If we have an old unused smartphone at home in a few simple steps we can make it a convenient car camera, here's how to do it
So you have an old smartphone at home, hidden in some drawer or thrown on a desk, and you do not know what to do with it. Our advice is to turn the phone you no longer use into a security camera for your car.
Having a camera in your car is always useful, against theft, accidents and other unpleasant situations. The problem is that car camera systems are often very expensive. Luckily for you, however, any smartphone, even a few years old, can easily perform the task of security camera for your car. In addition, a smartphone can perform many functions beyond just shooting a camera. It can be used as a navigation tool with maps, to play your favorite playlists or more simply to safely manage incoming calls and messages while behind the wheel. But here's how to turn an old phone into an effective video camera to be installed in our car.
What we need to turn the phone into a car camera
In addition to the smartphone of course we will also need some accessories to turn the phone into a video camera for our car. First of all we need a car charger. If we don't have one at home we can find a generic one on Amazon or in many electronic stores for about ten euros. Now let's make sure we also have a good car holder for our smartphone. Better if we buy a swivel mount, so as to place the phone in a position easy to see but not distract us while driving. Also in this case the expense is about ten euros. At this point we need a software that transforms our smartphone into a video camera. On Android there are many such programs on the Google Play Store. Some examples? Applications such as AutoBoy, Dash Cam and Black Box, just to name a few. Let's have a look and once we've found the one we like the most, we can install it on our old smartphone.
How to turn your phone into a car camera
Once we have all the accessories, we mount the smartphone to the holder, connect it to the charger and launch the application for filming and for the smart car we've chosen to use. Be careful though: a couple of tips. Never leave your phone in the sun for too many hours. In summer, therefore, once we have parked we take the phone away to avoid permanent damage to the device or unpleasant consequences to the battery. If we do not park the car in a safe place and we are afraid that a thief could break a glass to steal the smartphone, then if we leave the car unattended for a long time, it is better to remove the device from sight.