Security camera from old smart phone/phones

   / Security camera from old smart phone/phones #1  

stuckmotor

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I have to be away from home for a week and am looking into obtaining a couple of used smart phones to use as monitors so I can keep an eye on things. There's a guy on youtube who says it can be done with an app called Alfred.
If I can figure all of that out, keeping the battery charged will be my major concern so here's my question.
(Will leaving a smart phone plugged into the charger for a week destroy the battery, set a fire or anything negative?). It seems to me that with all their smartness the phones would disconnect from the charger when the battery got full and reconnect when it needed more juice.
 
   / Security camera from old smart phone/phones #3  
I have to be away from home for a week and am looking into obtaining a couple of used smart phones to use as monitors so I can keep an eye on things. There's a guy on youtube who says it can be done with an app called Alfred.
If I can figure all of that out, keeping the battery charged will be my major concern so here's my question.
(Will leaving a smart phone plugged into the charger for a week destroy the battery, set a fire or anything negative?). It seems to me that with all their smartness the phones would disconnect from the charger when the battery got full and reconnect when it needed more juice.
I've had an iPhone 6 plugged into a charger 24/7 for the past 3-4 years. We use it as the house phone. Its blue tooth synced to cordless handset base station. That transmits to 3-4 handsets around the house, basement, garage, etc. Make and receive calls. Phone is cold as a cucumber.
 
   / Security camera from old smart phone/phones #4  
You'll need wifi, but those little security cameras are pretty cheap a I think will alert you through your phone along with being able to "tune in" anywhere, anytime with your phone. Waze is one of them and at home depot. I think about $50-60.
 
   / Security camera from old smart phone/phones #6  
Wyze cheapest was $35 from Amazon last May. Great picture quality and night vision. Bring it up on your phone from anywhere.
Limitation - It records a full minute if it sees motion, it's a pia to look through a day of events when the event might have taken just seconds. A big time waster. But free. Subscribe for more sophisticated choices.

I use It for a critter cam to see what the racket on the deck overnight was. Deer clattering around, skunk possum racoon family feral cat bobcat foxes, knocking things over. Daytime the little rabbit, birds. Neighborhood zoo!
Most of what I've saved is vids but here's a still, the fox. (Next post).
 
   / Security camera from old smart phone/phones #7  
Fox on deck, Wyze webcam.
1329562988.jpg
 
   / Security camera from old smart phone/phones #8  
Yea, I got Ring. It's great for reviewing events and so flexible. You can set it up to do pretty much anything you want.
 
   / Security camera from old smart phone/phones #9  
I also have an obsolete Arlo Pro ver 1 set I found at Goodwill for $8. 2 cameras and host router. Was expensive new. Abandoned by Arlo, free online view ends 4-1. Don't buy this as used from eBay.
At least it records only while it senses something, not that entire minute.

Both this Arlo and the Waze record locally too. Pull the memory chip / flash drive to view in pc.

I don't know about present Arlo but I wouldn't have paid $250 for this Arlo set in 2016.
 
   / Security camera from old smart phone/phones #10  
Advice: webcams get hacked, stick with something where reviews say the mfr sends security updates. Lots of stories online about indoor cams recorded by strangers, to post elsewhere. My cams with unknown security are outside only!
 
 
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