Using old iPhone as a Webcam

I recently came across the idea to turn a disused iPhone into a webcam. Has anyone tried this an integrated it with SmartThings? I see there are numerous apps for webcams available (some free, many not).

I haven’t done enough browsing/playing with the available apps to know their capabilities yet, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

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Have you looked at Manythings? You can start and stop recording via IFTTT.

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I am using manythings with IFTTT and through a virtual switch in smartthings. I have it attached to the Hello home and goodbye home scripts to turn on and off the cameras when people come and go. I also jailbroke both devices so i could run Background Manager (Cydia) to force a clock app and manythings to run at the same time. Then I turned on guided access so no one could exit the clock app w/o a passcode. I have a “old” iPhone 4s and iPod touch i’m doing this with. The motion detection seams to be a bit sensitive and there is some lag between IFTTT and smartthings, but slightly too much video is way better than not enough :smile:
Next year I’ll be adding my iPad 2g into the mix but instead of a clock app I’ll be using air display and geek tool to turn it into a weather station. :blush: I Love recycling/reusing “old” iOS hardware.

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Jeez…I’m pretty sure head just exploded :slight_smile:

Theres another app that does something similar. Not sure if manything allows you to start recording without having the app launched or while in lockscreen…

Here’s Presence app (not to be confused with the SmartThings Presence)

Hi @sidjohn1, wondering how I connect manything with IFTTT and a virtual switch in Smartthings?! I’ve been trying to figure this out for the past week but have been hitting my head against the wall… Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hey @hephalump It’s pretty easy. I’ll walk you through it.

First create a virtual switch in ST.
This can only be done through a web browser at https://graph.api.smartthings.com
-Go to My Devices
-Then create a new device
-Name your device, select the hub/location, and select “On/Off Button Tile” under the Type dropdown
-Save your new device

Then go to the ST App on your phone. The new virtual switch should be there after a refresh. You may have to ‘Configure’ it as the app sees it as a new device. Simply step through the 2 screen configuration process.

Now, assuming you have IFTTT connected to ST already, you have to reveal your new switch to IFTTT. Go to IFTTT under “SmartThings Internal” on your dashboard. Select your new virtual switch under 'Which Switches?". This allows IFTTT to see it.

Now create your recipes in IFTTT. I use 2 recipes per Manything camera.
If SmartThings Virtual Switch (whatever you called it) turns on, start recording on Manything camera.
If SmartThings Virtual Switch (whatever you called it) turns off, stop recording on Manything camera.

That about does it. Let me know if you have any issues.

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