If you are one of those who uses a computer without a WebCam, we have found the solution for you: easily turn your mobile phone into one!
The COVID-19 has dramatically increased the use of WebCams, as most of us use computers as a means of communication. Whether to chat with loved ones via video call or to attend an online meeting, it is undoubtedly an indispensable tool.
However, many laptops do not have a built-in webcam. So your options in this case are two: spend money to buy one or convert your phone into one. If you chose the latter, you should definitely continue reading this article, where we will guide you step by step.
First, before you can do anything, smartphone and computer must be connected to the same WiFi network or connected with a USB.
- Download the " Droidcam Wireless Webcam " app on your mobile (requires Android 5.0 or later)
- Download and install the Droidcam client on your computer.
- Launch the client on your computer and you will see that it requires a device IP. Then, Droidcam will open on your phone.
- Skip everything until the page where your device's IP will appear and then put it in the computer client. (To choose between front and rear camera go to the application > click on the three dots icon > Settings > Camera )
- Check your video and microphone settings . If the audio option is not selected, then your microphone will not work.
- You are ready to use your mobile phone as a WebCam.
If you have chosen to connect your mobile and computer with a USB cable, select the USB connection, because the default setting is WiFi.
If everything works smoothly, you open the video conferencing app and select Droidcam as your computer's camera.
macOS
The steps are similar to the conversion for WebCam on Windows, with the difference that the application you will use is "EpocCam", which has clients for both Windows and macOS. It can also be used on mobile phones with iOS and Android software.
The best part is that with EpocCam you don't have to do all the extra details that DroidCam required. You just connect the devices to the same network, open the app, and then the desktop client.
If you are receiving the video stream from the application on the desktop client, proceed with selecting EpocCam as the default camera in the video conferencing application you are using, and you will turn your mobile into a WebCam.
However, EpocCam is not exactly free. There is a free version and a paid one. The former comes with many limitations such as the video resolution does not exceed 640×480, and you cannot use the iPhone. So those who want to use the free app, make sure you have headphones with a good microphone.
The paid version costs $7.99 for iPhones and $5.49 for Android.
So you can easily use your mobile phone as a WebCam, all you have to do is follow the steps above and you'll be ready.
