I stopped buying dedicated dash cams after realizing my old phone does it better

I have found myself increasingly utilizing my old smartphones for various tasks, including repurposing them as dashcams. Budget-friendly dashcams often suffer from subpar camera quality, making them an impractical investment for those seeking an affordable solution. However, smartphones come equipped with cameras, microphones, and GPS, rendering them ideal for DIY projects like a custom dashcam.

The Droid DashCam app has proven to be an effective choice for this purpose, functioning seamlessly on older devices. It records video and audio on the road, complete with timestamps, GPS coordinates, and location address. The app also allows users to establish a cap on the footage storage space, automatically overwriting the oldest videos once the limit is reached.

Droid DashCam offers customization options for camera settings during night drives, and it can be configured to prevent videos from being overwritten during phone vibrations. By connecting the phone to Android Auto, the app initiates recording automatically. Furthermore, I have integrated my phone's camera with Frigate, an open-source video analytics platform.

This setup involves utilizing an ONVIF stream, which can be obtained through apps like DroidCam or IP Webcam. By connecting the phone to my Frigate server using Tailscale, I can store footage without concerns about losing access due to locked home networks. I have also established short retention plans for the footage to manage server storage effectively.

Additionally, my phone can interface with Home Assistant, enabling the smart home control hub to access various phone sensors and automate tasks based on GPS data, such as adjusting thermostat settings before reaching the porch. The Gemma-4-E4B model, running on my old PC, summarizes the dashcam stream every few hours. For those inclined towards server projects, an old phone can be repurposed as a Docker server, housing lightweight productivity tools, or a smart panel for Home Assistant-connected devices.