What can you do with old cameras and phones?

What you can do with a cell phone camera

A few weeks ago we told you about how to reuse clothes. This time, we’ll give you ideas of everything you can do with your old cell phone. From reusing the mobile camera, to any of its components, don’t throw anything away yet!

It is important to know this and raise awareness about the environment, because they are highly polluting. They include chemical compounds such as coltan, mercury or lithium that, if not treated correctly, take their toll on both the environment and our health.

What else can be reused from an old cell phone? Its battery, for example. Reusing your cell phone battery, if it is in good condition, is one of the best alternatives for creating your own rechargeable batteries. This has a double advantage:

There is the possibility that you can use your old cell phone as a webcam for your computer. You can easily connect it and set it up so that at your next video conference your image looks sharper than ever.

Running out of memory on your cell phone due to too many photos is a classic. Save your old device and, in addition to reusing your cell phone’s camera, reuse its storage capacity. Another excellent idea for reusing an old cell phone!

Recycle cell phone camera to usb

To begin with, you will need to choose a security camera application for your phone. Most apps offer many of the same features, such as local streaming, cloud streaming, recording and storing images locally or remotely, motion detection and alerts.

One of the best options for setting up your phone as a security camera is Alfred . It is cross-platform, so it doesn’t matter if your previous phone was an Android phone or an iPhone . And the same goes for your new phone.

Alfred is free to use and gives you a remote view of your live stream, motion detection with alerts, free cloud storage, two-way audio streaming, and use of the front and rear cameras. To unlock additional features, such as higher resolution viewing and recording, zoom capabilities, ad removal and 30-day cloud storage, you can upgrade to Alfred Premium.

From your new phone, you can change a few more settings, such as enabling notifications on orff, setting a camera or viewer name, adding others to your Trust Circle (granting others access to your video streams), removing a camera, checking how many times a camera has been disconnected, configuring motion detection sensitivity, and enabling a low-light filter on the cameras.

What to do with an old cell phone

In the United States, 85% of all cell phone users own a smartphone. This means that there are probably a lot of not-so-smart phones packing dusty drawers. However, before you throw these phones in the trash (in fact, don’t do it at all), why don’t you consider one of those things you can do with your old cell phones.

Older phones had batteries that lasted for days or even weeks. You can buy a prepaid SIM card, charge it with a little talk time and leave it in the car for emergencies. Remember to start the phone every few months to check the battery.

Older cell phones are perfect for making calls and using text messages. Many people can still use this basic functionality. Giving old phones that work well at a Goodwill-style store or to a local charity may be a good place to start.

What can be reused from a cell phone

For the most environmentally conscious, no doubt. It is about donating your old cell phone without obtaining a monetary benefit. Cell phones contain various components that are difficult to biodegrade and are also highly polluting. Therefore, recycling it in an altruistic way is the best option for the planet in general.

In general, the most dangerous component, the battery, is first separated from the rest of the components. Once this is done, the electronic circuit elements are broken down and new materials are obtained for the manufacture of new devices. The same happens with the chargers of our old cell phones. In the following ComputerHoy video you can see the process in detail:

There are organizations that are dedicated to the recycling of electronic devices and they also pay you for it. Depending on the model you want to recycle, they will pay you one amount or another. This is a way to encourage people to recycle their old mobile devices.