Old Bird IPCam

Turn a spare Android phone into a self-hosted security camera. On your home Wi-Fi it works out of the box; add Pro, open https://relay.oldbird.app/ in any browser, and sign in with the same Google account — no port forwarding or VPN setup.

WHY OLD BIRD
• Your hardware, your storage, your network. The camera runs on a phone you own.
• Lazy mode: camera and microphone activate only while viewing, recording, motion detection, or an enabled integration needs them.
• Open formats: MJPEG, raw PCM, WebRTC, plus opt-in LAN-only RTSP and ONVIF beta integrations. Works with VLC, Frigate, Scrypted, ffmpeg, ONVIF clients, or a web browser.

FREE
• MJPEG video from 640x480 to 1920x1080, with configurable JPEG quality
• Raw PCM audio (16 kHz mono) and AAC over opt-in LAN-only RTSP
• Battery, temperature, and charging status
• Motion detection with webhook alerts (ntfy, Slack, Discord, Telegram, or custom)
• On-device MP4 recording with ring-buffer rotation
• WebDAV upload of motion segments to your NAS or self-hosted server
• Opt-in ONVIF Profile S and RTSP beta support for trusted-LAN NVR clients
• HTTP Basic Auth with a per-device password
• Auto-start on boot with an always-visible foreground notification

PRO (MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION)
• Off-LAN admin: open https://relay.oldbird.app/ and sign in with Google
• Low-latency WebRTC video outside your LAN
• Google Drive backup of motion segments

OFF-LAN ARCHITECTURE
The relay authenticates both the account owner and camera. It forwards WebRTC signaling and remote admin requests and responses between your browser and phone. Live media travels peer-to-peer when possible and may pass through our TURN relay when required. Relay traffic is processed in memory and is not recorded or stored.

PRIVACY
• Camera and microphone content stays on your LAN unless you deliberately use remote viewing, download it, or upload a recording.
• Crash reports and anonymous usage events go to Firebase to improve the app — never video, audio, passwords, webhook URLs, or viewer settings.
• While you are signed in with Pro, Firestore stores only the camera name, current relay URL, and last-seen time.
• Full policy: https://oldbird.app/privacy.html

REQUIREMENTS
• Android 8.0 or newer, a camera, and Wi-Fi
• Microphone is optional and used only for audio features
• Google account for Pro features

DIY ALTERNATIVE
Free plus your own VPN and NAS can provide remote access and backup without a subscription. Pro buys convenience: one Google sign-in, no VPN setup, and optional Google Drive backup.