Turn Any Old Smartphone into a Security Camera

By Raizel Albano
Manything turns any smartphone to a security camera.
Manything turns any smartphone to a security camera.  Cnet.

The security camera (or Closed Circuit Television, CCTV) industry has been booming phenomenally not only in developed countries, but also in developing countries. Even with security cameras being far from cheap, a study conducted by Transparency Market Research puts the market forecast to $42.81bn by 2019, owing to the growing need of securing properties and communities. With this growing demand, a startup makes it way to delivering affordable security cameras that anyone with internet access can set up.

This new app is called Manything, developed by a six-person team from the UK: James West, Dan Germain, Mike Edge, Mike Fischer, Adam Rostom and Tim Pearson. It is a downloadable app offered on iOS and Android that can easily transform a regular smartphone into a security camera.

Manything CEO James West says, "Once a thief walks into your house, Manything will alert you to what's going on and send you a clip. It doesn't matter if they steal the device being used to record proceedings... The video has already been safely saved to the 'cloud' for you and the police to watch."

The app features motion-sensitive recording, real-time alerts, options for the registrant to view and control cameras remotely, the ability to control up to five smartphones simultaneously, and the option to automatically back up video clips to the cloud in two, seven or 30-day increments.

Manything offers a free plan that includes real-time alerts and live streaming for one camera. Recording features are only offered for paid accounts, starting from $2.50 a month for two days of recording on one camera. The most expensive package is at $22 a month for 30 days' worth of recording on up to a maximum of five cameras. The $22-a-month package is also available for a five-day free trial.

Minimum OS requirements for Manything are iOS 6.0 and Android 4.2.  

The app has been getting rave reviews from its US and UK subscribers. A woman from Arizona was able to turn in a burglar through Manything. She says, "After doing some research, I put (the) Manything app onto my spare iPhone and turned it on every time I left my flat. About 10 days after the first thefts, I was in town when I received a motion alert on my phone. I looked at the livestream footage and spotted someone I didn't know in my room." 

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