Since most of us work from home, online meetings and video conferences are the only way to stay connected with our colleagues and teammates. For a meeting to be held with ease, everything needs to be in place – microphone for uninterrupted sound, good speakers and more importantly, a webcam. There is a clever solution if you don’t have a webcam. You can use an Android phone’s camera as a webcam.
So, until you buy a standalone webcam for your PC, here’s how you can use your Android phone’s camera as a laptop camera.
We’re going to talk about two Android apps that make this possible. The first app on our list is DroidCam, and the second is IVCam.
One of the prerequisites for these apps is that your smartphone and PC must stay connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Therefore, this method will not be possible unless your PC comes with a network card (see USB Wi-Fi adapters).
Now that we’ve set this up, let’s go, shall we?
Using Android’s Camera as a Laptop Webcam
Method 1: Via DroidCam App
Stage 1: You will need a dedicated app/client on both your PC and smartphone as you will be connecting your PC to your Android smartphone.
Click the link below to install the DroidCam Windows client.
Similarly, you need to download the app on your phone as well.
step 2: After both apps are installed, open the Windows client and click the Wi-Fi button at the top. Here you will see the option to enter the Device IP.
Open the app on your phone, it will show all the relevant details.
Stage 3: Copy IP address to PC and check both options for Video and Audio. After establishing a connection, you will be able to see a preview of the video on your PC.
By default, the phone’s rear camera is selected.
Tap the three-dot menu of the phone app to switch to the front camera. Choose Settings > Camera and select Front from the list of options.
Apart from that, you can also choose to change the FPS of the video capture to save battery.
The Windows client has options to fine-tune the brightness, zoom factor or rotate the camera. However, all of these features are paid.
But wait, that’s only half the work done. You will need to configure this new webcam in video conferencing software like Zoom and Skype.
How to Configure in Zoom
The process of transitioning to a mobile webcam in Zoom is fortunately very simple. To do this, open the Settings menu by clicking the Gear-shaped icon in the upper right corner and select Video from the list of options.
Next, select the DroidCam Source option from the My Video drop-down menu.
How to Configure in Skype
In the case of Skype, the app does not work on the stock version of Skype. The option to switch to DroidCam does not appear in the menu.
The solution is to download Skype directly from the Skype site. After logging in, go to Settings by clicking on the three-dot menu on the right.
Here select Audio & Video and click the small drop down menu in the top right corner.
Select DroidCam from the menu and that’s it! You have a new webcam in the shape of your smartphone.
Note that using your phone’s camera as a webcam will have a significant impact on battery life, especially if the meeting lasts for hours. But luckily, DroidCam gives you the option to turn off the phone’s screen after a certain amount of time. You will find this option in Settings.
Alternative: e2e Soft iVCam
Another application you can try is e2eSoft’s iVCam. This also works over Wi-Fi.
Unlike the above app, you don’t need to bother with manually adding the IP address. Instead, the phone app automatically finds the computer (on the same network) running the same software, similar to file sharing apps. This makes things a little easier.
To run this application, you need to download the application to your PC and phone respectively.
After installing the app, launch the apps to enable Discovery mode. Device discovery is instant, and you can preview the video on your phone as well as in the Windows client.
Unlike DroidCam, iVCam’s options are easily accessible. For example, if you want to switch to the front camera, you can do it right from the home page.
How to Configure on Skype and Zoom
Configuring iVCam for both Zoom and Skype is easy.
You need to go to the Video settings of the respective applications and switch to the video feed from the iVCam application.
Zoom users will find the option under Settings > Video > My Video.
Skype users will find the option under Settings > Sound & Video > Camera.
Do you know: Can you restore Skype chat history?
Get the Most Out of Your Camera App
The camera in our smartphones can do wonders. Whether it’s something as trivial as measuring distances between objects or capturing precious moments of your life. In this age of never-ending technological innovation, the list is almost endless.
Next: Apart from the above, the mobile camera can be used in many different ways. Read the article below to get the most out of it.
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