It doesn’t mean your phone can’t be fully utilized just because it’s old. Consider giving it one of these essential things instead of selling it. Typically, you’ll be left with the old phone and the question of what to do with it. The most common response is to sell. But, let me tell you, you can reuse your old smartphone! That’s a decent way to contribute to the upgrade’s cost. It may be tough to comprehend, but smartphones have been there for ten years. And chances are you’ve updated at least once, if not several times, during that time. So, why waste such a useful device by selling it outside when you can use it at home?
It’s not the only choice, and it isn’t necessarily the best. Contemplate reusing that old phone instead. A few of the achievements it can accomplish may surprise you.
Use your smartphone camera as a webcam for video conferencing
If you don’t have a webcam for your desktop, or you need to upgrade your laptop camera quality then you could use your smartphone as a webcam. If you have a Windows PC and an Android phone, one of several simplest methods is to use the DroidCam app. It is also compatible with Linux.
How nice it will be if you are just reusing your old smartphone for such vital work and that too free of cost! It’s like a dream come true.
The application is free, but its DroidCamX app includes advanced options like superior image quality, sharpness and pixel pitch tools, and more.
Installing the DroidCam
First, install the DroidCam app on your old smartphone and also install the DroidCam Client on your desktop or laptop. Connect with the same wifi connection on both the devices. Now start DroidCam Client on your desktop or laptop. Enter the ‘WiFi IP’ and ‘DroidCam Port’ from the phone DroidCam app. Press the ‘Start’ button.
Download the video chatting app such as Skype, Zoom, etc., and start the camera output by selecting the ‘Web camera’ or ‘Video’ options. If you use Skype, for instance, go over to Settings and then select the Audio & Video option and Select camera source.
Navigate to the Settings option of your phone and go over to Developer Options and Enable USB Debugging on your phone. If an option appears asking you to ‘Allow USB Debugging,’ click OK. This step is critical if USB connections are made via the Android Debug Bridge.
Now if you have followed all the steps then you will be able to use your old smartphone as a webcam for video conferencing.
Turn your old smartphone into a security webcam
AtHome is a software with a lot of helpful features, such as two-way communication, motion detection, and Ai-based learning to distinguish moving humans from swaying branches in the wind. There’s also an option that shows users a 24-hour time-lapse of anything the camera viewed in the previous 24 hours so that you can search for anything odd immediately.
If your phone has the inbuilt – sensors, it could even start shooting automatically when it detects vibration. Please check that you have properly downloaded the correct version: one for the smartphone AtHome Video Streamer-turn phone into IP camera that will function as a camera and the other Athome Camera: Remote Monitor for your own phone that will work as a controller.
You may ultimately decide to sell, give, or scrap the old smartphone, but there are several methods to extract the most value out of it until then. Reuse your old smartphone to make areas of your life handier until you get rid of it.
What are other creative ways you know to reuse your old smartphone into something productive? Please share your ideas in the comment box below.