How to turn your Samsung Galaxy Express into Webcam

If you are not happy with the quality of video in your laptop’s webcam and would like to use your Samsung Galaxy Express as Webcam for video conferencing, you can find some interesting tips in this article. There are many Apps available in Google play which can convert your phone into Webcam. Some of the popular Apps which can be used for this purpose are SmartCam, DroidCam, Stream Webcam Utility, and Wireless Webcam for Android, USB Webcam and IPWebcam. You can find lot more free apps in Google play, but one of most widely used is IP Webcam which works only for Wi-Fi connection but SmartCam App is compatible both for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The instructions for converting your Samsung Galaxy Express into Webcam using the SmartCam App are as below:
Step 1

First you should download the Smartcam App from Google Play and install it in Samsung Galaxy Express and also download the Desktop client from sourceforge.net and install it in your Desktop machine. There are similar Apps like IP Webcam which you can download and install your Samsung Galaxy Express. They can convert your phone into Webcam with different viewing options such as web browser or VLC player. You can stream video from the phone’s camera using Wi-Fi to your computer. It can be used for various purposes like Video chat, Surveillance, Security Monitor, Wi-Fi Cam, Webcam, video broadcasting etc.

Step 2

Once you have installed this App in your phone as well as Desktop, then you can connect between the two devices using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity. If you are using the Smart Cam App, next,open the App on your Samsung Galaxy Express. Go to the Menu and select “Settings” from available options. If you have Wi-Fi connection in your home, provide the local IP of your computer and select TCP/IP Wi-Fi connection option. In case if you have Bluetooth in your Desktop, select that option after switching on Bluetooth in both devices. Now select your Desktop from list of available Bluetooth devices. If you are not sure about getting the IP of your computer, Go to Start -> Run and type cmd for opening the Command prompt. Now type ipconfig /all in the CLI window and you can view your computer’s IP on Wireless LAN Adapter.

Step 3

Once you have connected the PC and your Samsung Galaxy Express through either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, start the Desktop client and make sure you have selected the same mode of preferred connection as your phone. Before that you can adjust the settings such as image resolution, video quality, frames per second etc. in the App.

Step 4

Now you can switch on Wi-Fi on both your Samsung Galaxy Express and Desktop and start sharing the video from Samsung Galaxy Express’s camera on your Desktop through the client Application installed on your PC. This Application is compatible with famous messengers like Gtalk, Skype, Facebook etc. and you just have to select camera option as external webcam. With this App, you can enjoy video chatting with your friends from Desktop by using your phone’s camera as Webcam.

Similarly some other popular Apps which serve the same purpose are WO Webcam Lite, DroidCam X, IP Webcam etc. All you have to do is downloading the App from Google Play and installing it on your Samsung Galaxy Express. There are certain default settings in these Apps which can be changed if required. You can set up the camera resolution, Image quality, FPS (Frames per second) and TCP port settings. It is also suggested that you should not try for higher resolution if your internet connection speed is low. You can also set an user ID and password for security of your Webcam.

Doing this way you can protect it from unauthorized access by anyone. Also you can use the same App for broadcasting video over internet or doing conference chats with your friends. Every App has specific features and you can download the one which suits your requirements.