How To Use Your Webcam As A Security Camera

"Why would anyone want to use their phone as a webcam?" This was the near common reaction people had when we told them what we were trying to do, but there are actually some pretty good reasons to practice this.

For one, you can turn an quondam handset into a security camera or babe monitor which you tin can use without buying a brand new standalone photographic camera. And if your handset doesn't have a front facing camera, or if your PC doesn't have a webcam built in, and so you tin use the rear camera on the phone for video calls.

It is plain easier to purchase a dedicated camera, merely if yous don't want to buy a make new webcam, or desire to find a good use for your former telephone instead of selling it, and so setting it upward like this is a overnice idea. Hither'southward how to set information technology up.

Security camera

One of the ways in which yous can use an former telephone is by setting it up equally a security camera or a baby monitor. This is pretty easy to do with the correct apps for both Android phones and iPhones. This is how you prepare it upwards:

Android

A quick search on Google Play throws up several webcam applications. We tried 5 of the top 10 results, but almost didn't piece of work properly. From the ones that didn't crash repeatedly, SmartCam failed to show the video, and DroidCam needs yous to install an app on Windows to work.

IP Webcam is easily the best of the lot because it works through your browser, which gives it the cross-platform compatibility.

To set upwardly a security photographic camera on Android, follow these steps.

one. Connect your computer and the phone to the same Wi-Fi network.

ii. Install the IP Webcam app on your smartphone.

3. Shut all other camera apps. Force close them from the app switcher before yous proceed.

4. Launch the IP Webcam app. Coil to the lesser and tap Start server.

v. The app volition now burn up your phone's camera and display a URL. Our URL was http://172.32.15.110:8080.

6. Enter this URL in whatsoever browser on your calculator and hitting Enter.

7. In the browser, you'll encounter a drop downward menu next to Video renderer. Select Browser.

8. Below that, you lot'll run into Audio renderer. Select HTML wav.

Now you'll see a live video feed in your browser. You can besides record this footage via the browser. To practice this, merely press the red Record push nether the video. This saves the footage equally an MP4.There will be a slight lag if y'all enable HTML wav audio in the browser. You can select the Wink option (doesn't work on all computers) or open the same URL in VLC Media Player.

9. To do this, get-go download and install VLC from this website. So in VLC, become to Media > Network Stream and enter the URL from the app as seen in step 5.

Once the app is running, you don't need to proceed your phone's screen on. It works even when the phone is locked, but the video feed is slightly smoother when the screen is on.

iOS

Two of the nigh pop webcam apps on the App Shop are EpocCam and PocketCam. We tried setting upwardly PocketCam, only the process was as well complicated and even when we did manage to gear up it upwardly, nosotros constitute that the complimentary version limits you lot to black-and-white video and no audio. There's a paid version that gives you access to all of PocketCam's features.

On the other hand, EpocCam is gratis (with ads) and it is very easy to set up. That'south why we would recommend using EpocCam. This is how:

1. Brand certain your phone and calculator are on the same Wi-Fi network.

ii. Download the EpocCam app on your iOS device and Windows or Mac automobile.

3. When you install EpocCam it will prompt you to install some drivers. Click Install anyway in both cases. These are audio and video drivers that let the app act every bit a webcam.

4. Start EpocCam on your iPhone and your calculator.

5. The app automatically searches for other devices running EpocCam on the same Wi-Fi network. Presently, the video from the iPhone will automatically testify up on your calculator. EpocCam lets y'all use only 1 device every bit a camera at a fourth dimension.

While this app generally works well, we found that at times the phone and the computer couldn't connect to each other. Restarting the app on both devices quickly fixed the issue for us. There's no recording characteristic in this app, just you lot can easily setup a screen recorder app such as Camstudio on your computer to record the feed from your iPhone, if y'all want to use the telephone as a security photographic camera and not a CCTV feed.

Video calls

You lot can likewise use your phone equally a webcam to make video calls from a figurer. You lot can apply your phone every bit a camera to chat using Skype. In that location are ii stages to this - setting up the camera on your telephone, and setting up Skype to utilize the phone as a photographic camera. We'll walk you through each stage of the process.

First, you need to set up the camera using an app on either your Android telephone or iPhone. This is how:

Android

Here'southward how to set up your Android smartphone as a webcam. IP Webcam does not piece of work with Skype, so y'all'll need to install DroidCam and its PC client for this to piece of work:

1. Install DroidCam Wireless Webcam on your phone.

2. Download and install the DroidCam client on your computer. Both the phone and the computer should be on the same Wi-Fi network.

3. Open the Android app and annotation down the Wifi IP listed on the main screen.

4. Open the Windows customer and paste the IP on the computer.

5. If you have a tedious Net connectedness, pick Low from the Video Quality driblet-down carte du jour.

6. Click Start.

7. Now you'll see video from the phone on the DroidCam Windows app. This works fifty-fifty if your phone is locked, but the video stutters. For optimal functioning, we recommend that you continue the Android app open and turn off motorcar-lock on the telephone.

8. Restart Skype (if it is open) and select DroidCam Source i equally the webcam (explained after the iPhone section).

9. At present you can utilise your Android phone equally the webcam.

iPhone

If you're using an iPhone then you can utilize EpocCam. Download information technology and so install and run the app on your estimator and phone, as described in a higher place. Once again, both devices need to exist on the aforementioned Wi-Fi network - if they are, and then they will connect to each other automatically. Note that the app stops working if you lot hit the home button or lock your phone. EpocCam has an Android app too, but information technology crashed repeatedly in our tests, and then we advise you stay away from it.

1. Install and run EpocCam on your computer and iPhone, as mentioned before.

two. Open Skype and select EpocCam as the webcam (explained below).

3. Now make a video call to whatever of your contacts. You'll be using the iPhone every bit a webcam for the call.

Changing the default photographic camera on Skype

After you've gotten your phone to piece of work as a webcam (using DroidCam or EpocCam), you need to modify the settings in Skype before you can use your telephone as a webcam. This is what you need to do:

1. Download and install Skype if y'all oasis't already. 3rd-party cameras don't always work well with the Windows 8 style Skype app, so you will need the desktop version.

two. In one case Skype is running and you have signed in, you lot'll need to become to Tools > Options.

3. Click Video settings under the General tab.

four. Select the right camera from the drop-down menu next to Select webcam:. The name of the camera varies depending on the app you are using to connect. Android users will have to select DroidCam Source i, while iPhone users will select EpocCam.

half dozen. Click Save.

You can now use Skype on your estimator to brand a video call, and it will use the feed from your phone's camera for the video.

If you use whatever other app to turn your telephone into a webcam, permit us know via the comments. For more tutorials, visit the How To section.