How to Use an Old iPhone as a Home Security Camera (No Subscription, No Cloud)

A spare iPhone can do the job of a basic home camera: it has a good lens, a microphone and WiFi, and it is probably in a drawer already. The usual catch is that camera apps want an account and a subscription, and send your video through someone else's servers.

This guide shows how to set up an old iPhone as a home camera with OffgridCam, so the video goes straight from that phone to yours over your own WiFi.

What you need

• A spare iPhone for the camera (this becomes the Camera)
• Your everyday iPhone (this becomes the Viewer)
• Both on the same home WiFi network
• A charger and cable for the Camera, since it will be on all the time

Step by step

1. Install OffgridCam on both iPhones.
2. On the spare iPhone choose the Camera role. On your own iPhone choose Viewer and scan the QR code on the Camera to pair them. There's no account or sign-up, and the Viewer can reconnect later without scanning again.
3. Place the Camera where it has a clear view of what you care about, such as a doorway or a hall, and plug it in. Keep it indoors and within good WiFi range.
4. Pick a recording mode. Continuous mode records in rotating segments. Triggered mode saves clips only when motion or sound is detected.
5. Set a storage cap of 4, 8, 16, 32 or 64GB. When it fills, the oldest recordings are cleared automatically.
6. Check the detection settings. Motion detection is tuned to ignore lighting and exposure changes, and sound detection uses Apple's on-device classifier, filtered to events such as crying, screaming or barking.
7. If the screen would light up the room, turn on "Turn Screen Off". The Camera keeps streaming while saving power.
8. On the Viewer, watch live, use pinch-to-zoom to control the Camera's zoom, or browse recordings. You can play, download and share them over the same WiFi connection.

One trade-off to know about

Recordings are saved only on the Camera phone and never uploaded. That keeps them out of anyone else's hands, but it also means they are only as safe as that phone: if it is damaged or taken, the recordings go with it. If you want a heads-up while you're out, there's an opt-in away-from-home alerts feature. It is off by default and is the only part that uses the internet. When on, a short, size-capped clip and thumbnail are uploaded for each detected event, and only people with your home code can see them. You can generate a new code at any time to cut off the old one. There's a separate guide to setting it up.

Frequently asked questions

Does it work without an internet connection?

Yes. The Camera and Viewer connect directly over your home WiFi, so live video, audio and browsing recordings do not depend on the internet. Only the optional away-from-home alerts feature needs internet access.

Where are the recordings stored?

On the Camera iPhone only, never uploaded. The Viewer can browse, play, download and share them over the same direct WiFi connection. Because they live on the Camera, the recordings are only as safe as that phone.

Can more than one person watch?

Yes. Multiple Viewers can watch the same Camera at the same time, each independently.

How much storage do recordings use?

You choose a storage cap of 4, 8, 16, 32 or 64GB. When the cap is reached, the oldest recordings are deleted automatically.

Is there a subscription?

No. OffgridCam is a one-time purchase of £9.99, not a subscription.

Related reading

• How to Turn an Old iPhone Into a Private Baby Monitor (No Cloud, No Subscription)
• How to Set Up Away-From-Home Alerts on OffgridCam
• OffgridCam vs. Ring, Nest, Arlo, and Wyze: What Actually Happens to Your Home Video?

More from Offgrid Studio

OffgridCam follows the same principle as the rest of Offgrid Studio's apps: your data stays on your own devices by default. See also OffgridStem, OffgridScribe and OffgridVox.