Discover how you can reuse a mobile phone as an IP camera with remote access over Meshnet.
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Home security cameras are increasingly common for added peace of mind. Instead of investing in a costly system, many opt for budget-friendly alternatives, such as transforming older phones into security cameras. This approach allows you to test the waters without a high upfront cost. Normally, to access the camera remotely, you'd have to set up port forwarding on your router.
Fortunately, you can completely bypass port forwarding by using . With this feature, you can create a virtual device network with remote and local devices. The connected devices can then interact with one another as if they were on the same (LAN). This way, you to gain access to your phone security camera without compromising the security of your home network.
This guide contains a video tutorial, as well as written instructions, on how you can create a remotely accessible security camera by pairing Android and iOS phones with Meshnet.
Make sure that:
Your phone is running Android 9 or later.
Your phone has a stable internet connection.
Your phone has a constant power source.
Open IP Webcam.
Under Connection settings, tap the Local broadcasting option.
Select Login/password.
Enter your desired username and password combination and click OK.
It is recommended to select a specific directory for your recordings. This way, all of the footage is organized and easily accessible. To choose a folder:
Open IP Webcam.
Under IP Webcam settings, select Video preferences.
Tap Video recording > Save videos to.
Select your preferred folder or create a new one and tap Use this folder.
Your phone is now fully prepared to function as a security camera. To start the IP Webcam server:
Open IP Webcam.
Tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner and select Start server.
If requested, grant IP Webcam the required permissions.
After a few seconds, the camera output will be visible on-screen.
Caution
Your security camera is now active, and you can access it either from your local network or remotely, using Meshnet.
Copy the Nord name of your new security camera from the NordVPN application.
Open your internet browser.
In the URL field, paste the copied Nord name, add :8080/, and press Enter.
Example
secret.meerkat-sierranevada.nord:8080/
Type in your login username and password and click Sign in.
Next to Video renderer, select Browser to monitor your camera in real-time.
To start recording the footage of your security camera, click the Record manual button under Recorder control in the IP Webcam web interface.
After you have started the recording, you will see the name of the file in which the footage is being saved.
If you wish to stop the recording, click the Stop button.
You can check all of the recorded footage from your security camera in the Video archive tab of the IP Webcam web interface.
You have .
You have .
With all of the prerequisites taken care of, you can install IP Webcam — the application that will turn your phone into a security camera. You can download IP Webcam for free from the .
By default, the IP Webcam interface does not require any authentication. To minimize the , it is best to secure your camera with strong login credentials. To enable login authentication:
Ensure you set up strong user authentication for your camera's web interface. Without it, other devices in your Meshnet that have enabled can also access the camera, potentially compromising its security.
You have .
You have .
Once your iOS device is ready to be transformed into a security camera, you can install the app for free from the App Store. This app converts the device’s camera feed into a (RTSP) stream, which can be accessed over the network.
Ensure you set up strong user authentication for your camera's web interface. Without it, other devices in your Meshnet that have enabled can also access the camera, potentially compromising its security.
To access your security camera’s stream, you need to use a media player that can view RTSP streams. For this example, the will be used.
