Daily Tip: How to set up Skype to become your home iPhone, iPad security camera

Have you ever been out and about with your iPhone or iPad and wished you knew how to just press a button and get a video view of your home? Sure there are home security solutions that can do this -- for a lot of money. But how about on the cheap? Well, if you have an iPhone or iPad 3G and Skype, you can. We'll show you how after the break!

[Thanks to Mickey Papillon for this ninja-level tip!]

Okay, if you want to set up Skype to be your cheap home security, on-demand video peeping solution, you'll have to get a few things set up.

This is an advanced level tip so we're going to assume you know what Skype is, have an account, and are familiar with using it. If not, let us know in the comments and we'll break out some basic tutorials to get you started.

  1. Login to Skype.com and set up a second Skype account
  2. Don't give anyone this second account ID or allow them to contact it unless you don't mind them peeping into your house either!
  3. Setup the second Skype account on your home Mac or Windows PC in the room you want to be able to look into
  4. Set Skype on that PC to automatically answer video calls
  5. Open up the Skype app on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad (logged in on your regular/primary Skype account).
  6. Use your primary Skype account on your iOS device to call your second Skype account at home, which will now automatically answer.
  7. Watch the video and make sure everything is safe at home.

That's it. Again, the steps above require a knowledge of how to setup and use Skype so if you need help, let us know. Otherwise, if you try it out, how does it work for you?

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Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.