USB Webcam utility for Android phone - full version. Using your smartphone camera as a webcam

What to do with a broken one phone, for example, if his monitor broke? Expensive repairs, or buy a new one! But don’t rush to make hasty decisions - your device can still do a good job, because you can use your phone like a webcam! Moreover, this can be done on a smartphone with almost any operating system installed on it, the main thing is to know what software to install - and in the end you will get a cool device for communicating via the Internet with your friends and family - after all, not everyone has a laptop with a built-in webcam or a separate camera for computer. But every second person uses an Android phone or tablet, so this note about a smartphone as a webcam will be very helpful.

The work of all applications that allow you to implement this task comes down to the fact that you synchronize your device via a USB cable or Bluetooth, depending on the application, and the computer uses the camera built into your phone or smartphone as a webcam. The quality of the image depends both on the camera itself and on the program. As a rule, paid software is slightly better than free versions.

Webcam via Android phone - USB Webcam

The Android platform has almost completely taken over the market of mobile operating systems in recent years, so I’ll start with it. A free application called USB Webcam for Android will help you connect your phone as a webcam. You can download it from the Play Market.

The specifics of the program are as follows: it consists of two parts - the first is installed on the phone, the second on the computer (there is a version for Windows and Linux.). Works with Facebook, VKontakte and other flash services, and works well with Yawcam, VirtualDub and Yahoo Messenger.

So, install this application on your smartphone, after which in the main menu of the gadget, go to the “Settings > For Developers” section and check the “USB Debugging” box. We also turn off WiFi on it.

Next, we launch the application we downloaded to use the phone as a webcam and connect it with a USB cable to the computer. After this, you will need to download another program and install it on the computer itself. It's called USB WebCam PC Host - unfortunately, the developer's official website is unavailable for some reason, so you can download it from.

We install this program, after which we go to the folder “C:/Program Files (x86)/USBWebcam” and look for the file there “ usbwebcam.bat". We launch and see this picture:

This means everything is up and running and ready to use your phone as a camera. Now we launch some program on the computer through which we will communicate, for example Skype.

Open the settings and select “GWebcamVideo” as the webcam, that is, our phone. The image transmitted by the phone's camera will appear.

Unfortunately, based on the experience of using it on some phones and firmware, it was noticed that instead of the image from the camera, a green background appears on Skype. Well, this is a program glitch, we can only hope that the developers will fix this problem.

But if you couldn’t launch a webcam on your phone with this program, then let’s try another one - DroidCam. It is also freely available in the market. Download and install.

After launch, this is what the mobile phone screen will look like - the server will start with the IP assigned to the phone on the local network (if WiFi is enabled) and our port “4747”.

After this, we will make several configurations in the same “usbwebcam.bat” file, which needs to be opened in regular Notepad. In it you will see the following lines:

adb -d forward tcp:8080 tcp:8080
adb -d forward tcp:8081 tcp:8081
pause

We delete them and write the following:

adb -d forward tcp:4747 tcp:4747
pause

then save the file and run it.

If you want, you can connect the phone to your router so that the PC and Android are on the same local network, and select the “WiFi” connection item - then you will also need to enter the IP address of the smartphone on the local network in the corresponding line - it is indicated in the program on the phone .

Another option is to connect your PC and phone via Bluetooth. To do this, you first need to pair the devices (how to do this will be discussed in a separate article).

After this, you can open Skype again and check if your phone is in the list of available webcams.

Webcam program for phones running iOS (Apple)

To turn your Apple phone into a webcam, there is an excellent universal program PocketCam. Unfortunately, it is paid, but it is cheap and if you regularly communicate online, it is worth purchasing. Moreover, the development of this company has an Android version, as well as applications for receiving video from a computer to a phone running Windows Phone and Windows Mobile. For clarity, I provide the official video manual from the developer.

Using your phone camera as a webcam - Symbian and Windows Mobile

Nokia's Symbian has already sunk into oblivion - support and release of new versions of this operating system have already ceased, but at one time these phones flooded the entire market, so it is likely that you also have some Finnish model lying around that can still serve us.

The first of the programs that works with Sym is a free application for S60 2 and 3 - . There is a Java version with a .jar extension and an EXE version. Installation and connection requires additional description:

1. Install the program on your computer or laptop;
2. or Bluetooth;
3. Open the folder C:\Program Files\SmartCam and transfer from it to the mobile phone the file SmartCamS603rdEd_v1_4.sis or SmartCamS602ndEd_v1_4.sis for versions 3 or 2 of the operating system;
4. Launch SmartCam on your computer and phone, selecting a bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection

Now in the program you will have an image transmitted by the camera from your phone.

Another program that works not only with the S60, but also with Windows Mobile - another grandfather of mobile OSes, as well as with UIQ 3.0 and iOS - Mobiola Web Camera. It is paid, but the transmission quality is much better than the previous ones. There is also a Lite version, but its connection time is limited to 5 minutes. To use your phone as a web camera, you need to install one of the versions of the program for a specific mobile OS. Supports both WiFi and USB connections.

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Smartphones running the Android operating system have excellent and rich functionality, but not all users know about hidden functions. For example, do you know how to use Android as a webcam for PC and self-monitoring? It turns out that any mobile device can be turned into a full-fledged webcam or hidden camera. We'll talk about this today.

How to turn your smartphone into a WEB camera for your computer

Do you urgently need to contact your friends via Skype, but your personal computer does not have a camera? Need to broadcast online? Or install additional monitoring of the house during absence? Don’t rush to run to the hardware store and purchase an additional device. After all the above steps can be performed by your smartphone.

All you need is a phone and a desktop computer at hand, as well as a special utility for pairing. There are two main types of connection: via a standard USB cable or via a Wi-Fi network.

Connect via USB

First, let's look at the simplest method, which involves using a cable. Please note that USB debugging must be enabled. For this purpose.

Afterwards we return to the original menu, find the item "For Developers". Scroll down the page and stop at the section "USB Debugging". Read the warning and click "OK". Ready.

Now let's start choosing a utility. We settled on USB Webcam. This very simple program, which can be downloaded without problems from .

The functionality is clear and does not contain unnecessary things: we install it on two devices, connect it with a cable and use it. Let's take a closer look at the procedure:

Connect via Wi-Fi

A more convenient way due to the absence of unnecessary wires. A good option is the app. It is universal, since the user can choose the connection method: via USB or Wi-Fi.

We will consider the wireless method. So let's begin:

1. Download the application from the Google Play store and install it on your mobile device. We are looking for a similar program for a computer on the official website and download specifically for your operating system: Windows or Mac.
2. We launch DroidCam on the phone and see the IP address on the main screen. We drive it into a special window on the computer under the inscription "Connect over WiFi". We check the boxes next to audio and video if we want the interlocutor to see and hear us. When all the necessary parameters are set, click "Start".
3. Now on any site that requests a video, we indicate in the source "DroidCam Source 1". Done, we have a fully functioning webcam.

Another advantage of this program is that it is free to operate and does not require root rights.

How to use Android for remote video surveillance

In fact, You can make a webcam from your smartphone without the help of a desktop computer. For example, if you need regular video surveillance of your home. All we need is directly the phone itself and a special tracking program.

Alfred is one of the best applications, as simple and clear as possible. Just download it to your device and leave it at home in such a position that the front or main camera is not blocked. Enter your details (mostly email address) and go about your business.

The program will record everything that happens around, but as soon as it detects movement, it will immediately send a notification to the user. Or turn on constant video surveillance to monitor, for example, a child or an elderly person.

Modern Android smartphones are equipped with very high-quality cameras, often superior in quality to budget webcams. So the Android phone camera can be used as a webcam for a PC or as a video surveillance camera! You can use it for video chatting or any other needs: the smartphone will be detected by the computer as a real webcam.

How to use a smartphone as a webcam over Wi-Fi or the Internet using IP Webcam

For all operations we will need the IP Webcam application; this free program allows you to create online broadcasts directly from your Android device. But there is a limitation: only members of one network will be able to watch the online broadcast. In other words, your computer and phone must be connected to the same router via wi-fi, but you can also access the broadcast simply via the Internet; for this you will need the Ivideon program.

How to use a smartphone as a webcam for a computer via a USB cable

Sometimes it happens that there is no way to connect a smartphone and a PC via the Internet, so all that remains is the good old USB cable. To connect your smartphone as a webcam using USB, you will have to use the DroidCamX application. What’s noteworthy is that you can connect via Wi-Fi, and the application is more convenient than the previous one.

Troubleshooting and correct settings

• There is a lot of delay or the video lags a lot

You need to reduce the video stream resolution in the application settings, or change the FPS.

• The video is of poor quality or too dark/overexposed

Look in the settings of the IP Webcam program - "White balance", and in DroidCamX - everything is done in the PC client of the program.

From this article you will learn about new features of the phone, namely using it instead of a webcam.

You will be offered several options with which you can connect a webcam through your phone.

How to use a smartphone instead of a webcam

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A smartphone is a multifunctional device that can be used to solve various tasks.

However, not many people know about the possibility of using a mobile gadget as a webcam, or how useful this function is.

In fact, there are such situations in life: you urgently need to answer a video call, but the webcam, as luck would have it, is faulty.

In this case, your gadget’s camera will come to the rescue. By following the step-by-step instructions, you can use your gadget to transfer video in Skype and other video chats.

If you require:

• Make a video call on Skype, but the standard camera is missing or faulty;
• To broadcast on the Internet, use several cameras;
• Create remote video surveillance.

Even if the screen on your gadget is broken, but it is still working, you can easily replace the webcam, as long as the front or main camera module remains working.

To connect you need:

• Special utilities for pairing the gadget with a PC or laptop;
• Wi-fi access point.

Programs for turning your phone into a webcam via USB

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Almost any gadget can replace a webcam if a special program is installed on it correctly.

As a result, a phone with the utility installed will turn out to be an excellent device that can be used to communicate with family or business partners via video communication, and you can also use it to broadcast video.

The operation of applications designed to turn a phone into a webcam is based on synchronizing the gadget with a personal computer via a connection via a USB cable or Bluetooth.

These utilities will allow you to replace the built-in camera in your phone instead of the regular webcam installed on your laptop or computer.

The image quality will depend on the installed program and the resolution of the mobile camera.

Using the programs DroidCam, AlterCam and USB Webcam, you can connect your phone as a webcam via USB.

Using one of these applications allows you to transport images from the gadget's camera to a PC or laptop via Bluetooth or a USB cable and can be used using web services for instant messaging.

In addition to the camera, you can also use the microphone of your mobile phone to communicate on Skype.

DroidCam

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One of the best programs for smartphones that run on Android. With its help, the gadget will undergo metamorphosis in a matter of minutes and become an excellent portable webcam.

Step-by-step installation instructions:

1 In order for your phone to turn into a camera, you need to install Android utilities.

While it is installing, proceed to install the program on your desktop computer. Unpack the archive. To do this, click on the archive file "Extract..." and select the location where you plan to extract the contents of the archive, then click the button "Ok".

After the unpacking process is completed, go to the folder you selected for unpacking and run the installation file and follow the instructions that appear on the screen.

2 Now you need to connect your phone to your PC using a USB cable or Bluetooth.

3 After successfully connecting one of your gadgets to another, run the program on both devices.

In the active window you need to enter the IP address of the mobile gadget, which allows you to distinguish the device from all others.

You can find this path in the DroidCam application running on your phone. In addition to the IP address, DroidCam also shows the port number.

4 A notification will be sent to your computer desktop that your phone has been detected. You need to select the video quality to get started.

5 To continue working and start streaming, you just need to press the button "Start" . The application will send the image from the gadget's camera to the PC. If your mobile device has two cameras, go to the application settings on your phone and check if the corresponding checkbox is selected, which is responsible for the active camera.

AlterCam

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You can also connect your phone to your computer as a webcam via a USB cable using the AlterCam program.

This program allows you to install a virtual webcam on your system.

You can broadcast any video into it: both from a real camera and just video clips stored on your computer.

We will consider the option when the video source is the camera of a mobile device.

Using the IP protocol, the AlterCam program connects to a mobile camera and broadcasts video from it in real time to a virtual webcam.

The process of turning your phone into a webcam may seem complicated, but setting it up is a snap.

Step by step instructions:

1 First, download the AlterCam application and install it on your PC. After installation is complete, the program will launch automatically.

2 After this, you need to install the IP Webcam application on your smartphone. You can find it in the Play Store.

3 The installed application must be launched on the phone. When you start, a list of settings will appear; as a rule, you don’t have to change them, you just need to go to the very bottom and select “Run”.

4 You need to run the program on your computer. In the window "Camera" select "Add IP camera".

5 Now you need to connect to the camera of your mobile device using the AlterCam program. To line "IP Camera Name" that appears when the window opens "Add IP camera" enter any value, for example, my phone.

The image quality of the IP camera will depend on the resolution settings in the smartphone application. If you don't know the exact value, leave this setting unchanged.

6 At the bottom of the application open on the phone, the camera’s IP address is indicated; move it to the “IP camera address” line in the window open on the computer.

After this, you need to add “/live” or “/video” at the end of the address. The first option is for devices running on the iOS operating system, the second is for Android.

7 Having transferred the IP address to the computer, you can press the button "OK" . If all actions were performed correctly, an image from the phone camera will appear in the AlterCam program. If this does not happen, check that all steps are performed correctly step by step.

8 After the image appears in the AlterCam program, you need to select a virtual camera in the settings of the voice program that you will use. Let's look at Skype as an example.

Log in to Skype using your username and password. Click on the tab at the top "Tools" and select a section "Settings" . In the general settings you will see the “Video Settings” submenu, and select the program there.

USB Webcam

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The program allows you to use your phone as a webcam via a USB cable. First you need to install the application on your phone and PC.

You can download the program for PC on the developer’s website. In a folder "Installation path" you need to find the usbwebcam.bat file and run it.

If the program is installed correctly, the image in all programs that use the camera will be broadcast from the phone’s camera. True, the frame rate will be low.

You can reduce the resolution of the video stream in the application settings using a hardware key.

After launching the program on your smartphone, you need to enable USB debugging to activate the webcam through a personal computer.

You can find this option in the menu "Options" , where you need to go to the submenu "System" , and then to “Developer Options”.

After enabling USB debugging, connect your phone via a data cable to your PC. Launch the program on your computer; to start working, you need to press any key.

The USB Webcam application must also be running on the phone. Now log into your Skype account, go to "Tools" , then subsection "Settings" .

In settings, open the section "Video settings" , in the window that opens, select "GWebcamVideo" . If everything works correctly, a picture from the smartphone camera will appear on the monitor screen.

If you see a green screen, your device is not supported by USB Webcam.

Today you can download USB Webcam for Android for free. The product will expand the functions of the smartphone, bringing more benefits.

USB Webcam will allow you to use the Android platform as a device for downloading video information in real time when combined with a PC. Thus, you can save on purchasing a Webcam equipped with a single function. However, there are certain disadvantages.

Disadvantages of USB Webcam on Android

The main disadvantage of this method is the transmission of video only. The microphone will have to be turned on separately. However, the lack of sound recording concerns mainly Online means, such as the popular Skype and others. When recording to HDD, audio is partially present. Flash services do not support audio transmission.

Application of USB Webcam for Android

To use the device, you need to download the program to your PC. Download to Android mobile. USB transmission is configured on the device, reception is configured on the computer. This is how the service functions.

By downloading USB Webcam on Android, fans of video communication can usefully use their phone using a popular method.