camera

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+---
+title: Web Camera on PiKVM V4 and V3
+description: How to setup web camera on PiKVM V4 Mini/Plus and PiKVM V3
+---
+
+Official [PiKVM V4 Mini/Plus](v4.md) and [PiKVM V3](v3.md) devices have an exclusive webcam feature.
+With it, you can transfer an image from your local web camera to the remote host to use it for streaming,
+video calls, debugging, and so on.
+
+The host sees the virtual camera as a completely ordinary USB device which doesn't require any special drivers.
+The maximum supported resolution at present is 1280x720.
+
+If you also want enable a microphone for video calls and other applications,
+after this instruction, please follow [here](audio.md#microphone-outgoing-audio).
+
+!!! warning "Limitations"
+
+    By installing the `ucamera` (follows), you agree that it will be used only on official [PiKVM V3](v3.md) and [PiKVM V4](v4.md) devices.
+
+    We put a lot of effort into making this feature possible, so we want to keep it exclusive to PiKVM for a certain period.
+    After that, we will publish the full source code of `ucamera` under GPLv3.
+
+    Please note that this feature is in early access. Using the camera may cause PiKVM to fail.
+    This is not fatal for PiKVM V3 and V4 since they have a robust hardware watchdog
+    which reboot your device after a fail, but just remember that not everything can work perfectly.
+
+    If you encounter a problem, we will be glad to receive your bug report to fix it:
+    use our [support chat](https://pikvm.org/support) or [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/pikvm/pikvm/issues).
+
+
+-----
+## Enabling the camera
+
+{!_usb_limits.md!}
+
+??? info "A recommended hardware modification for PiKVM V3"
+
+    [PiKVM V3](v3.md) is a good old workhorse that was not designed for the kind of computing loads that the camera provides.
+    It was released many years ago and was made for completely different requirements.
+    However, we want V3 users to be able to enjoy our latest features as long as possible.
+
+    A cooling system fan is installed inside V3, but there is no radiator on the CPU since it was simply not needed.
+
+    Using the camera uses a lot of hardware blocks that we haven't used before,
+    so in order to avoid potential overheating (if the fan is turned off or fails),
+    we recommend [buying and attaching additional heatsinks](https://www.pishop.us/product/aluminum-heatsink-for-raspberry-pi-4b-3-pack/).
+
+    Both PiKVM V4 contains a good heatsink inside, so no modifications are required.
+
+1. Perform OS update:
+
+    {!_update_os.md!}
+
+2. Switch filesystem to RW-mode:
+
+    ```console
+    [root@pikvm ~]# rw
+    ```
+
+3. Install `ucamera` package:
+
+    ```console
+    [root@pikvm ~]# pacman -S ucamera
+    ```
+
+3. Add a config to `/etc/kvmd/override.yaml`:
+
+    ```yaml
+    otg:
+        devices:
+            camera:
+                enabled: true
+    ```
+
+5. Add parameter `gpu_freq=700` to `/boot/config.txt` **on a separate line**.
+
+6. Add parameter `isolcpus=3` to `/boot/cmdline.txt` **to the end of existing one-line, separate with a space`.
+
+4. Perform reboot:
+
+    ```console
+    [root@pikvm ~]# reboot
+    ```
+
+-----
+## Using the camera
+
+To use the camera, you will need Firefox, Chrome, or Safari of the latest version,
+operability on old/other browsers is not guaranteed. If you use macOS, you will have to
+update macOS entirely to update Safari.
+
+A camera is a device that is completely controlled by the host.
+The host tells it when to turn on the stream and what resolution should be used.
+
+To receive audio in the PiKVM Web UI, go to the **System** menu and switch the video mode to `WebRTC`.
+Before using the camera, you need to allow the PiKVM Web UI to access it.
+Enable **Multimedia** switch and enable the **Camera** switch too. You can also choose a specific device.
+The settings are saved in the browser's local storage.
+
+<img src="menu_camera.png" width="350"/>
+
+When the host asks the PiKVM device to provide it with an image, the stream will start.
+
+
+-----
+## Troubleshooting
+
+* If the browser does not play sound or does not show multimedia submenu, try a different browser
+    and/or incognito mode without extensions. Firefox and Google Chrome works best.
+
+* Check the log: `journalctl -u kvmd-janus` -u `ucamera`.
+
+* If nothing helped, please report about the problem [to our support](https://pikvm.org/support/)