All About – What’s A Webcam and How It Works

The webcam is nothing but a compact digital camera integrated into the computer or laptop through which it feeds or streams the real images to and through the computer to a computer network.

This input device in the computer is designed to work the same way as digital camera and can capture the still photos and videos perfectly.

Normally it is built into the computer like all other hardware devices or else it can be connected through a USB cable as well. However, while many of us are already aware of this webcam but how actually this webcam works is still unknown to many.

So, before getting into other details of the webcam, let’s have a look at how this webcam actually works.

#How Does Webcam Works?

Webcam, the small bug-eyed camera mounted on the computer captures light through the front small lens using a grid of microscopic light-detectors. These light detectors are built into the image-sensing microchip.

This chip is the core of webcam that captures the still images and videos and finally converts them to the digital format (such as the string of zero and One) that is easily understood by the computer.

Also, the webcam does not include any memory chip as it does not store the captured images and videos rather immediately transfer them to the computer.

Take a close look at the back of the webcam and you will notice a USB cable. This is the cable through which computer or laptop supplies power to the webcam and then the captured images are sent back to the computer again.




Capturing still images and video recording using this webcam is much simple in the latest version of windows that does not require any third party application.

However, the processes vary a bit depending on which Windows or Mac OS you are using. The process to take photos and record videos are explained one by one.

#How To Take Photos And Record Videos Through Webcam?

Windows 10: Windows 10 already comes with the camera app pre-installed in it. So, no other third party app is required. Just tap the Windows key to open the start menu and search for the camera app. As you get the Camera app, launch it and start taking photos. The captured photos will be saved in the Camera roll folder which is available in the picture folder in the User account.

Windows 8: The process is exactly same in Windows 8. Launch the camera app and take photos. Again the captured images and recording will be stored in the Camera roll folder that you will get into user account> Picture folder.

Windows 7: While Windows 10 and 8 have the Camera app, Windows 7 does not come with any such pre-built application. However, you can launch the start menu and search there for the webcam or camera utility or otherwise you’ll need to install one.

Mac OS X: Mac OS has the Photo Booth application which can be launched several ways, such as from the Finder> Application, from the launch pad, and from the spotlight search also. Launch Spotlight search by pressing the Command+Space altogether and search for the Photo Booth application. Once you get this app, launch it and start taking photos.

Webcam as a spy: Even though webcam is meant to capture the small and memorable moments every now and then, but be careful to use it as this is the input device of your computer through which the hackers can spy on you very actively.

Beat hackers, government agents or the lawbreaking people, because all can get their required information from your computer through this small bug-eyed camera.

So, you can also choose to disable the webcam in need. There are numerous ways to ensure webcam security and the most useful ways are discussed here.

#How To Ensure Webcam Security?

• The first advice is to make use of a powerful antivirus. It is definite that anti-virus is not actually able to detect the spy but they can offer at least some hints that something wrong is happening on your system. It will allow you to know if there is a possibility of any infection through a link or else by running a wrong executable. >> What’s A Good Antivirus And How To Pick A Best One?
• The next things you can do is unplugging the webcam in case you are using an external webcam. So, just mount the webcam to your desktop only when it is required and then unplug it back once you are done with the job.
• The other useful way to ensure webcam security is to disable it from the OS. The process is much simple; however, it will again vary depending on the OS. If you are using Windows, then go to the Control panel> launch Device Manager> locate the imaging devices> Get the Webcam and right click on it to disable. That’s it. >> Windows Device Manager – What It Is & How To Use It?
• Another way to disable the webcam is through the BIOS. This can be done by rebooting the computer. As you reboot it, enter into the BIOS and look for the integrated camera or the webcam. The option to disable, lock and unlock will be included there.
• Finally, you can choose to cover up the webcam when it is not in use. This is the simplest and quick way to ensure webcam security. Even though you can cover the camera lens through a cloth or paper but numerous webcam covers are available in the online stores like Amazon or Newegg.

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#Some Important Tips:

• Ensure to update all the software, web browsers, plug-ins and the Adobe Flash in your computer.
• Close the laptop when you are not using it.
• Cover up the camera lens and the microphone for good reasons.
• Also, make sure the firewall is enabled all the times.
• Ensure to have a strong anti-virus in the system.
• Also, do not click on any unknown link while using the cam.
• Check your computer very frequently for malware.

Keep these important tips in mind and use the webcam to capture still images and videos worry-free.

“And that’s all for now, thanks for sticking with the article, and you know it will always good to let me know about the tutorial, in the comments down below.” 🙂