How to Use Your Phone as a Webcam
With work from home becoming normality many people have realized they might not have a webcam around that can be used for their work meetings, or if they do have one, the quality of the video it outputs is questionable at best.
You can always go buy a better webcam or even use a DSLR camera to get the best possible video but all of those options cost money. There is however a workaround for this situation without having to spend any money at all and it gives you the chance of getting better video quality than most webcams on the market.
DroidCam
All of us have shiny smartphones in our pockets with pretty good cameras on them. DroidCam is a neat app that allows you to make use of your smartphone camera and use it as a webcam. Considering that most modern smartphones can film video in 4K-8K resolutions the hardware of your smartphone is far superior to any webcam you can buy for your needs.
The Setup Process
To get everything set up first you need to download the DroidCam app (Android/iOS) and launch it. From there you can follow a detailed step-by-step instruction to get your app fully ready.
Since you already have the phone app, you need to head to the DroidCam developer site and download the client for your operating system that will be launched on your PC. Once you have it installed, open up the program and introduce the IP address that is displayed by the app on your phone.
You could also simply plug your smartphone into your PC and use the USB connection option instead of using your network, if your Wi-Fi is not the best. This is a bit limiting since you cannot roam around with your phone but it will offer a stable connection.
Once the connection is made you can set your phone into position and use the PC client to monitor live what your phone camera is seeing.
This process takes up to 1-2 minutes of setup and is completely free for anyone. There is however a DroidCamX app that offers better video quality but it is paid therefore it is up to you if you want to use it or not.
Using your smartphone and the DroidCam app allows you to have a solid webcam without having to spend any money and requires minimal technical knowledge since everything is explained step by step through the app. If you are in urgent need of a webcam and cannot buy one this is a simple solution for your troubles.