LAN-only mode

An offline security camera app still needs a local connection.

SpareCam can work without internet when the Camera and Viewer phones share the same usable Wi-Fi or local network. “Offline” does not mean the phones can communicate with no network between them.

Set up LAN-only mode Check Android status

Works

Internet is down, but Wi-Fi still works

The router can continue connecting local devices even when its internet service is unavailable. In LAN-only mode, SpareCam can discover, authenticate, and communicate between the two phones on that local network.

Does not work

There is no internet and no shared LAN

Two phones cannot exchange a live view if they have no usable network path between them. A disconnected Wi-Fi icon, two isolated hotspots, or a router that blocks local clients leaves nothing for SpareCam to connect through.

Use remote mode

The phones are on different networks

LAN-only cannot reach across homes, mobile networks, or separate Wi-Fi systems. Use Cloud-Assisted setup when the Viewer needs to check the Camera from somewhere else.

The precise meaning of offline

Local network available; public internet not required

A home router performs two different jobs. It connects devices inside the home, and it connects that home network to the public internet. An internet outage can break the second job while the first one keeps working.

SpareCam's LAN-only mode uses that local connection. Pairing trust, live communication, and local motion-event transport stay between the paired phones on the LAN. The mode does not require a SpareCam account.

LAN-only is an explicit setup choice.

It is not an automatic fallback for a Cloud-Assisted pair. ChooseUse without an account (LAN-only) during setup on both phones, then pair them on the same network.

What you can do on the same LAN

Pair a Camera and Viewer without creating an account.
Open the Camera while both phones remain locally reachable.
Receive local motion-event information on the paired Viewer.
Keep event recordings in the Camera phone's local storage.
Request available playback while the Camera remains reachable.

What requires another path

Checking the Camera from a different Wi-Fi or mobile network
Internet push delivery when the phones are no longer on one LAN
Account-based device discovery outside the local network
Access after the Camera phone is off or physically unavailable

LAN troubleshooting

If the two phones cannot see each other

Confirm the same network name
Both phones should be on the intended home network. Disable mobile-data switching while testing so one phone does not silently leave Wi-Fi.
Leave guest Wi-Fi
Guest networks commonly isolate clients. Move both phones to the normal home LAN before changing router settings.
Check client isolation and VLAN rules
Router security settings can block direct device-to-device traffic even when the network name looks identical.
Restart after a router change
Reconnect Wi-Fi on both phones, reopen Camera mode, and retry the Viewer after the network is stable.

Same LAN, no account

Pair the phones while the network is healthy.

Test live viewing and one motion event before relying on the setup during an internet outage.

Set up SpareCam