Can I View My Imac Camera From Iphone

Set up a Mac Security Cam and Watch the Live Video Feed Remotely from an iPhone or iPad

If y'all've ever wished you could cheque up on your house while you lot're away, wish no more considering we have a elementary solution. We are going to configure a Mac as a dwelling house security camera that volition open a alive video stream on demand which tin can be watched remotely from anywhere via an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or some other Mac. If this sounds potentially complicated, it's actually not at all, and everything is achieved through a little FaceTime hackery. Read forth to become the Mac security cam configured in no fourth dimension at all with but about whatsoever version of Mac OS X and iOS!

Requirements for the Mac Security Cam

Hither's what yous'll need earlier getting started:

Whatsoever Mac with an iSight (front facing) camera
The FaceTime app installed on the dwelling Mac (FaceTime comes with modern versions of Mac OS 10, annihilation Panthera leo or later it is bundled, whereas earlier Macs tin become it from Mac App Shop)
A valid Apple ID to apply as a FaceTime Login – you lot may desire to create an additional unique Apple tree ID for this purpose
An iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, or another Mac with FaceTime to watch the security cam with

Setting Up the Camera & Accepting Remote Video Connections on the Mac

This is easier to set up upwards than you lot might think. We're going to assume you already have FaceTime on the Mac installed, if not practice that first. Next you'll desire to position the Mac so that the front-facing iSight (FaceTime) camera is pointing in the direction y'all want to watch. With that done, here's the most technical aspect of this set up:

Launch Final found in /Applications/Utilities/ and enter the post-obit command to automatically have incoming FaceTime calls:

defaults write com.apple tree.FaceTime AutoAcceptInvites -bool YES

Notwithstanding in Terminal, enter the side by side control, changing the email address on the end with the Apple ID you wish to automatically accept a video connectedness from:

defaults write com.apple.FaceTime AutoAcceptInvitesFrom -array-add modify@me.com

Information technology is highly recommended to employ the email address associated with the caller for who y'all want to auto-take the FaceTime calls from (for example, if the Apple ID e-mail of the caller is example@osxdaily.com and so you would add that).

If you want to add other Apple tree ID's or even a telephone number to automatically have FaceTime video calls from, feel gratuitous to do so by running the above command again with additional e-mail addresses. Phone numbers must be prefixed with a + similar so: +14085551212

If you lot want the security camera to be sneaky, you'll likely want to mute the Mac as well and then it won't band or transmit any audio from the FaceTime call.

Opening the Live Security Video Cam Feed for Remote Viewing

Now for the fun office. In one case the Mac has chosen to motorcar-have FaceTime calls from the email address in question, you tin test out the security camera.

Take hold of an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac that is setup to utilise FaceTime with the Apple ID you chose to autoaccept invites from, and initiate a FaceTime call with the target habitation Mac's Apple ID.

Call FaceTime

The recipient Mac with the camera volition automatically accept the call, giving you a live video feed of what's going on at the location of the recipient Mac. Hang up the FaceTime call at any fourth dimension to shut the video feed.

As mentioned earlier, information technology may exist best to create a unique Apple ID specifically for the recipient Mac. That Apple ID could and so exist added equally a contact to the iOS Address Book every bit "Mac Home Camera" and added to favorites for quick access.

Set up a Mac Security Cam with FaceTime

FaceTime security camera

The just downside to FaceTime is the feed requires a wi-fi connection or 4G / LTE cellular connectedness, which can employ a fair amount of bandwidth. Older devices can apply Personal Hotspot to circumvent the FaceTime wi-fi limitation if it applies to their version of iOS, simply that does non exist in mod versions of iOS. You could probably use Skype to become around that limitation as well, but that'd be another article.

FaceTime works on just about any Mac, iPhone, or iPad, and then even if the version is a flake different and the interface is slightly unlike to initiate the call to the video camera on the Mac, it will nevertheless work. Merely be certain you open a FaceTime video chat.

Open FaceTime to Mac Security Cam