Camera transmitting to a tablet or smartphone. Webcam from an Android smartphone. What is an IP CCTV camera

Quite often in technical support we are asked, is it possible to use a smartphone camera (iPhone or Android) as a web camera? Yes, it is possible, and very simple. You don't even need to connect your smartphone to your computer with a cable. Below we will give step-by-step instructions.

So, here's what you'll need:

• - Smartphone (iPhone/iPad or Android system) with a built-in camera and an active network connection via wifi
• - AlterCam program for connecting to a smartphone camera

Smartphone camera as a webcam - how does it work? 📱

The AlterCam program will install a virtual webcam on your system, into which you can broadcast anything - be it video from a real webcam (with added real-time effects!), desktop video, or even a pre-recorded video file. In our case, the video source for the virtual web camera will be the smartphone camera. The AlterCam program will connect to the smartphone camera via IP protocol and will take video from it in real time and broadcast it in a virtual webcam. It may sound complicated, but it’s very easy to set up - here it is step-by-step instruction:

The first thing you need to do, of course, is install it on your computer. It's easy and only requires a few mouse clicks. The program will launch automatically after installation.

Now we need to install the IP camera application on the smartphone. For Android smartphones, install this application (it's free). For iPhone/iPad/iPod touch, install the iPCamera - High-End Network Camera application. Not free, but inexpensive, $1 (we couldn’t find a free worker).

For Android: Launch the IP Webcam application on your smartphone. There will be a list of settings, usually by default everything is configured optimally, so scroll to the very bottom and select the item "Run"

For iPhone/iPad: Launch the iPCamera application. When you launch it for the first time, you will need to allow the application to access the camera. Twist the settings using the Configure button - at will (well, at your own peril and risk), by default everything works well.

Launch the AlterCam program on the computer. In the "Camera" drop-down list, select "Add IP camera". Further closer attention is a responsible step.

We connect to the smartphone camera using the AlterCam program. In the dialog for adding an IP camera, enter “IP camera name” - an arbitrary string. The resolution of the IP camera depends on the camera settings in the application on the smartphone. If you do not know the exact value, do not change this setting.

Now the main thing is that the address is indicated at the bottom of the application on the smartphone, exactly transfer it to the “IP camera address” parameter in AlterCam and (ATTENTION!) add it to it "/live" in case of iOS device and "/video" in the case of an Android device as shown in the figure:

Click OK. If everything was done correctly, then an image from the smartphone camera should appear in the AlterCam program. If the picture does not appear, check that the previous steps were completed correctly.

Now you need to select the AlterCam virtual camera where you are going to use the smartphone camera - in Skype (in settings), in other chats. As you can see, with AlterCam, using your smartphone camera as a webcam is as easy as shelling pears!

By the way, you can add a picture from your smartphone camera as an additional image to the main video. That is, you can select your webcam on your computer as the main video source, and your smartphone camera as an overlay (a smaller picture on top of the main one). Or you can stream desktop video with video from your smartphone camera overlayed on top. In general, AlterCam will fulfill any of your fantasies :) In order to add video from a smartphone camera on top of the main video, you need to click on the “Add IP camera” button on the “Overlays” tab.

I hope you found the article useful. See you again!

To ensure maximum safety for residents of apartments and houses, various security systems are created. One such device is a video eye. This device is an electronic video system with which you can review what is happening in front of the door and on the landing. The video peephole replaced the outdated conventional optical peephole, which was installed on every entrance door. The consumer market offers a wide range various devices similar type, which differ in different functionality and accordingly the price category. For those who for some reason cannot or do not want to purchase a ready-made device, it is possible to create a video peephole with your own hands from available materials. How to do this as simply as possible and what materials and devices will be required for this will be discussed below.

Application area

A video peephole refers to security system devices that are designed to be installed on the front door. The presence of these devices will allow residents to safely observe what is happening near the door and on the landing. Video eyes can be used in any premises - these can be apartments, country houses, cottages or dachas.

Advantages of video eyes

Unlike usual optical devices An electronic peephole with a camera has a number of significant advantages.

1. In order to see who is standing in front of the door or what is happening on the landing, it is not necessary to come close to the door and look through the eyepiece of the peephole. The video eye will allow you to view everything that is happening on a remote monitor, using information transfer, as in video surveillance systems.
2. Cameras that use video eyes are highly sensitive. This makes it possible to view images even in poor lighting conditions. If an infrared camera is used, surveillance can be carried out even in complete darkness.
3. Electronic video eyes have a wide viewing angle - it can range from 90º to 180º, which will allow you to monitor even the side parts of the landing.
4. Video eyes own autonomous system power supply that cannot be turned off externally. Therefore, they will remain operational as long as their battery is functioning.
5. Most modern video cameras support the ability to record what is happening on media. This will allow you to later see who came to the house, what happened near the door when no one was home.

Therefore, making a video peephole for the front door with your own hands will be a task whose solution will improve security and protect residents and their property from “uninvited guests.”

Do-it-yourself video peephole from your phone camera

Almost every house has an old one mobile phone, which is no longer used for its intended purpose. It is this that can become the basis of an electronic video eye, which can be made at home, as shown in the photo.

To make a video peephole from a phone with your own hands, you first need to disassemble it and separate the camera from it, which will be installed in place of a regular optical peephole. Since the camera has a smaller diameter than a standard peephole hole, you will need to use a tool to secure the camera inside the door.

To supply power to the camera and transmit video information from it to the phone screen, you should extend the cable with which it is connected to the phone module that processes video. For this, a special cable is used, which must have the same number of conductors as the standard cable connecting the camera and the phone. By soldering the wires to the camera and phone, you can install them in place. The camera is located in the hole in the door, and the phone with a screen is located at a remote distance, where it will be convenient to view what is happening behind the door.

A power supply is connected to the phone to ensure its operation. If you turn your phone into video mode, you can watch what is happening on the landing. Using a cable connecting to a computer or a Bluetooth adapter, you can transfer the broadcast information for subsequent recording on a medium.

Video peephole from web camera

Another way to create a peephole with a camera yourself is based on the use of a Web camera. To make a video peephole from a web camera with your own hands you will need:

• working web camera;
• USB extension cable;
• personal computer or laptop;
• a set of tools for mounting a camera.

Note!

In this method, the role of a video eye will be performed by a Web camera connected to personal computer, to which a video broadcast of what is happening behind the door will be transmitted.

Initially, you should remove the standard optical peephole from the door and prepare the camera for installation in the resulting hole. The camera must be installed so that nothing gets on the lens and does not limit the viewing angle. You should also properly fix the camera in the standard hole of the optical eye, eliminating the possibility of it falling out and turning.

To connect the camera to a remote computer or laptop, use a USB extension cable of a certain length. In order to be able to work with the camera of a laptop or computer, you need to install a special program for working with a Web camera. After this, you can view what is happening on the landing, as well as record it on external media. By leaving your laptop on, you can use a Web camera to record everything that happens on the landing and near the door during that period of time while no one was home.

Installing a video peephole

Many people wonder how to install a video peephole with their own hands. Installation of a homemade peephole should be done in the finished hole that remains in the door from the optical peephole. If it was not in the door, then you should make a hole using an electric drill.

The most difficult part of installing the peephole will be to position it so that the lenses do not obscure the edges of the hole in the door. You will also have to think about how to securely fix the homemade peephole, since its dimensions will most likely be smaller than the hole for a standard peephole. After installing the device in place, you should connect a cable to it, through which power will be supplied and the video signal will be transmitted. The cable should be laid in such a way that it does not break when opening/closing the door, and also does not interfere with passage through the doorway.

Conclusion

A self-made video peephole will become an auxiliary device that will allow home owners to discreetly monitor who comes to their home. The important thing is that the peephole allows you to do this even when no one is at home. If you do everything carefully installation work, then a homemade video peephole will be practically no inferior in functionality to many simple factory devices, and in many ways will even be similar to them. For example, you can easily repair the video peephole yourself. After all, who better understands the design and functioning of a device that was created independently than its creator.

Another type of security system is a hidden surveillance camera. Today we will try to make such a camera from a mobile phone. Once I saw a friend's cell phone Fly phone, for whom almost everything did not work. The battery failed, the bluetooth, infrared and charging socket also did not work. Well, I immediately persuaded a friend to sell it to me for parts. But that's what a friend is for - he gave me the phone for free. He lay at home for several days until the idea came to mind to make a homemade video surveillance system out of him.

To begin with, I assembled a stabilized power supply that powers the phone. As such a unit, you can use any network transformer with an output voltage of 3.5-4 volts and a current of no more than 800 milliamps. Now you need to go to a store or radio market and buy an MGTF wire. You need to buy a lot of wire, a lot - it took me 120 meters. As a last resort, it is possible, but not advisable, to use varnished wire (single-core) with a diameter of 0.3 millimeters. Now we need to disassemble our phone.

Next, you need a soldering iron for soldering micro-parts with a sharp tip. My device has 12 contacts (they vary in number). For each contact of the video module I used 10 meters of wire. We solder the wires to the contacts, and connect the other end of the wires to the device connector on the phone, that is, in essence, we extend the device. This alteration is very similar to the alteration of the screen in the article helping students. Next, after soldering the wires, you need to fix the solder joints with silicone (for strength). The device must be placed in a completely sealed plastic case of a convenient size, for example, use a webcam case. It is necessary to pay special attention to the insulation and tightness of the housing, since it will work in even extreme weather conditions.

The camera needs to be installed where you need to control and view the room. We need a telephone and a power supply at home. We turn on the camera and enjoy the scenery through our homemade video surveillance system. You can connect your phone to your computer and record video to your computer or phone storage. The phone is turned off and on by the red activation button. In general, you shouldn’t put the phone in another case, leave it in the Zovodsk case, it’s more compact. We attach the camera wherever we see fit, most often on a gate or fence. There are several ways to attach the camera. It is better and more reliable to use epoxy resin and tape. Finally, you can wrap everything with electrical tape or tape. If you also want to use a power supply and not install a battery, then keep in mind that voltage plays a big role here and you should not allow the voltage to fall below 3.5 or above 4 volts. In general, I advise you to use the battery and connect the charger. Sent the article - AKA.

The camera built into a smartphone or tablet can be used not only for shooting masterpieces and sending them to Instagram. And not even just for video calls. Here are some non-trivial ways to use the miniature camera that is always with us.

1. Surveillance system

If you have an extra phone or tablet under Android control(version 1.2 and higher), then you can turn them into home system video surveillance using the IP Webcam application. By setting up the program at home, you can watch the “live” broadcast via the Internet on your computer or another phone. To save battery, you can choose to broadcast a low-resolution stream. If the device is connected to the mains, you can configure the transmission of higher quality video.

Another Android app, Bambuser, takes a more entertaining approach: you can use your phone as a webcam and invite friends or family to watch an interactive video stream. Such a stream can be public or private, and it can also be “shared” via Facebook.

2. Augmented reality applications

The futuristic phrase “augmented reality” means a completely ordinary thing: electronic gadgets allow you to see information invisible to the naked eye in surrounding objects. A typical example is the Junaio and Layar applications for the operating room. Android systems. Both apps use GPS to determine your location and overlay useful information directly onto the image captured by your camera.

Just point your smartphone camera at the buildings or objects around you on the street - and you will see hint labels where shops, ATMs or cafes are located.

Gaming applications can also use augmented reality technology. Ball Strike for iOS is reminiscent of Wii video games in terms of gameplay: an electronic opponent throws virtual balls at your screen, and you need to hit them.

In SpecTrek Light and Zobie, Run! for Android you need to get from point A to point B on a map of the real area surrounding you, and on your way you will meet all kinds of ghosts, zombies and other evil spirits. Be prepared for some surprised looks, but it's worth it: as one commentator described on Google Play, it's like Pac Man, but in real life.

3. Catch whoever steals your phone

There are many apps that can help you track a lost or stolen phone, but those that use the built-in camera can be the most frustrating for the thief.

Free app Lockwatch for Android, if you enter the wrong password to log in, records the intruder and sends you an email with his photo and GPS coordinates. The application launches automatically and shooting is silent front camera, so that the attacker will not know that he has already been “burned”.

Another similar application is GotYa! – along with a photo of the thief, he will send you a link to Google Maps, but you will have to pay the developers 80 rubles for it.

4. Plan the interior of your home

In modern smartphone applications for interior planning, the already mentioned augmented reality technology is also widely used. The Floor Plan Creator and Homestyler applications for gadgets running Android are capable of creating a plan and a three-dimensional model of a room and adding various virtual elements there. If you don't like the result, you can return everything to its original state with one swipe of your finger.

Here's a video where you can see Floor Plan Creator in action:

5. Find out more about the product without leaving the shelf

A smartphone with a camera and a barcode reader app such as Barcode Scanner for Android or
Quick Scan for iOS will allow you to quickly find Additional information about the product you like on the Internet, including user reviews. Thanks to apps like these, you no longer have to read the fine print on shiny packaging to find out what's in a product.

6. Digitize your papers

A tablet or smartphone is a pocket scanner that is always with you. Install the CamScanner HD application, which exists in versions for Android, iOS and Windows Phone 8 – and turn your portable gadget into a full-fledged scanner with the ability to combine and annotate documents, save to a file and text recognition (unfortunately, the Russian language is not supported). For an additional fee, it is possible to save all documents into editable PDFs and store them in a 10-gigabyte cloud.

The Handy Scanner app for Android devices allows you to scan documents or photos and save them to PDF files, which can be sent by e-mail or automatically send to Dropbox cloud storage.

7. Scan film negatives

An ordinary smartphone can act as an improvised slide scanner, allowing you to scan film negatives - of course, with imperfect quality, but quite sufficient, for example, for posting on the Internet.

To do this, you need to install the HELMUT program for devices running Android and find a light source sufficient for a photo “in the light”: this can be either a window on a clear sunny day, or a white computer screen with the brightness turned to maximum. The resulting photo can be edited directly on your smartphone using the application or sent to your computer.

8. Google Photo Search

Google's desktop search engine has long had a feature called photo search. The free Google Goggles app brings it to mobile devices.

The Google Goggles program is designed primarily to search for various products, pictures, attractions; it is also capable of recognizing barcodes and QR codes, recognizing texts and translating them into different languages.

What's most impressive about Google Goggles is its ability to recognize famous views and panoramas, book and CD covers, and even solve Sudoku puzzles! If you come across an incomprehensible phrase on foreign language, point your smartphone lens at it and Google Goggles will translate it for you. The application has all the information power of Google at its disposal.

Don't have a webcam and want to use your mobile phone as one? This opportunity really exists, since almost every phone has a camera. And we will tell you how to use this camera as a webcam. There is nothing complicated about this, and almost everyone can work in this mode modern smartphones and many old handsets that do not have operating systems.

The easiest way to use your phone as a webcam is to use a wired USB connection. By default, the handset will be detected as a modem or a removable storage device. Therefore, we need to install a bunch of software that will make the phone work as a camera, and the computer will perceive the phone as a webcam. As a result, we should have a webcam that works with any application, for example, Skype. As we have already said, to create a bundle we need an application that turns the phone into a camera.

Software for smartphones on Android OS can be found in the application store Play Market. If you have an iPhone, go to the AppStore. For smartphones running other OSes, built-in stores and third-party sources are used. In addition to the program for the smartphone, we will need a response program for the PC– it will receive data from the phone. As soon as you obtain all the necessary software, proceed to install it. After installation, launch the programs and enter the necessary settings (if necessary).

As a result, a webcam should appear in the PC operating system. To check the connection, run any program that works with web cameras - for example, Skype, ICQ or Mail.ru Agent. By going to the camera settings section, you will find the installed “web” and can evaluate the image quality.

Old telephone sets that operate without operating systems. In this case, you will need to find suitable software that works with the cameras of certain devices (everything is strictly individual here).

Please note that some smartphones support connection as a webcam without additional software - to do this, you need to set up a USB connection by selecting the connection method in the settings (charging, file transfer, photo transfer, camera, etc.).

Can I use my phone as a webcam via Bluetooth? Yes, but only if this functionality is supported by the selected applications. And this is very convenient, since the phone will be unconnected to the computer. The only connection will be the power cord connecting the handset to charger – Having the camera and Bluetooth on quickly drains the battery.

To make it more convenient to use your phone as a webcam, purchase a car holder with a flexible leg - this will allow you to not hold the phone in your hands when working in camera mode. If the image jerks and slows down, try reducing the resolution.

IP camera for video surveillance

Now you know how to use your phone as a webcam - you need to install special applications on the handset and on your PC and connect via USB. This opportunity will be useful to owners desktop computers devoid of webcams. Particularly convenient when using wireless connection via Bluetooth.

Using a smartphone as a webcam is very easy, but it can also be turned into a completely different device - an IP camera for video surveillance. To do this, there are numerous programs in smartphone app stores that allow you to turn your smartphone into an IP camera. The camera is accessed using special programs for PCs working with IP cameras – all devices must be connected to the same internal network.

After downloading and launching the selected application, you need to make sure that the camera itself is turned on and that there is a connection with Wi-Fi network and with the assignment of an IP address. This IP address must be entered in the program that will receive the transmitted signal. The resulting image, depending on your whims, can be recorded on HDD or simply displayed on the monitor screen.

Remote video surveillance

Some applications can work with special services that allow broadcasting from a smartphone via the Internet. This remote video surveillance scheme works as follows:

• We create an account on one of the services;
• We install the monitoring program and configure it to work with the selected service;
• We connect to the service from a laptop or another phone and observe what is happening in front of the smartphone with the camera turned on.

That is, if you have a smartphone lying around and you don’t know what to use it for, You can do simple system video surveillance for home monitoring– you will see what children or pets are doing in your absence. It is also possible to control the areas adjacent to the house by installing a smartphone on a window - installation on the street can damage the device, which is not designed to work in such difficult conditions.