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Unfortunately, newer versions have a problem with older Androids. I think that was the purpose of this application to use old phones.
That shouldn't be the problem. Personally, I use 10 years old phones (Android 4.2) as a camera and they work like a charm. The only problem with so old phones is that they are often full of old apps and other stuff, so it is almost necessary to make a factory reset before they can be used for some serious purpose.
Factory reset cleans everything from the phone, so it is like a new one. Before making factory reset, do not forget to backup data which you have on the phone. After making factory reset, connect the phone to WiFi, put some Google account to it, and let the phone rest for two hours, so it can download and update what it needs. This app is really intended for old phones!
I try to assess my camera but comes a statement the camera can't be turned on now?
This can happen when the camera loses access to Internet connection or when the app is not running on the camera or when the camera phone died (for instance it exhausted its battery). You will probably need to check the state of the camera phone. Please check that the application is running on the display of the camera phone, the phone is properly connected to the charger and follow all the instructions shown on the camera app (the app on the camera phone shouldn't show any warning).
Hi my camera doesn't want to boot it just shows a half full loaded bar nothing further.
You probably talk about connecting to the camera to watch the live feed? If so and you have problems with connecting to the camera, please try to physically restart both the camera and the monitor camera. If you can, also restart the WiFi router that the camera is connected to. These restarts should solve the issue.
Hello there I was just emailing you guys since so far this security app been the best operating system I tried. It simple and works like as intended. I like the disable when nearby is the most useful function since I work in an automotive shop and I like to keep my stuff from being used when I'm not around. But it got me thinking maybe there would be a way to customize how close the disable when nearby will function like maybe using the WiFi signal to select the distance or maybe hotspot or WiFi vs using geo forming. Since it seems it show me still close to my viewer when I am 1000 ft away. I would be curious if it possible to change that but I thought I might ask for a future update.
Concerning the nearby - the app uses a built-in native Android functionality, which tells the app if it enters or leaves to some area (close to the camera). It works pretty well, because Android combines several inputs to detect the proximity (GPS, WiFi, mobile signal, may be Bluetooth, I don't know exactly). I also tried to detect the same WiFi which the camera is connected to, but it didn't work well, for several reasons. The detection distance is currently set to 500 ft from the camera, but as the documentation says, it may not be exact. I would very like to add a support for IP cameras. I already tried to look at the ONVIF protocol, but I didn't jump into it yet. I would very appreciate if you could help me with it in any way.
Is there any way for you to email me the pictures from the phone that was taken off of my account today.
I am very sorry, but I cannot access any pictures on your account. All pictures that were taken and that were not deleted yet should be available on your "monitor" phone.
hello, I've been having issues with my app throw past week or so. and also, another problem since I downloaded a couple months ago. the issue that started a week ago is it won't refresh or show image of my camera or black image when showing movement detection images. it's been working fine since I started using the app until about a week ago. I've restarted the camera phone, deleted and reinstalled the app, cut the camera on and off in the app, etc. and still not showing on the viewing phone. when I open the app on the camera phone app, it shows video and works fine, just isn't working on the viewer phone app. that's the first problem. the other problem is ever since I started using the app, it won't allow me to view the live video feed. it used to work fine on the free version but when I bought the pro version that I paid for, it stopped working. I've done all the troubleshooting steps as mentioned on both phones. and I just deleted and reinstalled on my viewer phone app and now it won't even allow me to login. since I'm paying for the subscription pro version, is there any way you can extend my month an extra week or two since I've been experiencing these issues that hasn't been solved yet please? and what can I do or where can I go to reach out to someone to help me troubleshoot these issues? I went to the website and it said I can contact via Facebook and email so I did both. thank you so much for your time. and other than these minor issues I have loved using the app, it's great and I have no complaints! thank you for all your hard work and I appreciate your time and reading this message! have a great day and I look forward to hearing back! thank you again and goodbye, talk soon!
First of all, restart physically your "viewer" phone. Then run the app and sign in to your account. It must work. If not, let me know. Then, you should see your camera(s) on your "viewer" phone. If not, let me know. Click on the "live video" icon to see the live feed from your camera. If it fails or if the live feed interrupts after a while, try to restart the WiFi router that the camera is connected to. If you want, you can try the same on your computer: go to the web https://securitycamera.cz, click on the "Web monitor (beta)" tab, sign in and try the live feed.
I have a request from your side to further develop the camera reading feature via the USB OTG port. Actually, it is similar to the live camera view feature on the phone, but for this feature, it has the advantage. Currently, many companies are developing cameras that connect via USB OTG ports, which have many benefits such as being able to observe small, narrow corners because they have long wires and many other conveniences. If your side can develop, many people will pay to buy the experience and use it. Can you do it?
I definitely plan to add such a feature. I would very like it in my app, so I hope I will add it soon.
My screen on the camera remains unlocked and I don t like that.
To solve this, go to settings of your camera phone - choose Display Lock and select some kind of display lock. You can choose PIN, gesture or any other display lock you want.
Capture Motion sensor keeps turning off by itself, any trouble shooting you know that can help?
This happens when you reach the limit of 3000 detected motions per day. The app cannot process more than 3000 detected motions per day. Please adjust your motion detection so it captures less than 3000 motions - you can decrease sensitivity or exclude some areas in the scene from motion detection - all this can be done from the camera settings -> "Detection area".
How to switch between camera and monitor modes?
To switch between camera and monitor, just go to the main menu (three dashes in the top left corner on the main screen) and select "Sign out (change mode)". Then sign in again and select "Monitor" mode.
Why do you need Google play? I have some phones which have no Google apps at all.
This is because Google Play Store is a standard source of apps for Android phones. If you don't like Google Play Store, you can find the app on many mirror sites. If you mean Google Play Services - the app needs it because it provides some features which rely on Google Play Services, like "Turn off motion detection when I am nearby" and some others.
It's a good idea to allow camera light to be allowed to turn on and/or flash when motion detected when it's NOT dark. It should be like " when motion detected when light outside" just like when its dark. Can you make this a feature?
I must say that this is the first time when someone requests such a feature. I usually add features if there are more requests, which indicates that such a feature will be useful. The reason is that I want to keep the user interface as simple and uncomplicated as possible, without options that only a few users would use. Could you explain me some situation in which such a feature would be useful?
Hi I had lost some alarms because the date on my camera phone was on 2017 can I restore it? And I have some alarms from like a year or two I wish to restore as well if you have that much backup
I am sorry, but the app doesn't have archive or any other way how to restore delete images.
hi
I installed your app on a Samsung galaxy s4 mini it worked great yesterday. But today it gets terminating after looking at the live feed like maybe 1 to two seconds. What could be the problem?
There will be most probably some problem with internet connection on the camera or monitor side. I would strongly recommend to restart both the camera and monitor phones and if you can, also restart the WiFi router. This will almost certainly solve the issue.
As the last option, if everything else fails, I would recommend to make a factory reset on the S4 mini. The factory reset erases everything from the phone, so it will become in the same state as it was when you bought it. All applications, all data and all settings will be erased. If you have some photos or other data on the phone, do not forget to back up these data before making the factory reset. After making the factory reset, put your Google account to the phone and let him rest for couple of hours, until it updates from Internet. Then install the Security Camera CZ application.
I have been using your Security Camera CZ application to my full satisfaction for several years. Now I have switched from Android to iPhone and I find that there is probably no application for iPhone. Or am I wrong? Please advise me on how to use this great application on iPhone.
The application is currently only available for Android. On Apple, PC, Mac etc. you can use the web version of the application at https://securitycamera.cz . The web application is adapted for large and small screens, but so far it has only limited functions (camera preview and live stream).
Will this application please send a notification if there is a power outage in the place where the "camera" is?
Yes, if there is a power outage, the phone-camera will start to discharge and send you a notification. I recommend trying it (e.g. unplugging the charging cable from the phone).
Hello Dan
How do I add additional phones? Is that in the free or paid version?
Even in the free version, you can have as many cameras as you want. To add another camera, install the app on another phone and sign in to the app using the same account as you have used previously and mark this phone as a "camera". This will link the new phone to your fleet and you will immediately see this your new camera on your "monitor".
As users, we do not understand the program, we waste time translating, save us this trouble. In other words, we want to see the user manual in TURKISH on the screen. If you do this and there is trouble turning the camera on and off remotely. For example, I am 100 km away, how do I go there every day to open it? Very slow in waking up the camera, not very time. I am waiting for your attention, if I like it, I will subscribe for a fee. Good work.
I am sorry that the app is not in Turkish yet. I am continuously adding languages based on the number of users from foreign countries. So, I will add your language as soon as the app has more Turkish users.
If you have problems with your camera, please first of all try to physically restart the camera and if you can, also restart the WiFi router that the camera is connected to. If these restarts do not help, please let me know.
Thank you for your reply, the application is great and very useful, I have free ads feature now, but I want to ask about "video without interruption 30 minutes". How can I activate?
When you start the live stream (in the paid version), it must run without any interruption for 30 minutes. Then a small pop-up window appears with a question "Do you want to continue to watch the stream (for another 30 minutes)?". If you press Yes, you will get another 30 minutes. Can I ask you what exactly is happening to you?
I don t want to see the green dot on the home screen of the camera that indicates access to the camera and microphone.
The little green dot is a part of the Android system and cannot be hidden by any app. It serves as a warning to the user that there is some app that runs on the background which records sounds and pictures.
How can I see the charge amount (%) of the camera. I couldn't find it in the settings. I would be glad if you help.
The info about battery is shown when the battery is charging or discharging. When the battery is fully charged to 100%, the battery info is not shown. You can force the battery icon to show if you go to the camera settings and choose in the Battery temperature menu to "always show battery".
How can I use this app?
This app can make a surveillance camera from your old smartphone. You can then watch this camera using your personal smartphone. No costs, all is for free. The app has lot of functions and features, but still, it is very intuitive and easy to manage. To start using the app, install it on two smartphones. Start the app and log in using the same account on both devices (this will pair the devices). The make a camera from your old smartphone and "monitor" from your personal smartphone. And that is it, you will immediately see the result.
Live camera is nice and clear but recorded Image and video quality is horrible and blocky. Is the paid version any better?
Basically, the free version offers the same functions and features and quality like the paid version. The paid version removes ads.
Hello. I have a laptop and a smartphone. How can I use these 2 devices?
Basically, on laptop, you can run only the "monitor" mode. Do this:
1) Install the app on your smartphone, log in using any account and then click the "camera" mode.
2) On your laptop, go to the https://securitycamera.cz, then click on "Monitor (Beta)" tab on the top of the page and log in using the same account as on your "camera" smartphone.
You will see your camera on your laptop.
There are several more things you can do on your laptop. You can check it here https://securitycamera.cz/help/camera-ip.html.
I'm ready to purchase 1 year of ad-free camera, however when clicking on Buy, I am presented with only one Google account of 3 that are on my phone (and that one has no money in it, thus the message: "start by adding a payment method"). How do I get the app to look at the account to which my CZ app is registered (and which has money in it)?
The app uses the native "buy" workflow provided by Google, so the app cannot influence which account is presented or anything else. The app only receives and acknowledgement if the purchase was successful or nor. I am very sorry I cannot help you in this issue. Try to make the purchase from another phone.
I just found out, that motion detection keeps switching Off. When I turn it on again on 1 of the 3 phone monitors it works a day or so O.K. again. Does this occur when using more than 1 phone monitors? How should I prevent this from happening?
This happens only when you reach the limit of 3000 detected motions per day. In this case, the motion detection is ceased until the midnight. I tried to explain this limitation here:
https://securitycamera.cz/help/faqs.html#limit-img-count
I use your security camera application. it usually works fine, sometimes I have trouble connecting. But when I am prompted to write camera offline, I am unable to connect to the camera. I used S7 as a camera, now HTC One 9. as S21U monitor. I'm on vacation and I have trouble observing the marine aquarium. Why is this happening? I will add that I had two several times and when I returned home the problem was solved and the phone monitor started connecting with the phone camera.
If you see this problem, try to restart the app in your "monitor" phone - close the app, remove it from the list of apps running on background and start the app.
Hello there,
I just found out, that the battery status of the Android phone that is used as camera is not shown any more on the Android phone that is used as monitor. I cannot find the setting that I apparently used before to show this. How do I bring back the battery status if the camera-phone on the screen of the Android phone that is used as monitor?
To show the battery status, go to the camera settings, find the "Battery temperature" item and then turn it on. The charging status, in contrast is shown only when the camera is charging or discharging. When the camera is fully charged, the charging status is not shown.
It would be nice to get a message when a device is not working anymore.
I would like such a feature as well. The problem is that when the camera stops to work, for instance when it loses internet connection, it can't send anything :-( But I will continue to think about it...
Tell me, can two cameras be connected?
You can have as many cameras as you want. Just install the app on another phone, log in using the same account and press the "Camera" mode. The new camera will immediately appear on your "monitor" phone.
I've used y'all app off & on a few years now and it s a great app. I have never had a problem or concerns. Ok, now today they were something popped up when I tried to load the camera that said something like this but not exactly how I'm saying it but best I can remember. And it was (my camera been controlled or maybe it said watched by something & hit ok button to take control of it back). Now this is a first for me, uhh, do y'all know anything about that situation? Are they anything I can do to stop that from happening again?
This is a known issue which appears very rarely in case when the last connection to the camera wasn't properly terminated. In such a case, the camera still "thinks" that you are connected to it, so logically, the camera says something like "you are still connected to me" and offers you to terminate the previous connection and start a new one.
You should see this message very exceptionally.
Time lapse. My cam is in its place long time ago. I always wondered how nice it would be to make a time lapse during a day or even a year! (Trees blowing leaves, summer comes, leaves falling down, snow comes, etc.). The picture-to-video function is already done in Your program, and HQ photos could make nice HQ videos. The pictures could be stored on the phone or on the GDrive, because of the huge size of HQ photos. (I think for video processing the phone memory would be more optimal).
I have already received several requests for time laps. I always replied that this is a security app and including time laps doesn't make much sense, but personally, I would also very like to have such a function. I love time laps :-) So I think I will add time laps and I will hide it in some "Advanced" option.
Cashing the alert previews. When a notification comes from the camera, that a movement triggered an alarm, sometimes the preview pictures loading slowly due to the bad signal/bandwidth (my cams hanging on an LTE device). It would be useful an option to preload all the alert preview images on the viewer phone cache - directly after the alarm was happened. Like this the watching of the alarm pictures would be smoother even the cam goes offline for example if some damage happens it would be possible to see the last triggered pictures - even in low quality.
The application had preloading of alarms, but I had to turn it off. Why? Because people trigger thousands of images and preloading all of them consumes a lot of traffic. Count with me: when 100.000 cameras triggers 1000 images per day, each image (in low resolution) is 40kB, then 100.000x1000x40=3,8TB of traffic. And believe or not, in business, the traffic (downloads and uploads) are paid services, so the app had to pay pretty enough for these 3,8TB each day. And in my opinion, most of these 1000 images per day was a trash and the user wanted to see only small portion of this amount. Then I turned off the automatic preloading and the traffic was suddenly much lower (and so the costs for the app). The app isn't really business oriented, doesn't earn much, I want to keep the price low and small number of ads, so although I liked the preloading, due to high costs I had to turn it off.
If I'm away from the location of where my cam is located and I can't turn it on from my monitor what do I do?
If you cannot turn on your camera remotely, it means that the camera unreachable over internet. There can be many reasons for that, but you can prevent this situation if you check that:
- the camera is plugged into a charger and the charger and USB cable are in good condition
- the app on the camera phone is turned on the display of the phone
- you followed all the recommendations that are shown in the app on the camera phone.