How to Turn an Old Phone Into a Security Camera

You can turn an old phone into a security camera for $0 with the free Alfred Camera app, a second phone to watch from, a wall charger and a stand. The free tier shows ads and keeps only short clips, and the old phone needs wall power around the clock. Alfred’s store listing says setup takes a few minutes.

The steps below come from the app’s published plan page, its help center, its store listings and named outlets, not from our own lab. See how we score and source for the method.

What do you need before you start?

You need two phones or tablets, a charger, a stand and a stable Wi-Fi connection. Alfred’s help center lists Android 5.0 or newer or iOS 12 or newer for the camera device, and Android 7.0 or newer or iOS 15 or newer for the viewer. Its App Store page says iOS 13.0 or later, so treat iOS 13 as the safer floor. It also asks for at least 400 MB of free internal storage on the camera phone to run detection and continuous recording.

How do you set up Alfred Camera on the old phone?

Install the app on both phones, sign in, then choose which phone is the camera. Follow Alfred’s own help-center order:

1. Install Alfred on both phones: App Store or Google Play. iPhone and Android can be mixed, per the Play listing.
2. Sign in with Google, Apple or email. On the second phone, use the same sign-in option to join the same account.
3. Or pair by QR code: on the first phone tap the Camera tab, then Add a Camera. On the second phone tap Scan to Link to Viewer Device. Pick “Mobile Device” as the pairing option and scan within 30 minutes, or the code expires.
4. Leave the old phone on the Alfred screen. Alfred says pressing the power or home button can take the camera offline.
5. Open the live view on your main phone before you mount anything. MakeUseOf’s walkthrough makes the same point: check the feed and the connection strength first.
6. On an iPhone, turn on Guided Access, which Alfred recommends: Settings, Accessibility, Guided Access on, Accessibility Shortcut on, Display Auto-Lock to Never. Then Settings, Display & Brightness, Auto-Lock to Never. Open Alfred, triple-click the side button, tap Start and set a passcode.
7. On Android, Alfred’s stability page says to disable battery optimization and power-saving mode for the app. Phones from Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO and ASUS need extra background settings listed on Alfred’s site.

How should you power and place the phone?

Keep it plugged in, out of the sun, and close to the router. Alfred’s help center says to keep the camera plugged in when you are away, and its stability page says walls and furniture weaken the signal.

Constant charging is the real risk. Android Authority (Jan 10, 2025) says there have been reports of batteries swelling after extended charging, and advises unplugging when the phone is not needed. Alfred’s battery page suggests taking the case off, keeping the phone out of direct sunlight, lowering brightness, using the original charger, and using a timer charger or smart plug. Check the phone first: Tom’s Guide (Dec 22, 2022) describes a swollen battery pushing a screen off its housing and says to stop using that phone. Do not use a phone that looks like that.

On an iPhone 15 or later, Apple says to open Settings, Battery, Charging, and pick a charge limit between 80 and 100 percent in 5 percent steps. Apple adds that the phone will occasionally charge to 100 percent anyway. On an iPhone 14 or earlier, only Optimized Battery Charging is offered.

What does it cost, free versus paid?

The free tier costs $0 and Premium Standard costs $2.99 a month billed annually, read on Alfred’s plans page on Oct 23, 2026.

Over 3 years, Standard is $107.85 at the $35.95 yearly price on Alfred’s App Store page. Plus works out to $134.64 at the listed monthly rate. MakeUseOf listed $2.49 a month in February 2026, so the price has moved. A Google Play reviewer (Sep 2026) said free use runs an ad before the live view opens, and the same reviewer found no recording on free. The plans page lists local event recording, so test it yourself before you rely on it.

Is it private and safe to point at your home?

Treat it like any cloud camera and read the privacy terms first. We found no independent security audit of Alfred. Its Google Play data safety section, filled in by the developer, says data is not encrypted. Its App Store privacy label says location, identifiers and usage data may be used to track you. Use two-step verification on the Google or Apple account you sign in with, and keep the lens off bedrooms and bathrooms.

Evidence on image quality is thin. We found no lab test of Alfred’s night video or alert accuracy. Android Authority says it cannot tell familiar people from strangers, so every person triggers an alert. Manything is a second option: its App Store page lists a free plan for one spare device, a 3.6 of 5 rating from 392 ratings, and a last update of Sep 17, 2025. Its price list is inconsistent between “from $3.99 a month” and a $2.99 tier, so check the in-app price.

What mistakes break an old-phone camera?

Most failures are connection failures. Avoid these:

• Pressing power or home after setup, which Alfred says can send the camera offline.
• Running a VPN on the camera phone. Alfred says it can disrupt the link to the viewer.
• Ignoring the Connection Stability report. Open the gear icon in Camera Settings, or tap Check on the camera cell, and look for yellow or red hours.
• Planning to run 24/7 on mobile data. At Alfred’s figure of 120 KB per second for Premium continuous recording, a full day is about 10 GB (120 KB x 86,400 s), by our math.
• Never triggering a test. Walk past the lens, then open the Event Book on the viewer to confirm a clip arrived.

When should you buy a real camera instead?

Buy one when you want 24/7 recording, reliable night video or no ads. A Wyze Cam v4 is $44.98 on Wyze’s store as of Oct 23, 2026, with 2.5K video, four 850 nm infrared LEDs and a microSD slot up to 256 GB. That is about 15 months of Premium Standard. The CPSC database showed a June 2026 recall of the Wyze Solar Cam Pan (model WYZESCPWH), not the Cam v4. See our cheap security camera picks, the wider best security cameras, or the AlfredCam review for Alfred’s own hardware.

FAQ

Does the old phone need a SIM card?

No. Alfred’s help center says the camera device needs a stable internet connection, and the Apple listing says it works over Wi-Fi, 3G and LTE.

Can I use a tablet or a computer?

Yes. Alfred’s help center says phones or tablets can be the camera, and its plans page links a WebCamera option for a computer.

How long can the phone stay plugged in?

Alfred gives no time limit. Its battery page suggests a timer charger or smart plug, and Android Authority advises unplugging when not in use. Inspect the phone for swelling regularly.

Is the free version enough?

For live checks on a pet or a door, per its plans page, yes. For clips you can search later, ad-free viewing or person alerts, you need a paid plan.