Logitech Webcam Laptop

[Skyy Mansour]

Another big limitation with embedded cameras in laptops is that they may not always be operational (or usable). For example, in an office environment business users will often dock their laptop or plug it into a larger monitor and keyboard. If the laptop is closed in these situations, the embedded camera is not available.

The ability to change field of view (FOV) and position the camera in a more favorable angle is another valuable feature. It allows users to crop out distracting backgrounds, perfectly frame themselves, or capture the entire scene if needed.

By contrast, deploying the same webcam to everyone makes it easier and faster for IT to troubleshoot if problems do arise. A consistent and familiar experience also allows employees to start meetings faster as they move between desktop and conference room, with less time spent sorting out the technology.

The benefits of video conferencing for employee productivity and social connection have been well documented. With purpose-built webcams, IT can provide those benefits while avoiding the limitations of embedded cameras.

I am using a Win 10 laptop. I have an external Logitech webcam that is not working on Zoom. It works fine with other meeting clients like Google Meet and GoToMeeting. The drivers are updated. I have tried on different laptops and different USB ports without any luck. The problem is just with Zoom. I can see the virtual background, if selected, but there is no image. No other app is using the camera. Any suggestions?

You mentioned Google Meet and GoToMeeting. Can you ensure all those apps and tray icons are fully closed. Then close Zoom fully, including system tray. Then disconnect and reconnect the camera. Then open Zoom.

I am not using the camera for microphone. Camera is listed in Zoom and shows a flickery image when no virtual background is selected (see attachment). The light on camera comes on when selected same as it does on other apps.

There is no option to reset camera in the logitech setting. The setting, however, has two options - Standard and Widescreen. The Standard option gives me the flickery image like the one attached. The widescreen function works fine. One issue could be that Zoom is using the camera as standard and not widescreen (not sure if it is a possibility or a setting that I can change - I am just guessing). Probably this camera is not compatible with zoom.

I recently got a new laptop (Surface Studio Laptop) and my Logitech C930e webcam won't work properly on it.
When it's plugged in, it slows down all apps that use video.

I've tried it in the Windows Camera app, Skype, MS Teams and the Logitech LogiTune app, and in all cases it takes well over 20 seconds for video image to appear, and while they wait, the apps are almost non-responsive.
And not just for the Logitech cam, but also when switching to the built-in webcam.

The moment I unplug the Logitech cam, all these apps respond blazingly fast again, and display the video image from the built-in camera instantly.
When I plug the Logitech cam in again, it immediately slows down apps that use video again..

It sounds like a driver problem, but I can't find it.
It's a fresh installation (reset Windows after receiving the laptop).
I've installed all Windows updates (Windows 10), downloaded the latest version of the Logitech LogiTune app, removed and reinstalled the Logitech cam from Device Management.
I've tested it with various connectors/ USB-C adapters and MS Surface Dock 2.

Long version:I ran across your question after experiencing the exact same symptoms: new work laptop (Dell XPS model 9310) connected to a KVM with a Logitech C930E that runs fine on the other computer, a desktop. Camera super slow when initializing via Teams or the Camera app. More annoying, I found Windows Settings would seize when selecting "System/Sounds" or right-clicking the speaker in the system tray and clicking "Open sound settings".

I gradually narrowed down the problem to the C930E by connecting it directly to the laptop with nothing else and getting the same slow start and broken Sound settings. Because it was related to sound, I figured I'd try to isolate the problem by disabling other sound devices. A bunch of trial and error yielded "Intel Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio" as the culprit.

The driver for that (as of this comment) is version 10.29.0.6040 dated July-07-2021. I thought Intel might have a newer one than Windows Update, so I set up their Driver & Support Assistant, but it's the same driver, so I suspect that 6040 is indeed the newest driver and it just does not like the C930E for some reason.

I also had the same issue with a C930e. The benefit that I had was that I had 2 of them and the computer was a laptop that was brought back and forth between home and work offices. Brought the camera from the home office to the office and replaced the "slow" one and it worked perfectly again. The best way I can describe the situation is that the camera seemingly wore out. I know that sounds silly, but it was so slow to respond to commands from the OS/Apps in getting either the microphone or the camera enabled and working at the start of calls.

I had the same issue with Logitech C930e, with a the system hanging on zoom calls. After some investigation i also narrowed it down to the audio/mic, and after googling for quite some time the solution of disabling the "Intel Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio" also solved it. Some users also got it fixed by updating their audio driver where the intel driver is loaded so that can also be an approach.

I bought a logitech c615 webcam. It is a plug and play usb web cam. However, when I plug it in, I get a message "The last USB device you connected to this computer malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it." I tried the camera on a friend's HP Pavillion laptop, and it functioned fine. I'm not sure why it would not be working on my laptop. I also have tried other usb devices in the port and they work fine (usb plug and play mouse, usb xbox controller).

After some hunting through the forums, it seems there is an audio Realtek related driver problem in Windows 10. I've downloaded, uninstalled and reinstalled all the drivers listed on Hp's website for my laptop. I hoped this might work for my issue, but the webcam is still not detected. Any ideas on what to do next?

It really depends on the type of camera, and how it is built. On Apple MacBook Pros (at least recent ones), the camera light is directly connected via the power supply to the camera module, so the light can't be circumvented even via a firmware hack. Older (really old) Logitech cameras had a similar design.

One other thing that I haven't seen mentioned was popularized during the Lower Merion District School spying scandal last year is that the software that was used (LANRev TheftTrack) got around the Apple MacBook's camera light protections (camera light is hardwired to camera power) by simply turning it on briefly for a snapshot. Thus the camera isn't on all the time, but only at random intervals for a split second.

So as to know if the camera is active at a given time, I guess the best thing you have to do to ensure it stay disable, is to turn it off in the device manager. Off-course, you have to trust the Operating System to obey your commands. But that is a different question.

Under Linux it's possible to control the LED on a number of USB cameras using the uvcdynctrl libwebcam command line tool (available via most package managers) e.g. to turn off the LED on device video1:

So, looking at those Logitech and iSight webcams' security, you can safely say that your privacy is not safe with a webcam aiming at you. You might also want to look at those laptop webcam cover stickers from EFF.

I used a neat little trick that will go unnoticed by the unsuspecting. I use a very small round rubber that often comes on the bottom of small devices like Vonage VoIP router. It provides a little lift off the surface to allow better ventilation and to reduce sliding of the device. I just use it to cover the LED and persons will think it came with the laptop.

Alternatively you can use the very small kitchen cabinet door cushion. They are normally used to reduce the banging when the cabinet door is close. Some are plastic or synthetic cloth with adhesive on one side. Pick up a pack of 100 for a a dollar or two at the hardware. Whatever colour they are just use a black permanent marker and that did the trick. My laptop is black.

Webcams are usually marketed with resolution (720p, 1080p, 4K, etc) and framerates because this is the most important factor for most people when buying a product, but there are many other considerations that make a webcam 'good' or 'bad'.

The first thing to consider is what you need your webcam for. For working professionals or office staff, most conference calling software such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams will restrict your broadcast quality to 1080p resolution and 30fps to preserve bandwidth. Google meets goes a step further and restricts your quality to 720p as this is the standard resolution on most built-in laptop cameras.

If you're planning on using a webcam purely for these work-related calls then there isn't any point in buying a powerful 4k model as you simply won't see the benefit. The light and color detection will vary for each model though, so you'll still see a variance in recording quality depending on what webcam you buy.

For content creators such as YouTubers or Streamers, there is a range of powerful webcams available, with some reaching 4K resolution and 60fps for buttery smooth video. These webcams are overkill for occasional use, but with features like a variable field of view (or FOV) and adjustable resolution or and zoom, the extra cash could be a worthy investment in your hobby.

Even the most expensive webcam can look terrible if you don't take your environment into consideration. Lighting can make a cheap 720p webcam look almost HD, and this doesn't have to make a dent in your wallet.

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