linux, so it can be completely managed over an SSH connection. The only thing to know about Android infrastructure commands and applications. Although he is a relative of Linux, they have a different set of programs. SSH started working a little slow, there is a delay between pressing and reaction of the phone, but the phone remotely executes my commands, the shell is working.

The SSH interface is text-based, you need to work with it through the command line. If it is still convenient to give commands to the phone in this way, then for the usual crawling through the catalogs, you need some kind of window or panel manager. For Linux, the Midnight Commander (MC) is considered to be the only widespread version of such a manager. It is MC that I additionally install on the phone for more convenience.

MC launched in SSH session on smartphone

Well, as a final chord, for very neglected cases, when a camera phone is installed in a place with difficult maintenance, and sometimes it would be nice for it to be rebooted, I install Tasker. Tasker is not just a scheduler, but a whole set of triggers that allows you to set up many actions when certain events occur. But, as part of the implementation of the IP-camera, I just need to set up a regular restart of the phone, which is easily done using Tasker.

In practice, you can safely do without all this additional software, but with it it is somehow more reliable.

We create an IP-surveillance camera from an old smartphone

In an era of active consumption, it is considered good practice to change mobile phones at least once every one and a half years. It’s not that smartphones stop working, they just become obsolete and can’t function properly with modern software. The flagship two years ago is already starting to slow down when working with current programs, and a budget phone that has worked for a couple of years generally starts to stick at the slightest touch. In principle, such devices are already asking for the trash, but you can squeeze something out of them, give one more chance for existence.

A modern smartphone is not only a high-tech device with a screen, battery and microcircuits. This is a real mini-computer equipped with video cameras, display, wireless communication and other useful devices. And on top of that, it’s almost free. Many people buy devices like the Raspberry PI and then use them as miniature computers for certain simple tasks. And here, imagine, you already have a complete solution, you just need to program it in the required way. Of course, a used phone can be sold to buyers, disposed of, or try to smelt valuable metals from the phone’s electronics. But I have a better idea.

A BU smartphone based on the Android platform can be successfully turned into an IP-surveillance camera with a Wi-Fi connection. All you need for this is. A few programs and that’s it. So let’s get started.

Way 2. We use professional video surveillance.

As a PRO product, I tried to apply a solution for the Android platform from FelenaSoft. Xeoma video surveillance complex can be easily installed on the phone, launched and even works. Here I consider it my right to note that Xeoma for Android is exactly the same product as for Windows or Linux. By installing Xeoma on your phone, you get a complete industrial standard video surveillance system.

This has its advantages. This allows you to organize the use of the built-in camera in various ways. You can simply broadcast the stream from the camera in the RTSP standard to the network. You can transfer a video stream to another Xeoma, where it will be processed, motion detection and recording to the archive. Alternatively, you can detect motion directly in the phone, and upload recorded videos via FTP to a network resource. And of course, the user has an option using autonomous video surveillance, when the video stream is recorded directly to the phone using the motion sensor. This approach is convenient because the phone can be placed somewhere where there is nothing else besides an electrical outlet. And then connect to it via Wi-Fi and watch the recorded video. It is clear that due to the small amount of memory in the phone, you should only write video using a motion detector.

But the use of such an “all-in-one” combine on the phone has its own, very significant, drawbacks. The processor installed in the LG P715 is powerful enough to pull Xeoma, a motion detector and other tricks. And in conditions of power supply from a stationary network, we are not particularly interested in battery consumption. But during operation, the processor heats up and catastrophically decreases its performance. Which leads to the complete impossibility of using Xeoma. Alas, you need to look for a more lightweight solution or do some modding of the processor cooling in the phone.

How to turn your phone into a webcam in 5 minutes: 3 easy ways

Modern people have long been accustomed to the fact that a smartphone is a multifunctional device with which you can solve the widest range of tasks. But the user may not even guess about some of the capabilities of his mobile gadget. For example, in a situation where a webcam is required for video calling, it can be replaced with an Android phone camera.

Turning your phone into a webcam comes in handy if you need to:

• Make an urgent video call via Skype, but you don’t have a standard camera at hand, or it’s broken;
• Install an additional webcam for webcasting;
• Create Remote Surveillance Using Your Phone.

How To Turn Your Webcam into a Security Camera ( IP Cam )

Even a phone with a broken screen can be used as a webcam. The main thing is that the front or main camera module is in working order. For different ways to connect your phone, you will need:

• USB cable;
• Wi-Fi access point;
• Programs for pairing phone and computer or laptop.

How to use your phone as a USB webcam

This software will work in conjunction: the Android application will configure the phone as a webcam, and the PC program will receive and process the signal from the mobile device.

Let’s take a look at the step-by-step phone setup:

• Install the DroidCam Wireless Webcam application on your smartphone;
• Open the page http://www.dev47apps.com/ in your browser, download the distribution kit and install it on your computer or laptop;
• Turn on developer mode on your phone. You can read about how to do this in our article “10 most useful hidden functions of Android”;
• Run the USB Debugging function. To do this, select the “For Developers” menu item in the phone settings and press the button in the corresponding item.

• Launch DroidCam Wireless Webcam App;
• Connect your smartphone to your computer via a USB cable;
• Launch the DroidCam client on your computer;
• Click on the USB connection button;
• Check the checkboxes Audio and Video;
• Click on the Start button.

An image from the phone camera will appear on the client’s screen. In the settings of the DroidCam Wireless Webcam application, you can select the front camera as the main one for connection, as well as assign the phone’s microphone to capture sound.

How to use your phone as a webcam over Wi-Fi

DroidCam Wireless Webcam allows you to set up your phone as a webcam over a Wi-Fi connection. To do this, follow points 1 and 2 of the above instructions. Then go through the following steps:

• Start Wi-Fi on your phone;
• Open the DroidCam Wireless Webcam App;
• Open DroidCam on PC;
• Click on the Wi-Fi connection button;
• In the Device IP line, type in the number that will be displayed on the main screen of the Android application in the WI-FI IP item;
• Check the checkboxes Audio and Video;
• Click Srart.

After that, the application will capture the video signal from the phone camera and transmit it through the client to the computer. The free version of the application only connects the phone and PC, and also contains ads. The paid DroidCam application does not display advertising banners and allows you to adjust the contrast and brightness, change the resolution, and so on.

Please note: There are many recommendations on the Internet for applications that allow you to use your phone as a webcam. The second most popular program is the USB Webcam Android application. It should work similarly to the DroidCam utility, that is, you need to download the application to your smartphone and the PC program from the official website. The problem is that, although the application is still available on Google Play, the client’s developer’s offsite has ceased to exist, and downloading the distribution from a third-party source is fraught with the introduction of a dangerous virus on your computer.

We turn a smartphone into an IP camera for remote video surveillance

To set up your phone as a webcam, you need:

• Install the application on your smartphone;
• Install the adapter on the computer;
• Set up a camera for video capture in the application;
• Set video resolution and quality;
• Change advanced settings: video orientation, focus and flash mode, white balance, color effect, and so on;
• Select in the application the item “Start broadcast”.

Further, the user has three available ways to watch the broadcast from the smartphone camera:

• Through a browser;
• Via VLC player;
• Via Skype.

To view the video in a browser, enter the IP address and port of the device into the search bar. This information can be found by clicking the “How do I connect” button in the application. Indicate that you are connecting directly and choose the connection method: via a mobile network or Wi-Fi. In the pop-up window, the application will report the desired number, for example, 192.168.0.39:8080. Next, on the video broadcast page, select the viewing and listening mode.

• Install the distribution kit;
• Open the player;
• In the top menu, select the item “Media”;
• Click “Open URL”;
• Type in a line with the address indicated in the application and add the word videofeed, for example, like this: http://192.168.0.39:8080/videofeed;
• Click Play.

• Open the adapter program;
• Type in an address similar to the one used for the VLC player;
• Specify the resolution 320×240 (if the signal does not connect, increase the resolution to the next level, for example 640×480);
• Click “Apply”;
• In Skype, open Video Settings;
• In the “Select webcam” select MJPEG Camera.

The IP Webcam application differs from DroidCam Wireless Webcam in extended functionality and simpler connection, which does not require installation of additional drivers for your phone.

While exploring the ways in which a phone can be made a webcam, we used a model of a gadget from Fly.

Since 2003, the British company Fly has been a stable manufacturer of high-quality smartphones, in which engineers try to take into account all the requirements of modern users. The company focuses on creating budget smartphones that are not inferior in quality to mid-range models. Even in a gadget for 7-8 thousand rubles, the user will find a powerful 4-core processor, a capacious battery, an excellent camera, a high-quality IPS-screen, and all that is framed by a stylish design.

For a while, we turned the Fly CIrrus 9 smartphone into a webcam. Since the testing took quite a long time, we needed a gadget with a capacious battery, a large screen, a high-speed Internet module and a smart processor. And the Cirrus 9 smartphone came up for every point. On the large 5.5-inch IPS screen, it was very convenient to manage application settings and learn instructions for managing programs. A powerful 4-core 1.25 GHz processor ensured stable system performance when downloading and running multiple applets at the same time. The 4G LTE module made it possible to instantly download the most voluminous application, and a capacious 2800 mAh battery kept the smartphone on full alert all this time.

Using the iSpy program

In addition to standard video surveillance, this software allows you to use additional options, such as sound and motion sensors, and will also be able to notify its owner by e-mail or SMS. The installation of the iSpy program consists of several steps:

• Go to the site of the iSpy developer itself and download the type of software that is suitable for a specific OS. If you have problems with this item, then in the “Start. Control Panel. System” menu you can determine the version of your system.
• In the archive downloaded on the PC, you can see the exe file that you need to run.
• The installation procedure is completely standard, so no problems should arise. You can proceed to get acquainted with the interface.

When you start the program in the main window, you will need to click the “Add” button to add a webcam. You must select the “Webcam” item. Having found your camera in the list, you need to apply the resolution settings to it, in which the shooting mode will be carried out.

In the next window, you can name the camera, as it will be convenient, and also apply additional functionality. an inverted picture, adding a microphone, assigning to a group. The motion sensor is configured in the “Motion detection” tab. As a rule, the program independently sets the appropriate sensor settings, but you can adjust them a little yourself.

How to make an IP camera from a WEB-camera?

Video surveillance systems are becoming more and more popular due to the more affordable web cameras are becoming. There is special software that helps to configure the webcam, taking into account all professional requirements. If you do this, then the camera designed for a computer or laptop will turn into a real observer and will take pictures of any person who enters the room.

What is a webcam? This is a digital camera, in most cases connected via the USB port of a computer or laptop, designed for scanning and image processing in real time. Used for video broadcasts and calls.

IP camera from WEB camera

For a standard webcam to become a surveillance video camera, the source device must have a minimum resolution of 0.3 megapixels.

Next, you need to connect the camera to your laptop, and then use the software specially created for such situations. You will need to download it, register and apply the required settings. Upon completion of this process, the webcam will begin to continuously record everything that happens in front of it.

The main programs that are used for such purposes are iSpy and Ivideon.

Varieties of webcams

In addition to their main purpose, web cameras are often used in the field of security activities. They can record video in real time, additionally using motion sensors, infrared illumination and sound sirens.

There are several types of such devices:

• cameras that are used in the process of assembling laptops. Such a device has several advantages. it is difficult to lose or disable it, moreover, it is immediately built into the computer;
• cameras that transmit images to the network. Taking a picture, such a webcam immediately broadcasts it to the Internet, and the owner can see what is happening at the same time;
• cameras used for conferences. The most demanded type of product as it has a built-in microphone.
• cameras used for long distance surveillance. They remain practically unnoticed due to their compact design and small dimensions. The video can be immediately sent to the owner by email.

Using the Ivideon software

Before installing the software, you need to make sure that the webcam is working and working properly. To do this, just connect it to your PC. Then you will need to go through the download and installation procedure, which includes a number of simple steps:

• Download the Ivideon Server program from the developer’s website to your laptop or computer.
• Launch software.
• In the first window, the software will offer to register in the system. This step is required. Here you will need to provide some information about yourself. email, server name, and also come up with a complex password.
• The following window will open, where you can see a list of all cameras that are connected to the PC.
• In order for a future CCTV camera to work without interruptions 24 hours a day, it is necessary to provide it with a video archive. Recommended free disk space. at least 100 GB.
• In the startup parameters, it is recommended to leave automatic startup along with the operating system.
• If the algorithm is executed correctly, at the final stage it will be possible to see a small window in which the name of the web camera is indicated, as well as the website where the picture will be transmitted online.

How to use your Android camera as a webcam

In this article we will see how to make a WEB camera out of an android. There were times when I used Symbian phones. I studied them well enough and therefore, sometimes I used mine as a WEB-camera.

Having bought an Android smartphone, I immediately decided not to limit myself to the webcam account. Therefore, I solved this problem, despite the fact that at first many users could not figure out how to do this or simply did not want Android as a webcam. I can say that using a camera on Android as a webcam is nothing complicated. you just need to think well and do as you are told. On this occasion, I dedicate this article to those who cannot do this. How can we make a WEB-camera out of our Android? To begin with, let’s start by choosing more efficient utilities that turn Android into a full-fledged webcam. It should be noted that Android and computer must be connected to each other either by the Internet (WI-FI) or by USB cable.

Let’s start with a simple application called “USB Webcam”. This application connects a smartphone and a computer (laptop) via a USB cable. You need to download this application on both your computer and Android. After downloading and opening the utility, you need to enable the “debug mode” on the smartphone (settings. For developers. Debug mode) and connect the phone to the PC via USB. Everything is ready, now when you turn on a program that uses a webcam (Skype for example), you will need to select G Webcam Video in the settings. After that, your android camera will work. Everything is elementary and simple.

Another, no less simple application that allows you to use Android as a WEB-camera is referred to as “Droid Wireless Webcam”. In principle, the “instruction” for this application is similar to the previous one, plus in this application is that it can be used as a microphone. We put on a gadget and a computer, connect via WI-FI or via USB to a PC. select “debug mode”. We turn on the program on the PC, we will see the fields “IP-address” and “Port”, they will already contain values. remember them. We launch the same utility on a smart phone and enter the values ​​that were displayed on the computer before. After that, a picture from the WEB-camera will appear on the computer and on Android. At the end of the operation, we launch the program, for example, Skype or something like that, we climb into the settings and select Droid Cam among other items.

And the last, interesting and easy-to-use option is how to make a WEB-camera from an android. This time we will use software such as IP Webcam. As usual, we hammer the program on both devices (Android. Computer).
Having launched it, we introduce some amendments to the settings, namely:
1) Connection. enter the port and encrypt the connection
2) Resolution of video parameters. not higher than 800×480, since the operation of this software may be incorrect;
The rest of the settings can be selected along the way. As in the previous utilities, we launch a program that uses a webcam and select our Android in the settings.

The article was submitted by Valery Artyushkin. Verified and paid.

Reviews on using android as a WEB-camera

UPDATE REVIEW PAGE
Author: Alexey
15-02-2016
23 hours 25 mins.
Message:
All nonsense, went through a bunch of versions and programs nothing works. Reconfigured codes, ports, etc. still doesn’t work.
Author: alexey
22-03-2015
20 hours 04 minutes.
Message:
The article is really voluminous information. and useful. There would be more such articles. thank you.