A three-day business trip, a week back home for the holidays, or even a two-week vacation — every time you leave home for a while, the same thought creeps in: "No one's home, what if something happens?"
Are the doors and windows locked? Could a stranger get in? Sometimes you just want to know everything is fine.
Why the usual solutions fall short
People have traditionally dealt with this in a few ways:
- Ask a neighbor or relative to check in: but you can't keep bothering them, and they might not remember every day.
- Install a professional security camera: a branded camera plus cloud storage fees adds up over time, especially if you only need it occasionally while traveling.
- Do nothing and hope for the best: the most common choice, and also the most stressful one.
Turn your old phone into a house-sitter
Most households have one or two "retired" phones sitting in a drawer — the screen isn't cracked, the camera still works, it just got replaced by a newer phone. That old phone can go back to work as a temporary camera while you're away.
Here's how simple it is:
- Before you leave, mount the old phone in the entryway or living room: find an angle that covers the front door, hallway, or valuables, and keep it plugged in so it stays powered for the whole trip.
- Install Tomate Camera on the old phone and set it as the camera: install the same app on the phone you're bringing with you and set it as the viewer.
- Scan a QR code to pair them: the whole process takes about a minute, with no complicated network setup.
- Once you're out, check the live view anytime: whether you're in another city or another country, as long as you have internet, you can see what's happening at home.
Turn on motion detection and cloud storage — when the camera detects movement, it immediately starts recording and sends a notification to the viewer, so you know right away.
A pre-trip checklist for peace of mind
Besides setting up the camera, spend five minutes before you leave on these things for extra reassurance:
- Make sure the old phone is fully charged and plugged in, so it doesn't die and disconnect mid-trip.
- Choose an angle that covers the front door or hallway — a view of a blank wall isn't very useful.
- Test the network connection is stable by checking the live view from another phone before you leave.
- Let a trusted neighbor or building management know you'll be away, for an extra layer of security.
Wanting the reassurance of actually seeing it
What bothers people most about a long trip is that feeling of "not knowing anything." With an old phone and Tomate Camera, you don't need to buy expensive equipment to stay on top of what's happening at home while you travel — so every trip away can be a trip you leave for, and come home to, with real peace of mind.
Want to try it? Check the "Get started" steps on the homepage — with two phones, pairing takes about a minute.