Got an old phone? Make it into a home security camera.

(credit: Jorge Quinteros)

Smart security cameras are one of the easiest ways to start transforming your normal home into a connected home. Everyone knows about Alphabet's Nest cam, but there are plenty of other cameras to consider from companies including Samsung, D-Link, and Canary. However, you don't have to drop $200 on a bulbous eye-looking camera if you don't want to—there are apps for that. Numerous Android and iOS apps claim to use your old smartphone's cameras to replicate the features of these dedicated cams, letting you check in from your current smartphone whenever you want.

These security apps have nearly the same features as regular smart cameras but are free to download and require no extra hardware. Even older phones are powerful enough to be repurposed. That doesn't mean the apps are quite as good as purpose-built security cameras, though. We looked into the differences between home security cameras and their smartphone equivalents (specifically the apps Manything and Alfred) to see if one method of monitoring your home is better than the other.

HOME SECURITY CAMERAS VS. APPS
PRODUCT	Nest Cam	Canary Cam	Manything	Alfred
CAMERA RESOLUTION	1080p	1080p	depends on smartphone	depends on smartphone
FIELD OF VIEW	130 degrees	147 degrees	depends on smartphone	depends on smartphone
INTERNET	2.4GHz, 5GHz Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)	2.4GHz Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), connected Ethernet	smartphone Wi-Fi	smartphone Wi-Fi
LIVE STREAMING	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
NIGHT VISION	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
MOTION/SOUND DETECTION	Yes	Yes	Motion only	Motion only
MOBILE APP	Android and iOS	Android and iOS	Android and iOS	Android and iOS
SUBSCRIPTION	Nest Aware, $10 per month/$100 per year for 10 days' video, $30 per month/$300 per year for 30 days' video	Canary plans: $5, $10, and $30 per month plans	Cloud storage plans range from $2.99 to $19.99 per month depending on saved days and number of cameras	Free
PRICE	$199	$199	Free app (cost of smartphone)	Free app (cost of smartphone)
OTHER PERKS	Speaker, microphone, 8 infrared LEDs for night vision	90dB+ siren, night vision, ambient light sensor, temperature, humidity, and air quality detection	detection zones, record or still mode, two-way talk, camera remote control	two-way talk, camera remote control

Features: Extra hardware or bare-bones software?

Stand-alone security cameras and monitoring apps share a number of common features, and one of the biggest and most important is live streaming. Any smart camera will give you the ability to watch a live stream of your home over Wi-Fi or data either from a Web application, a companion mobile app, or both. They'll also have a recording feature, and some are more customizable than others. Many stand-alone cameras like the Ezviz Mini will let you schedule a time during the day to record video footage. Others will just record whenever they sense motion (and in some cases, sound) in the room or in designated activity zones.

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