Smartphones, today, are able to do quite a lot and you can find millions of apps in various app stores for doing a variety of stuff on your smartphone. Android is currently one of the leading mobile platforms in the world and there are tons of apps available on the Google Play store that you can use to do almost everything that you can do on your PC. The great thing about Android smartphones is that all these devices have pre-installed cameras and you can use your phone to take photos and shoot videos. However, the use of cameras on Android devices doesn’t just stop there and you can easily create a surveillance camera using your Android device. You might even check out some cool music apps to add some tense music to your investigation.
Not everyone can afford a proper spy or surveillance camera and even if they can, the people who are being monitored can find out that they are being monitored if they find the camera. If you really want to spy on someone or monitor your house, you can easily use your Android phone as a spy camera. Whether you want to spy on your employees at the office or you want to monitor your baby while you are away, turning your Android device into a spy camera takes only a couple of minutes. Here are the ways you can use to make a surveillance or spy camera using your Android phone. If you really get ambitious, you can track calls and texts after your spy cam is set up.
Method 1 – AtHome Video Streamer
This method should work on most Android devices, and you will only need a couple of minutes to get this app running. You will need another device for watching the live streaming video while the primary device will act as a surveillance or spy camera. The app is available for Android and for iOS, meaning that you can use either device to act as the spy camera or to play the video stream. The app will also send you a push alert if your recording device is moved or motion is detected.
Step 1
Download and install the AtHome Video Streamer app on the Android device that you want to use as a spy camera. You can download the app using the Google Play button below. Once installed, launch the app through your app drawer.
Step 2
Next, slide through all the introduction screens. When you’re done, you will see the Start page. Here, press the Start Now button and you will be taken to the main webcam page.
Step 3
In order to configure the app on your phone, click on the Menu button in the top left hand corner and select Change Password. Here, you can select a custom username and password, which you will also need to use when you are streaming the video using another device. After entering your details, press the Save button and then click on the Back button to return back to the webcam page.
Step 4
You will see a CID code just below the Screen Off button. Make sure that you write this number somewhere because you will need to use it when viewing the live video stream.
Step 5
Now, click on the Screen Off button in the top right if you don’t want others to find out that the phone is being used as a spy camera. You are done setting up the camera on your phone. You can now place the phone in the position where you want to monitor others. Make sure that the back camera is facing outwards and the phone is placed in such an angle that it can be used to monitor the area.
Step 6
Next, you need to configure another Android or iOS device in order to view the video that is streaming from the device you configured earlier. You can download and install the AtHome Camera app for your Android device using the Google Play button below. After installing, launch the app through your app drawer.
Step 7
Now, click on the Add button in the top left in order to add your device. Then, click on By CID.
Step 8
Now, enter the CID code, along with your username and password you used earlier for configuring the camera in the other Android device. Press Save once you are done entering your details.
Step 9
Next, you will be taken to the main screen of the app where you will need to click on the Webcam icon. The device you are using should now appear and you will need to click on the Camera button.
Step 10
You will now be able to stream live from the Android device that you turned into a spy camera earlier. Here, you can capture screenshots from your spy camera, switch between the front and back camera and switch flash on or off.
Method 2 – IP Webcam
IP Webcam is one of the most reliable and popular spy camera apps on the Google Play store, receiving over 5,000,000 downloads. The app supports watching the video stream on any browser or on any media player on your PC. The app also supports video chat through Skype and Chatroulette.
Step 1
Download and install the IP Webcam app on your Android phone. You can download it through the Google Play button below. Once downloaded, open the app through your app drawer.
Step 2
Once you open it, you can edit settings for how you want to record the video. The setting options include frames per second, image size and image quality.
Step 3
Next, click on the Start Sever button in order to start recording from the phone’s camera.
Step 4
After you hit the Start Server button, you’ll see an IP address and a port number at the bottom of the screen. Make sure that you write this somewhere because you will need to use it in order to stream the video from another device.
Step 5
Now, place the phone at the location that you want to monitor. Make sure that the camera faces outwards and that the phone is placed at the correct angle for capturing the area that you want to monitor.
Step 6
If you want to start streaming on your PC, open your browser and enter the IP address and the port number you wrote down earlier. You will be taken to the Android Webcam Server page where you will be able to view the video directly in your browser or through another application such as the VLC media player. You will also be able to take screenshots by clicking on Take Immediate Photo. If you don’t want to view the video on your PC, you can watch it on another Android device. For this, proceed to Step 7.
Step 7
Download and install the tinyCam Monitor app on your Android device. You can download the app through the Google Play button below.
Step 8
Now, open the app and click on Add Camera. Next, under Mandatory Settings, click on Camera Vendor and select IP Webcam For Android.
Step 9
After that, enter the IP address by clicking on Host Name, and enter the port number by clicking on Port Number.
Step 10
Now, go to the main screen of the app and click on Live View. You will now be able to see the video stream directly on your Android device.
Method 3 – Cloud Spy Cam – $2.08
This is another fantastic spy app for the Android OS, however, you will need to purchase the app for $2.08. The app features several advanced features including silent video recording, silent picture capturing, uploading the video file on Picasa, Dropbox, FTP or email and saving the video to your SD card. The app also features picture motion detection/G-Sensor for automatically activating image capturing and video recording modes.
Step 1
Download and install the Cloud Spy Cam app on your Android device. You can download the app through the Google Play button below. Once installed, open the app from your app drawer.
Step 2
Click on the Settings icon to configure things such as movement sensitivity and pixel comparison threshold while recording the video on the phone.
Step 3
After that, click on Start Server in order to start recording and streaming the video online.
Step 4
You will see a button with the link featuring the IP address and port number. Make sure that you write this down because you’ll need to use this in order to stream the video.
Step 5
Hide the device at the location you want the phone to record from.
Step 6
Next, open the browser on your PC or another Android device and open the URL (IP address and port number) that you wrote down earlier. This will open up the CloudCam page in your web browser where you will be able to edit the settings, capture screenshots from the device and view the live stream directly on your browser or through another media player.
Conclusion
You don’t need an expensive surveillance or spy camera in order to monitor someone at your house or office since you can easily use your Android device to do it. You can do almost anything on your Android phone, and turning your device into a spy camera only takes a couple of minutes. We do not encourage people to monitor others illegally, and you should only use your Android phone as a spy camera if you genuinely feel that monitoring the individual is extremely important, like for monitoring your baby or your employee. If a method doesn’t work on your device, you can try another method.