One of the best ways to give a second life to an old mobile phone is to use it as a video and audio baby monitor.

In this constant evolution of mobile technology, it is likely that most of us have an old Android phone in a drawer . It does not get in the way, but it does not serve any purpose beyond collecting dust. Therefore, the idea of ​​turning it into a useful accessory for monitoring a baby is very interesting.

And among all the possible uses of an old mobile phone (and there are many), there is the possibility of using it as a video and audio camera for a baby . This way you will be saving money on a dedicated accessory and giving a new life to the old mobile phone.

Everything happens through this application: ‘Saby Baby Monitor’

There are several apps for monitoring your baby from your mobile phone on Google Play, but ‘Saby Baby Monitor’ is one of the most notable and geared towards use on older phones . Not in vain, it is compatible with Android versions 5.0 and later. Considering that this version was released in 2014, there are plenty of older phones that can run it without difficulty.

The app has been downloaded over a million times and has a rating of 4.4 stars out of 5. In addition, they comply with privacy regulations, ensuring that no data of any kind is collected, transferred to third parties or used in any other improper way, which is especially sensitive when we are talking about babies.

The app requires a subscription to use it , although it offers a three-day free trial without ads that can be interesting if we want to evaluate the app’s performance. After this time we will have to start paying to use it. At the time of publishing this article there is a welcome offer that allows us to use the app for 17.88 euros per year.

The old cell phone, with the baby. Your current cell phone, with you.

As you may have guessed, you’ll need a second phone to use this tool. But don’t worry if you don’t have another old phone, as your current phone will work just fine . And it doesn’t matter if it’s Android or iOS, as it’s available in the app stores of both platforms.

In fact, once you install them on both devices and skip their initial setup, you will need to select the mode of operation of the mobile phone on which you are configuring it. If it is the old one, you will need to select ‘Baby’, while on your current smartphone you will need to choose ‘Parents’.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll need to use your old Android phone to scan a QR code that will appear on your current phone . This will allow both devices to connect, each acting as a point between the baby and the parents.

A simple, yet useful video camera to monitor your baby

Once the app is set up on both phones, you’ll discover that it works as easily as a watch . Basically, the Android phone will be dressed up as a surveillance camera and the new one will act as a viewfinder that will also receive audio (ideal if the baby cries when you’re not looking at the screen).

You can imagine that the old mobile phone will have to be placed in a strategic spot where the baby’s crib is in clear view. A shelf, a table, a tripod placed there for the occasion… Anything will do, although you should make sure that the mobile phone is well placed so that it doesn’t fall and you don’t lose the image.

As an additional tip, we recommend that you keep a close eye on the old phone to make sure it doesn’t run out of battery , something you can even check from the new phone using the app. It is advisable to keep the device continuously connected to the power supply (you will probably need a long cable) or, failing that, connect it to a power bank and make sure to recharge it once the baby has woken up and it is no longer necessary to use it.

It is worth mentioning that you can configure the front or rear cameras . Ideally, especially for resolution and angle reasons, it should be the rear one. In any case, you can change it with a button in the interface.

Another point to note is that, although the old mobile phone that records allows you to see the image, you can also activate an option that dims the brightness of the screen and eliminates the image, thus making sure that the light does not bother the baby during the night. And all this without affecting the main mobile phone, since you can continue receiving the image and sound in real time on it.

Other options worth mentioning are the possibility of configuring notifications or adding more devices for surveillance. In the latter case, we can also consider adding your partner’s mobile phone so that both of you have access.