Both apps worked reliably, though they lacked many features that were mentioned elsewhere. We had plenty of other bad experiences until we tried out Home Security Camera - Alfred, and Web Camera Online: CCTV IP Cam. LineCCTV, which is downloaded by thousands of people, turned out to be a fake app. Another app that had good ratings on Google Play, called Viewtron's CCTV DVR, worked for a few minutes before crashing, and reinstalling did not fix the problem.

Among the popular apps that we saw on Google Play, some such as CCTV Mobile didn't open on a Samsung Galaxy S7 or on a Lenovo Vibe K4 Note. Sorting through this list was a challenge, and we tested out most of the free apps that were available. Search for 'CCTV' in Android Play store, and here's what the results page looks like:

When it comes to CCTV apps, there are hundreds of it in each software repository. All you need is an old smartphone or tablet, and the right software. But using an old phone is a cheap alternative that's also easy. Installing specialised CCTV equipment is pretty expensive though, and not something most people can do by themselves. There are a number of reasons why you might want a security camera in the house, to set up a simple CCTV (closed circuit television) monitoring your home, or office. If you're looking for a simple way to find a good use for the device, we've got an easy to set up project that you can do without too much time or effort: you can turn the phone into a security camera. The end result is that you could have a smartphone lying around the house, just taking up space in a drawer. Upgrading your phone every couple of years, if not every year, is fast becoming the norm, and while you would of course try and sell the old phone, sometimes the value of smartphones drops so quickly that selling older hardware isn't really worth the effort.

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