If you have been living on earth for the past six months, you may have noticed that the damned unmentionable virus has brought many strange things with it.
One of the things of mention has been that online retailers have seen that more people need access to webcams, and in their endless kindness, they have pretty much doubled the cost of them.
So, to begin with, I know there are going to be a lot of people that say that economic increase is a thing of myth and all scaremongering, well to help nip this in the bud right away, I am going to attach a trend analysis for camelcamelcamel (yes, that’s a real thing.)
In the below image, you will see that I have used the Logitech C920 as an example, as this is possibly the best and most affordable consumer webcam. To begin with, I will ignore the fact that in 2019 this webcam went on sale for £24.99, we will look at its pre lockdown stationary price (£49.99)
If you examine the above trend graph, look carefully at where the lockdown instructions came. The frightening fact is that Amazon and Mr. Bezos increased the price in a matter of days. In actual fact, four days after British people were instructed to work from home, the price of this webcam almost doubled.
What Can Be Done About This?
Well, while there is nothing you can do about the price, the truth is, you have a better quality webcam right next to you if you have a smartphone.
Now, when it comes to smartphones, you have always been able to do many things, but using them as a webcam has been a little challenging, until now, in fact, nowadays, it’s incredibly simple.
All you need is a little piece of software called Droidcam, and getting yourself up and running could not be more simple.
The first thing we should address is why you would want to do this. Well, if you are a user of Skype for business or Zoom, then you will know that generally, you will only see one person at a time, so if you connect your phone to your PC an use it as a webcam, you won’t have to deal with this issue any longer.
The Simple Process
Setting up Droidcam could not be any more simple. All you do is head over to the website by clicking the above Droidcam link, you download the Windows client and install (unfortunately, no Mac support yet.)
You then go to either the Play Store or App Store and download the Droidcam app. Once this is done, open the client on the PC and the app on your phone. At this point, you make sure the details match between screen and phone (plus make sure both devices are connected to the same WiFi) and then press connect.
It’s really as simple as that. I have tested this method with Microsoft Teams, Skype (personal and business) and even streaming software like SLOBS and OBS.
Conclusion
Would you believe it’s as simple as that? We know that when it comes to technology, things can seem a little convoluted at times, so if you find yourself struggling at work or at home, get in touch with PC Support Midlands today, and we do what we can to get you working again.