An IP camera is a useful thing, but you can only pay a few hundred dollars for a video surveillance system if you definitely know that you need it. In all other cases, especially when it comes to the simplest tasks of organizing video broadcasting, any Android smartphone can handle this. As a temporary solution, this is the most the best option, which will require the smartphone itself and special application... Let's take a look at the best ones.
The most popular application that turns a smartphone or tablet into a security camera. Its main advantage is a huge number of settings that can confuse the average owner of an Android gadget, but they will certainly be appreciated by advanced users. IP Webcam, in fact, does not have an interface familiar to this kind of programs. Instead of an intuitive screen, at startup, the settings menu is immediately offered, scrolling through which to the very bottom, you can find the main option to start the video broadcast.
After that, the application switches to shooting mode, and the screen displays the address for viewing the broadcast and remote control of the device's camera. This can be done in any convenient way: through the browser, third party programs for video surveillance and even through the VLC media player. This method is valid only within local network.
Possibilities fine tuning IP Webcam are so limitless that the app is worthy of a separate review. In the program, you can customize almost everything, from the resolution of the video, its bit rate and recording format, and ending with the creation user interface cameras. Sophisticated users will be pleased with the functions of controlling the sensors of a mobile device to trigger on movement and sound. In addition, the application has integration with the Tasker utility (assigning actions to specific events), but this function is only available in paid version.
Remote control camera is carried out on any device with Internet access: on a smartphone, tablet or computer. You can watch broadcasts, record video and sound, take pictures. By the way, all records are saved in the device's memory, there is support for loop recording - when the specified threshold is reached, the program will automatically overwrite old videos.
IP Webcam supports live streaming via Ivideon. To do this, you need to register with the video surveillance service and connect your account in the IP Webcam application.
Here, depending on tariff plan, you can configure the camera to automatically save all events to the cloud.
Alfred is perfect for novice users. The application has a basic set of functions and a simple interface. At the same time, it is universal, that is, it can act as both a camera and a monitor, switching between these two modes is carried out at any time.
You need a Google account to sync your camera and monitor. Alfred allows you to connect and remotely control multiple devices at once. The app equally supports broadcasts over Wi-Fi and Mobile Internet automatically choosing the best connection.
The functionality of the program depends on the mode of using the smartphone. If the device is selected as a camera, then here you can select several options regarding its camera and activate a motion sensor with three levels of sensitivity.
In monitor mode, all these functions are available remotely, plus it is possible to set up notifications for events, view the archive of records in the cloud and request some service information from a remote device (battery level, Wi-Fi, number of disconnections over the last 7 days). While watching the broadcast, the user can record a video (up to 30 seconds), send an audio message, switch the camera, turn on the flash and rotate the picture clockwise.
You can also watch what is happening through the web interface of the service. In this case, two additional functions- the ability to scale the picture and take pictures from a remote device.
The video is mainly broadcast at a frequency of no more than 10 frames per second, the quality can be called acceptable only at the moment when the picture is static. When moving in the frame, the video quality deteriorates greatly. Unfortunately, the situation can only be improved by paid subscription.
An uncomplicated program that turns a mobile gadget into a hidden video surveillance camera. TrackView is universal utility, which combines the ability to conduct surveillance on one device and manage this process on another. At the same time, the functionality of the application is absolutely the same, regardless of the mode of its use.
A prerequisite for organizing video surveillance is registration in the service, authorization through Google is supported. The picture quality in the application is excellent, the delays are minimal. From the functions available video recording, two-way audio transmission Push to Talk, switching cameras, flash activation. One of the most strengths TrackView is a motion and sound detection function. It works properly, when the sensor is triggered, it starts recording a 15-second video, remote device a corresponding notification is received.
In addition, TrackView tracks GPS location. The advantages of the program also include automatic copying of all records in cloud storage Google Drive.
AtHome Video Streamer works in conjunction with AtHome Camera. The first application acts as a client (streamer), the second as a server that controls the camera on a remote device. Moreover, in the quality of both, it can be used not only mobile device on iOS and Android, but also on a computer Windows control.
The client part, as often happens, does not contain any essential settings. You just install AtHome Video Streamer on the device that will be filming. The only thing that can and even needs to be configured is to switch the video codec from software to hardware. Next, the utility automatically assigns the name, password and broadcast name to the gadget, which will be needed for remote connection to the camera.
AtHome Camera has significantly more functions. First of all, you will have to register here. The program allows you to add several cameras at once and monitor them simultaneously. This is done by manually entering data or by scanning a QR code. There is also an autosearch for devices in the local network. AtHome Camera can connect to a remote camera via the Internet, whether it's 3G / 4G or Wi-Fi. Picture - acceptable, maximum video stream resolution in free version service is 640 × 480 pixels.
In addition to basic camera control functions, the application has a schedule recording at two time intervals and a recording when motion is detected. All videos and photos are saved locally on the device. You can tell the program to send alert notifications to email... AtHome Camera can save recordings in the cloud, but only after subscribing. In general, the application can be used for free, if you do not need additional functions and are not confused by the abundance of advertising. By the way, ads are removed separately for $ 2.
Another easy-to-use utility for organizing video surveillance using two mobile devices. A standout feature of WardenCam is the fact that it only uses cloud storage (Google or Dropbox). That is, all recordings are not saved on the device itself. The rest of the application is in its own functionality and the principle of operation is similar to that of Alfred. Here you can also choose the type of smartphone use - a camera or a monitor, while the role of the gadget can be changed at any time. Synchronization between devices is carried out using a Google account.
In monitor mode, the user has access to functions such as continuous recording, switching cameras, rotating the screen, turning on the flash, Push to Talk and activating the motion sensor. Here you can also configure the camera of the remote device (video resolution and quality, exposure, power saving, etc.). Among the most important options It is worth noting the sensitivity of the motion sensor and the activation of the schedule recording when motion is detected.
By the way, even without special settings, the motion sensor works perfectly, events are automatically recorded and sent to the cloud, the corresponding notifications come to the remote device. The broadcast quality also did not disappoint - the picture is decent, the maximum resolution in my case was 864 × 480 pixels, although in the settings you can set it up to Full HD.
The only significant disadvantage of WardenCam is the recording limit for a total of up to 48 hours in the free version of the application. The pro version without ads and video recording time limits will cost about $ 7.5 in one-time payment.
Telephoto is a program of a slightly different plan with an interesting idea for organizing video surveillance via Telegram. In fact, this is just a service that connects to a pre-created bot that acts as a security system. The application is placed on a smartphone or tablet under Android, and on the other device only Telegram is needed. Management is carried out in the messenger itself, where, first of all, you need to create a bot and activate it in Telephoto. All this is done very simply - the application contains detailed instructions on setting up the program.
After launching the service, go to the bot. He knows how to send photos from both cameras on request or on a schedule at any time interval, warn about motion detection, send event notifications to remote smartphone, receive GPS data and record sound. One more interesting function Telephoto is an integration with Tasker, thanks to which the user can send any commands to control a mobile device through the bot.
For all its merits, Telephoto still has several drawbacks. For example, when motion is detected, the program sends a series of several images in the form of GIF animation, where it is often difficult to see a person in the frame. Also, taking a photo in high definition and change the camera for the motion sensor (active by default front-camera) are only available in the paid Pro version. In general, the application is quite interesting and promising.
In this article, you will learn about the new features of the phone, namely, using it instead of a webcam.
You will be presented with several options with which you can connect your 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, as well as how useful this function is.
In fact, there are situations in life: you need to urgently answer a video call, and the webcam, as luck would have it, is faulty.
In this case, the camera of your gadget will come to the rescue. By following the step-by-step instructions, you will be able to use your gadget to transfer videos in Skype and other video chats.
If you need:
- Make a video call via Skype, and the standard camera is missing or faulty;
- Use multiple cameras to broadcast on the Internet;
- Create remote video surveillance.
Even if the screen is broken on your gadget, but it is still working, you can easily replace the webcam, the main thing is that the front or main camera module remains working.
To connect you need:
- Special utilities for pairing a gadget with a PC or laptop;
- Wi-fi access point.
Programs to turn your phone into a webcam via USB
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Almost any gadget will be able to replace the webcam, provided that a special program is correctly installed on it.
As a result, from the phone with installed utility you will get an excellent device that can be used to communicate with family or business partners via video communication, and you can also broadcast video with it.
The work of applications designed to turn the phone into a webcam is based on synchronizing the gadget with personal computer via USB cable or Bluetooth connection.
These utilities will allow you to replace the camera built into your phone instead of the usual webcam installed on your laptop or computer.
Image quality will vary depending on installed program and the resolution of the mobile camera.
With DroidCam, AlterCam and USB Webcam programs, you can connect your phone as a webcam via USB.
Using one of these applications allows you to transport images from the camera of the gadget to a PC or laptop via Bluetooth or USB cable and can be used using web services for instant messaging.
In addition to the camera, you can also use a microphone to communicate on Skype. mobile phone.
DroidCam
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One of best programs for smartphones that run on Android base... With its help, the gadget will make metamorphoses in a matter of minutes and become an excellent portable webcam.
Android version Windows versionStep-by-step instruction installation:
1 In order for the phone to turn into a camera, you need to install Android utilities.
While it is being installed, start installing the program on your desktop computer. Unpack the archive. To do this, press the button on the archive file. "Checkout ..." and select the location where you plan to extract the contents of the archive, then click the button "Ok".
After the unpacking process is complete, navigate to the folder you chose to unpack and run the setup 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.
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4 A notification will be sent to the computer desktop that the phone has been detected. You need to choose a video quality to get started.
5 Simply press a button to continue and start streaming. "Start" ... The application will send the image from the camera of the gadget to the PC. If the mobile device has two cameras, go to the application settings on the phone and check if the corresponding checkbox is checked, which is responsible for active camera.
AlterCam
Read also: TOP 12 Best IP Cameras for Home or Office Surveillance | Overview of current models in 2019
You can also connect your phone to a computer as a webcam via a USB cable using the AlterCam program.
This program allows you to install a virtual webcam on your system.
It can broadcast any video: both from a real camera, and just video clips stored on a computer.
We will consider the option when the video source is the camera of a mobile device.
AlterCam program connects via IP protocol to mobile camera and broadcasts live video from it to a virtual webcam.
The process of turning your phone into a webcam may seem daunting, but setup is straightforward.
Android version Windows versionStep-by-step instruction:
1 First, download the AlterCam application and install it on your PC. After the installation is complete, the program will start automatically.
2 After that, 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. At startup, a list of settings will appear, as a rule, you do not have to change them, you just need to go down to the very bottom and select the "Run" item.
4 You need to run the program on the computer as well. In the window "Camera" select "Add IP Camera".
5 Now you need to connect to the camera of the mobile device using the AlterCam program. Into a string "IP camera name" that will appear when the window is opened "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 app. If you do not know the exact value, leave this parameter unchanged.
6 At the bottom of the application open on the phone, the IP address of the camera is indicated, we transfer it to the line "IP camera address" in the window open on the computer.
After that, you need to add "/ live" or "/ video" at the end of the address. The first option is for devices running on operating system
Adding an IP camera
7 After transferring the IP address to your computer, you can click the "OK" ... If all actions were performed correctly, the image from the phone camera will appear in the AlterCam program. If this does not happen, check the correctness of all the steps in stages.
8 After the image has appeared in the AlterCam program, you need to select the virtual camera in the settings of the voice program that you will use. Let's take an example, Skype.
Log in to Skype using your username and password. At the top, click on the tab "Instruments" and select a section "Settings" ... V general settings you will see the submenu "Video settings", in it and select the program.
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 folder Installation path you need to find the usbwebcam.bat file and run it.
Android versionIf the program is installed correctly, then the image in all programs that use the camera will be broadcast from the phone camera. However, the frame rate will be low.
You can reduce the resolution of the video stream in the application settings using the hardware key.
After starting the program on a 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 in "Developer options".
After enabling USB debugging, connect your phone via a data cable to your PC. Run the program on your computer, to get started, you need to press any key.
The USB Webcam application must be running on the phone as well. Now enter your account in Skype, go to the section "Instruments" then subsection "Settings" .
In the 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.
In case you see green screen, your device is not supported USB program Webcam.
Many people rarely make Skype calls, so most of the time the webcam is not used. The question arises - why buy an expensive webcam that will only be useful for a few minutes a day?
We offer instructions from the usual Android phone make a webcam.
1. Use your phone as a webcam over Wi-Fi
Using this method, your phone will broadcast the video to live to a PC via Wi-Fi. It should be noted that this is the simplest and quick way make a web camera from the phone.
- Computer connection for use with Skype and other Windows video communication programs.
- Computer connection for use with Skype and other video communication programs on Ubuntu GNU / Linux.
- After that, drivers will be installed on your computer.
That's all. Now open Skype, or any other video communication program, select the webcam driver and launch it.
2. Use your phone as a webcam via USB cable
You can make a webcam from your phone even without Wi-Fi networks... To do this, you need to connect your mobile device to your computer via USB. Further details:
As you can see, DroidCam allows you to make a web from your phone android camera to broadcast video to your computer. All you have to do is select the DroidCam driver in your video calling software such as Skype.
Expanding access to high-speed Internet networks, instant messengers with the possibility of video and audio communication have become very popular. Free software the likes of Skype, Imo, Viber, Jitsi, Google Hangouts, etc. allow you to connect relatives, acquaintances, friends located on different sides of the globe almost instantly and with sufficient quality.
Also, the Internet is littered with applications for video recording, motion detection, video surveillance security systems, image streaming. All these programs are united by one element - a video camera. The most convenient and cheapest type of cameras is WEB cameras.
If you do not quite understand how to connect a webcam to a computer, then this information will be useful for you.
Camera connection
The device connects to the port USB via a wired or wireless interface. For its operation, it is enough to insert the connector of the cable or the receiver into the corresponding socket on the computer case.
Please note that cameras can communicate with a computer using USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 protocols. This means that a USB 2.0 gadget will work with any protocol, and USB 3.0 only with the corresponding one.
If motherboard does not support USB 3.0, it will not be possible to connect a 3.0 camera.
If everything fits together, you need to install the appropriate driver.
Driver Installation
Usually the system independently determines the type of device and installs a support program. As evidenced by the notification in the lower right corner. Sometimes software missing, then you should use the disc that comes with the camera. As a rule, there are no difficulties at this stage. Follow the prompts and the driver will integrate safely.
If there is no disk, then you will have to look for the driver yourself. To do this, go to Device Manager... Windows 10 allows you to do this in a simplified way. It is enough to right-click on the Microsoft icon in the lower left corner of the screen and select the corresponding menu item.
Open Device Manager, and in the window that opens, select Imaging devices - USB camera ... At this point, right-click on the inscription Refresh... And choose automatic update... The system will independently detect the driver, install it and connect the device.
It happens that the driver is not automatically detected, how to connect a webcam to a computer in this case? You need to look for a program on manufacturer's website or on the driver.ru resource by model.
Settings
Once the driver is installed, you can customize the gadget. To do this, it can be installed focusing ring to be adjusted. Also, the device has a mount, with which you can set its position relative to the object being shot. If the computer is installed Skype then the image is adjusted in this program. Open the settings window: Tools - Options. Video settings.
Now you can set the position of the device, adjust the focus and adjust the video signal parameters.
If Skype is not installed and you do not want to install it, then use any of the applications that support web cameras, for example, Webcam Surveyor, AbelCam, Active WebCam, etc.
Related Videos
Everything modern smartphones are equipped with cameras and microphones, so many probably at least once had a desire to use these functions in conjunction with a PC for video communication. For laptops, a camera with a microphone is standard tools, and for a desktop you need to buy them separately.
Use your phone as a webcam for your PC regular means Android is not allowed. Even in the "developer" mode, I was able to find only a way to connect in the audio source mode, and even then, neither Mi Max 2 nor Mi Max 3 could be "started" on a PC in this mode. But as it turned out, this is not a problem at all: third-party software can easily use the phone as a webcam (as well as a microphone).
How to turn your smartphone into a webcam with DroidCam
DroidCam is simple and free tool to turn your smartphone into a webcam. It has an advanced version of DroidCamX that costs about $ 4, but the basic functionality is pretty decent in the free version too. All that is required to connect a smartphone in webcam mode is for both the PC and the phone to be on the same local network (connected to the same router).
If everything is configured correctly, you will see a window with the image captured by the camera on the monitor. 
You can check that messengers (for example, Skype) also have access to this signal in their settings, which are responsible for the transmission of video and sound. 
If the connection fails, make sure that there is a virtual camera and microphone in the "Device Manager", and that the smartphone and computer are in the same local network.
How to use your phone as a webcam in IP Webcam
IP Webcam is another application for using a smartphone as a webcam. He has more opportunities in terms of organizing video surveillance, but as a camera for instant messengers, this program can come in handy. As with the DroidCam, both devices must be connected to the same local network.
The disadvantage of IP Webcam is the work in emulation mode, which is associated with certain difficulties. So, the program does not allow using the smartphone microphone as a gjkt sound source. But she can transfer a picture in FullHD, while DroidCam can only in HD, and even then, in the free version, you need to watch ads.
