We recently returned from a week’s vacation. I missed our kitties so much while we were gone that I thought we’d have to cut our vacation short. While I was gone, I realised I might have done something I’d done before…set up a cat camera.
Cat Camera
As the saying goes, necessity breeds invention. To keep an eye on him while still meeting deadlines, I decided to use one of the many Android phones I had laying about, along with a simple application called DroidCam.
Old Android Phone a Security Camera
An Android phone (version 5.0 or higher), a phone power cord (you don’t want your battery to die), the DroidCam app, and a web browser on the same network as the phone.
1. Navigate to the Google Play Store
Launch the Google Play Store on your Android device.
2. Download and install Droidcam
Search for DroidCam and then press Install when you find it.
3. Launch DroidCam
Ascertain that your Android device is connected to the same wireless network as the desktop or laptop that will be used to see the camera and launch the application. When it starts, it will display the address you used to connect from your browser.
4. Gain access to the DroidCam feed
The IP address and port number required to view the camera are displayed on the screen. You can view the video produced from the camera by going to http://SERVER:4747/video (where SERVER is the IP address shown by DroidCam).
To read our blog on “How to enable alerts for mysterious trackers on your devices,” click here
