My husband is going overseas (military) and we want to chat using a webcam. Neither of us know much about this type of thing so any advice would be great. I need to buy one for my desktop, his laptop already has one built into it, and I have no idea which one on the market is not jerky. I also don't know how you talk one webcam to another. Is there a way to have a webcam conversation that is private or will it be public?
UGH!
Thank you for any help, advice, whatever. Thank you, J.
yes, you can have private settings for your webcam only people you invite can view them and hear what your saying on them. I had a logitech one and its great!pretty easy to use also.
It is actually pretty easy to use one. I have a Logitech and I love it. You can chat privately on yahoo or windows messenger. If you have yahoo messenger you can just click on messenger and click my webcam. The directions in the box tell you how to install it on your computer and it is pretty simple to do. I bought mine from Walmart for only $30.00 (I think). I hope this helps.
My husband is deployed also. Last year I didn't get a webcam and wish I would have. This deployment, I decided to get one. Logitech is a good brand. It has a built in mic and is 1.3 MP. It runs between $35 and $50, depending on which one you want. All you do is follow the directions on the disc and then connect when it tells you to to your computer. Everything should be private. He will be the only one to see you or hear the conversations. My husband enjoys seeing our boys and I on there and I can actually see him and know that he's okay. Good luck!
HI... Been There... My husband just came home from a VERY long year!!! This is what we did... Get a middle grade web cam or just spend the money and get a good one since it will be worth it... You will also need a microphone to go with it. We used Yahoo messger ( worked the best and it will talk you through the whole set up ) If your husband has a mic on his computer it should work just fine. ( We set everything up before he left just to see if it would work.) I will say that sometimes the mic's did not do so well with the conections but we did the Im thing when it would not work. We also put a light over the computer so that he could see us better! Sometimes the net was not working so well in Iraq so you have to be patient when the cams get slow.
I will say that since they can see you while they are away it did a world of good.
There are also a bunch of guys who can help him get it set up once he is there but to be safe try it before he leaves.
I will say that all conversations were private so there is no need to worry!
Good Luck!
Webcams are easy to use these days and come with complete instructions. You can get a pretty decent one at Best Buy or Circuit City. The higher the megapixel, the better the quality. Research them on the web at places like Amazon.com and Newegg.com because both these sites have actual customer reviews that can give you a boatload of information on which one is the best. Both places also have star ratings, too, which will help you make a decision.
When you find one that you feel might work for you, then go to Best Buy or Circuit City to see if they have one closer and at a good price. So far, local prices don't compare to Newegg.com and the shipping is comparable to a vehicle-trip (gas prices, ya know) locally.
My sister lets me view her webcam via Yahoo IM which works out very well because I don't have a cam myself and Yahoo is either one-way or two-way transmission depending on if you have the actual equipment or not. I don't have a cam but can see hers quite well and get to see my nephews at play. She lets it run for as long as I want to view it and the quality holds up well with Yahoo IM. It's completely private unless you invite someone else to the chat window or you make the window public.
I'd love to know how to make youtube videos of great quality so I can send videos to my family. I'm pretty sure a digital camera can do it but I'd have to read up on that, too, because of the megapixel qualities.
Good luck and thank you and your husband for your time in service (I'm a USArmy vet).
We use Skype software to talk to our parents and grandparents. It seems to work very well. My hubby is the expert but I at least know how to click on the icon and call someone!
D.
Just use skype -- it is downloadable for free at www.skype.com. You each need to have it on your computer and set up an account. Then, when you're online it shows that it is green. You just double click it to call the other person and if they are there, they click to answer. I also recommend using a headset as the echo is terrible w/ speakers. You can get a reasonable headset for around $18 but skype is free.
