A webcam is a standard hardware that is included in a laptop. It is very difficult, almost impossible, to find a laptop that does not come with a webcam. Webcams that come with laptops vary in quality so if your laptop has a low quality webcam, you can buy and connect an outdoor one.
Webcams are usually plug & play. An app may need permission to use the webcam but other than that, any setup is rarely required to operate the device.
Webcam test tools
If you are going to be accompanied by a video call, or streaming from your webcam, you may want to find out if the webcam is working properly. There are many tools you can use to test the webcam. Here is a short list of tools to try.
1. OBS
OBS or Open Broadcaster Studio is a screen recording and streaming app. It can connect to the webcam and stream from it. It is not a test tool but you can use it to check if the webcam is working. If the webcam does not work with OBS, it looks like something is wrong with it or the device still needs to be installed.
The benefit of using OBS is that if your webcam comes with a built-in mic, you will be able to test it on the video feed side.
- Download and install OBS.
- Open OBS and click on the additional button under the Sources column.
- Choose Video capture device from the table.
- Choose your webcam from the tools list and you should see a preview.
- if you see preview, your webcam is working properly.
Note: OBS is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
2. Webcam test
If you do not want to install a desktop app to test your webcam, you can easily test it with your browser. There is no shortage of browser-based webcam testing tools. These tools work no matter what OS (Windows, macOS, Linux etc) you are running.
Make sure your browser has permission to access the webcam. You may see a snap asking for permission when you run the exam. Allow the browser and website to access the webcam.
- Visit Webcam Test in a a modern browser like Chrome or Firefox.
- Click on the Click here to access the Webcam Identifier button.
- Grant the browser / website permission to access the webcam.
- Select the webcam you want to test from the fall down.
- Click Test my cam (if your camera is covered, check it before starting the test).
- Let the webcam test to run.
- When the test is complete, the app will tell you the food quality of the webcam and if it could be found.
3. Webcam test from online mic test
This tool can test the video stream from your webcam and tell you the FPS that the webcam is capable of capturing.
- Visit Webcam test air Online mic testing.
- Click on the game button you can see on the right.
- Grant the website permission to access the webcam.
- Let the website to test the camera.
4. Meet Google
Google Meet is not a webcam testing tool but it is one of the most commonly used video conferencing tools and there are established tools for testing the webcam. If you plan to use an online video conferencing tool, you can create an empty meeting and use it to test the webcam.
- Visit him Meet Google.
- Click New meeting and start a new meeting immediately.
- When the meeting starts, click on the more options button (three straight dots).
- Choose Settings from the menu.
- Go to Video tab.
- Choose your webcam and you should get a preview of it.
5. FaceTime (macOS only)
All MacBooks and iMacs come with a webcam and likewise the FaceTime app is out of the box. If the webcam is detected by the FaceTime app, your webcam works fine.
Conclusion
Webcams are easy to set up. If you find that a webcam is not working in a particular app, make sure that you have given it the necessary permissions and that no other app is currently using the webcam.
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