How to use an Android device as a webcam
Let your Android keep an eye on things, by Charles Handmer.
The last year has seen a massive move to meeting, communicating, and working online, so webcams are part of our everyday interactions. Most portable computers have cameras built in, while desktop computers tend to use a separate camera. But inbuilt cameras are inflexible and can be less than ideal when you are trying to work on the device during a meeting, and the old wired webcams have their limitations – if you can even find yours! How about using a spare Android device as a webcam?
What device do you need?
Any Android device with a camera can be used, and this is a perfect application for an old Android smartphone. The phone already supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and typically has a decent built-in camera. The battery might be failing, but continuous camera use drains batteries fast so you need external power anyway.
Videoconferencing
Joining a meeting on Zoom or similar platforms is one of the most frequent needs, and if you are doing this from an office or home location it can work very well to dedicate a spare Android device to videoconferencing. This keeps the conference communication separate from your work computer, and lets you position it for convenient viewing, and so your own image is captured from a flattering angle of course!
For easy positioning you can obtain a mini tripod, or even a car smartphone holder, for a few dollars on Ebay.
Once your device is positioned well (check what’s showing in the background, other meeting attendees will be evaluating your lifestyle!) and connected to power and Wi-Fi you will always be ready to join a video meeting.
Zoom in
Zoom is a very popular videoconferencing platform. If you are invited to join a Zoom meeting you will be prompted to download and install the Zoom app, which includes options to join without video or audio. A nice feature is a “video preview” that shows how you will appear and lets you adjust the camera position or tidy up before you go live.
With the Zoom app installed you can also host meetings, with some limitations in the free version. Rather than wait for a meeting invitation, we suggest downloading Zoom from the Google Play store and getting to know the options. It is a very easy app to use.
Local or remote
Videoconferencing is one use for webcams, but what if you need to keep an eye on your goldfish while you are away? Ok, it doesn’t have to be goldfish: there are many reasons why you might want remote access to your webcam, particularly if it is somewhere that you can’t get to often.
There are many apps that let you monitor a remote camera for
work, surveillance, or just for the view. Most are designed to work on a local network rather than over the web, and simply link two Android devices – one as the camera and the other as viewer.
Camy – Live Video Monitoring
Of all the remote webcam apps we have tried, Camy is the simplest to set up, requiring no accounts or logins. It seems a little underdeveloped in parts but it works. There are free and paid versions - we only experimented with the unpaid download, although it may have included some premium features as a free trial.
To get Camy, go to the Google Play Store and search for Camy Live Video Monitoring. Once you install and open it Camy will ask if you want that device to act as a camera or viewer. Either way it will then ask you to install and run Camy on another device. You then scan a QR code and the devices are immediately paired as camera and viewer. As long as your camera is positioned and running, you can open Camy on your viewer device wherever you are and view the webcam feed live. If your internet connection is good the image quality will be too.
Controls and settings are on the Viewer screen, with functions such as turning on the flashlight on the camera device, saving still or video images, switching audio on or off, switching between front and rear cameras, and activating a rather ineffective Night Mode. Note that we could only switch the camera off through the viewer controls.
Where Camy really shines is over the web. To display your live webcam feed you simply browse in Chrome to the provided URL and scan the displayed QR code. Moments later your webcam viewer screen is displayed live in the browser, with all the same controls. It’s that simple.
Even better, there is also an option to share your webcam feed. Select this and Camy creates a link which you can then send directly through any messaging or email app on your device. The link has selectable availability of up to one month.
Alfred Home Security Camera
One of the most popular webcam apps is Alfred Home Security Camera - search for it on Google Play. Alfred is also very simple to install, and has similar functions to Camy and a better low light mode. A big difference is that you need all devices to be logged in to a Google account.
Note that both Camy and Alfred use a lot of power. Your camera phone will need to have an external power supply, but there is a power saving button in Alfred that helps a bit. If your viewer device is battery powered it will also run down fast while the app is running.
Other Options
We also tried other similar apps including IP Webcam, Salient Eye, DriodCam, AtHome Video Streamer, and encourage you to explore them and others. Most are designed to work on a local network rather than over the web – just linking two Android devices, but if you want to tinker with the settings and play with a lot of options, IP Webcam might be your style.
Overall though, Camy and Alfred are so simple to set up, plus let you view and control your cameras over the web. The free versions are ad-supported and limited, but for many purposes this may be all you need.