Many people are working from home right now due to the pandemic. Of course, this means people will accept to use webcams to be virtually present in meetings and events.

Webcam prices are ascent due to the higher need, so it may not be feasible for you to open your wallet for a new webcam. Furthermore, if y'all demand just to use a webcam occasionally, ownership a dedicated webcam could exist a waste of money.

Whatever your reasoning, if you are not ready to shell out cash for a webcam, yous tin always use your Android phone as a webcam for your PC. That's correct, with the assistance of an app, you can turn your telephone into a webcam for free.

Y'all tin exercise this wirelessly and using a USB cable, and each method has its own upsides and downsides. I'll bear witness both of these ways to employ your Android phone as a webcam for PC in this post.

Use an Android phone as a PC webcam Wirelessly.

If your PC and phone are on the same network, you can utilize an Android app to connect both devices and utilize the telephone camera every bit a webcam. The app will register your Android phone as a webcam for the PC, so all apps that check your PC for webcam availability will utilize your Android phone camera instead.

Earlier I tell you how to prepare it upwards, it'southward adept to know the good and bad side of wireless connexion:

Pros:

  • It'due south a wireless connection, so you accept full control over how yous move and position the phone camera. You tin even take information technology to another room.
  • Information technology is easier to set up every bit no special permissions are needed.

Cons:

  • There will be unavoidable latency due to the limitation of how wireless connection works.
  • Wireless signals strength (the device signals, not the internet) can bear on the quality of the video, leading to college latency and frame skips.

Now that you know the good and bad sides, let's run into how to use an Android telephone as a webcam for PC. There are many Android apps to arrive happen, simply I volition use DroidCam every bit it's the near reputable app for this purpose, and it'due south straightforward to utilize.

Tip: If you aren't near a WiFi connection, yous tin can besides employ your telephone's hotspot characteristic to create a wireless connection. Just connect your PC to your phone's hotspot and follow the above instructions (mobile data not required).

Using DroidCam to fix wirelessly

You lot demand to set upward DroidCam on both your PC and your Android telephone. Download the app on your phone and download the PC client from the programmer's website.

Launch the apps on both PC and telephone, then follow the below instructions.

  • Make sure both PC and telephone are connected to the aforementioned network.
  • On the telephone app, you lot will run across Device IP and DroidCam Port values. Keep these details in front.
  • Now on the PC customer, select Connect over WiFi and enter the Device IP and DroidCam Port values you see on the phone app.

Later on, just striking the Get-go button, and the video from your phone will start showing in the DroidCam interface. If you demand to use the webcam with any app/service, simply select DroidCam every bit your webcam in its interface.

Use Android as webcam for PC wirelessly

The PC customer needs to stay open to keep using the phone equally a webcam. However, you can shut the phone app equally it will go along working in the background. To stop a session, either close the PC client or tap the menu at the summit-left corner on the phone app and select Stop.

Apply Android phone as a PC webcam using a USB cable

If you don't want any latency at all, then using a wired connection is much meliorate. As USB cable connection isn't affected past external factors, unlike wireless connection, it offers the all-time quality without latency.

The pros/cons of this method are but the opposite of wireless connection. Y'all get a better connectedness with no latency, simply you sacrifice the freedom to move the phone effectually every bit the USB cable'southward length on a leash limit it. There is another caveat, though; you have to enable USB debugging on your phone to make it work.

The same DroidCam app can also make the connection over a USB cablevision then that nosotros will utilize information technology for this method. The requirements are a bit different; just follow the below procedure.

Enable USB debugging

USB debugging makes it possible for a PC to admission more secure sections/features of your phone, including control over the camera. Yous have to enable it to make this setup work, merely unfortunately, the USB debugging on Android phones differs depending on the manufacturer and Android version.

The main gist is to enable developer options in your phone and and so enable USB debugging within it. I am going to bear witness y'all how to enable USB debugging in Samsung and Xiaomi phones (the two most pop manufacturers), just if you lot take a different phone; you will take to search online for the exact instructions:

Warning: Enabling USB debugging can be a security risk equally this feature can be used to steal information from a telephone connected to the PC. Ensure you don't connect to a public PC after enabling USB debugging and immediately disable it when you are done using it.

Enable USB debugging on Samsung phones

  • Go to Settings > Nearly phone > Software information and tap seven times on the Build number option in succession to enable programmer options.
  • A new Developer options entry volition go available in Settings at the bottom. Open it and enable the USB debugging choice within.

Enable USB debugging on Samsung phone

Enable USB debugging on Xiaomi phones

  • Go to Settings > About telephone > All specs and tap 7 times on the MIUI version pick, and developers' options will exist enabled.

Enable Developer mode in Xiaomi

  • Now tap on the Additional settings option in the Settings and then go to Developer options and enable USB debugging.

Enable USB debugging in Xiaomi phone

Once USB debugging is enabled, follow the beneath instructions to use DroidCam to use your phone as a webcam for PC over a USB connectedness.

Using DroidCam for USB cablevision setup

Connect a USB cable to your PC and your telephone and plough on the DroidCam app on both PC and phone. On your PC, click on the Connect over USB button and click on the Refresh button to observe the USB connexion.

Afterward a brusque filibuster, the app should detect the USB connection and bear witness it in the drop-down menu. Select it and click on the Start button to start using your Android phone as a webcam.

Use Android as webcam for PC over USB

Similar to the wireless connexion, you lot can select DroidCam every bit a webcam inside apps that require ane.

Ending words

Using an Android phone equally a webcam wirelessly should be the go-to solution for nearly users as Wi-Fi access isn't uncommon, and the latency isn't even noticeable in most cases. I personally institute the best operation when I continued the PC and phone via hotspot instead of my WiFi router. For those who want a perfect connection, the USB connection should suffice.