Plenty of us have a working Android phone sitting in a drawer while paying a monthly fee for a cloud camera. Here is the local-only alternative: an old phone, a screen-off camera app, and about a minute of setup — no cloud account, no subscription.
The setup
Grab any Android phone you are not using. Install Background Camera RemoteStream (free, no account), grant camera and microphone access, then lock the phone -- recording and streaming continue with the screen off. Point it where you need eyes and open the stream on any other device on the same WiFi network.
What I tested
Recording keeps running with the screen off and the app in the background, which is the part most 'IP camera' apps get wrong on modern Android. The stream stays on your local network, so there is no cloud relay in the path and no account to create.
How it compares
- Alfred Camera: easy to start, but the free tier is limited, shows ads, needs an account, and routes video through its cloud.
- IP Webcam: powerful and fully local, but more technical to set up.
- FadCam: a strong open-source screen-off recorder with LAN streaming of its own -- but it is sideload-only (F-Droid/GitHub, not on the Play Store), which is a real hurdle if you just want a one-tap install.
- Background Camera RemoteStream: free, no account, records with the screen off, streams over your own WiFi, and installs straight from the Play Store.
Why local-only
Keeping the feed on your own network means the video never leaves your home unless you send it there. For a baby monitor, pet cam, or porch camera, that is the whole point.
If you want the step-by-step version, I wrote a fuller walkthrough here: https://dev.to/superfunicular/turn-an-old-android-phone-into-a-screen-off-security-camera-no-cloud-lan-only-5cll -- and a deeper three-app comparison here: https://dev.to/superfunicular/background-camera-remotestream-vs-fadcam-vs-ip-webcam-which-actually-travel-cam-4g2h
Open question for the dev.to community
What is your setup for reusing old Android hardware instead of buying another subscription camera? Curious what has worked for others.
App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.superfunicular.digicam · Site: https://superfunicular.com · Built solo by Super Funicular LLC.
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