How to mount a phone webcam: which mount is best

因此，您正在考虑将手机或平板电脑用作网络摄像头。您可能有电缆。我们希望您有迷彩 。也许您需要一个支架或支架。我几乎买了市场上每种类型的摊位，甚至尝试用我在房子周围的东西建造一些临时摊位。在本指南中，我将介绍哪些可能对您有用，以及原因。

如果您没有时间详细研究这些选项，请获取以下选项：

What makes a good phone webcam mount?

Before starting to look into the various phone mounts, I had a think about what I was really looking for. In order of importance, a good mount should:

• Have good stability. You need to be able to type, click, and use your computer as you normally would on calls without your phone jiggling around or even falling out of its mount.
• Make you look good. Step one here is to use Camo, which lets you use the incredible camera built into the phone as your webcam. In terms of your mount, you want it to be positioned near your computer screen. It’s disconcerting to talk to someone who doesn’t seem to be looking at you. You also want to be able to get your mount so that it’s roughly parallel to your face; too low and everyone else on the call will be gazing up your nostrils; too high and it will be pointed at your body.
• Make it easy for you to mount and remove your phone. Unless you're using a dedicated phone with Camo, you’ll also want to use your phone for other purposes, so being able to set it up and take it down easily is important.
• Not result in anything too permanent. You might not want to keep a magnetic disk stuck to your smartphone, or a bulky car mount stuck on your iMac.
• Be compact. When you’re not using your phone as a webcam, you probably don’t want a hulking great piece of plastic cluttering up your desktop.
• 看起来不像是可怕的眼神。奖励积分，如果看起来不错。

想要在视频通话中看起来更好吗？我们整理了一篇完整的技巧文章，以帮助您在此处最好地使用网络摄像头。

考虑到这一标准，让我们看一下可用于将iPhone变成网络摄像头的各种类型的安装座。

三脚架

经过测试的产品：EVERESTA 42英寸360英寸智能手机三脚架UK £19.54， 相似的美国产品 $ 25.49

三脚架是我决定测试的第一批架子之一。它们具有很大的可变性。您可以调整高度，如果有笔记本电脑和台式机，则可以轻松地将三脚架移动到不同的计算机上；如果您整天在不同的地方接听电话，则可以将其移动到不同的区域。例如，如果您在咖啡馆工作，则三脚架是一个不错的选择，因为它安装起来既快捷又容易：您所需要的只是一个平坦的表面。您也可以独立于计算机移动三脚架，以确保即使您的计算机没有光线照射，网络摄像头也能很好地照明。

On the subject of light, you can purchase tripods that come with built in ring lights if your desk is not already well lit, but I’ve found that these are generally low-quality tripods attached to low-quality light rings, so you might be better off getting a regular, stable tripod and using a standard lamp, the flash from your phone (which you can control using Camo), or simply the natural light from a window (or the sun, if you’re outside), to improve light levels.

With that said, tripods are generally quite big and bulky. If desk space is tight, you might not be able to sacrifice the space for a tripod. In addition, while you can move your tripod to be in the best light, it’s a little trickier to get it close to your display than when using some other mounts, which can give the impression that you’re looking off to the side on your calls. Most tripods use a grip claw, which, depending on the strength of the grip, can be fiddly when putting your phone in or removing it.

三脚架非常适合只想要一个安装架但又经常切换到其他计算机和笔记本电脑或不同工作区的人。一个好的三脚架价格在25美元左右，虽然不是最便宜的选择，但也不算太贵。

灵活的手臂

测试产品：Jumkeet Gooseneck Phone Holder， 英国18.99 美元

柔性臂同时具有三脚架和汽车支架的特征。您可以将其连接到屏幕，办公桌或任何其他可夹紧的物体（例如显示器支架或花盆）。与三脚架不同，它不占用桌面空间，并且如果将其安装在笔记本电脑或显示器后面，则可以使桌面整洁。柔性臂还比屏幕安装架提供了更多的灵活性，因为您可以左右左右移动臂以找到理想的位置。您甚至可以根据需要弯曲手臂。

Flexible arms generally attach using two claws, so there are no permanent stickers, and I found the grip claws of the flexible arm I tested to be easier to take my phone in and out of than the desktop mounts and car mounts.

The flexible arm was very stable: the picture didn’t judder as I typed, and it was also pretty affordable. For me, this was by far the best mount to use for all laptops, and if you don’t want to use a magnetic sticker, it was the best option for desktops, too. The only requirement for these flexible arms is that you have something to clamp the arm to, so if you have a built-in desk, this type of mount might not work for you. You can see how I clamped the arm to the side of a desk when using it with a laptop, above. Here’s how I attached it to a couple of desktop computers:

吸盘

经过测试的产品：MPOW仪表板车载电话支架， 英国， 8.99英镑， 相似的美国产品， 10.99美元

除非您将它们粘贴到附近的窗户或计算机的屏幕上，否则它们将无法工作（不，实际上，不要这样做）。请注意，亚马逊上的某些列表暗示它们会坚持其他表面。他们不会！

贴纸座

经过测试的产品：FLOVEME磁性车载支架US $ 13.99， 英国 £12.16

Any mount that attaches directly to your monitor will let you get your phone webcam close to where the built in webcam is, providing a good angle for your calls. The main variable with these types of mounts is how they attach to your computer and your phone. Of the direct mounts I tried, the best option for desktop users was the sticker/magnet mount pictured above. You stick it to the back of your computer and can add the magnet to the back of a cheap phone case to quickly attach and remove your phone for calls. (Keep reading to see why you don’t want to stick it directly to your phone.)

它们的体积比三脚架小得多，但是如果您打算四处移动，它们可能不适合笔记本电脑使用，因为安装座应保持与计算机的连接，并且它们会阻止笔记本电脑装入机箱中。您可以在每次使用网络摄像头时尝试松开并重新贴装支架，但这会减少粘性，并冒着iPhone和支架掉落并损坏的风险。

Magnetic & MagSafe mounts

测试的产品：

• Belkin iPhone Mount with MagSafe, UK £29.95, US $29.99
• AUOTO通用侧装磁性支架夹， 英国 £11.99， 美国相似产品 $ 15.99
• IMstick多功能手机支架， 英国 £20， 美国 $ 25.25

Magnets, how do they work? However they do, they make it really easy to attach and remove your iPhone from its webcam mount. Some mounts were so simple they consisted of two magnets; one for the back of your iPhone, the other for the back of your monitor or laptop. You just stick your iPhone to your computer, and grab it off when your call ends. And while the Belkin mount reviewed here does not attach to a laptop with magnets, it uses Apple's MagSafe functionality to make attaching your iPhone quick and easy. A drawback for all of these, however, is that their angle is restricted to the angle of your screen.

Useful only for iPhone and MacBook users, Belkin’s MagSafe mount debuted alongside the release of macOS Ventura’s Continuity Camera feature. While there is of course plenty to say about how Continuity stacks up against Camo, I've also been looking forward to putting this mount through its paces to see how it compares to the other solutions explored in this guide. One thing that already puts it ahead of the other mounts in this category is not having to attach magnets like silver leeches to my laptop.

As expected, the Belkin connected firmly to the circular MagSafe zone in the middle of both the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro Max that I used for this test. I liked that it could easily be oriented in either landscape or portrait orientations, though changing from one to the other required removing the setup from the laptop screen and either twisting the mount firmly or removing entirely to reorient it. Rotating the phone while it was mounted - as the video on the Belkin site shows - could not be replicated without knocking the whole arrangement from its perch. And though the MagSafe connection is strong, it doesn’t snap to any particular axis. Sometimes when it looked like the mount was attached exactly parallel to the orientation of the phone, I found when mounting it on the screen that it was off kilter, and had to readjust. Not a huge deal, apart from the illusory Belkin visuals.

Placing the mount on top of the screen is fairly straightforward, with a small plastic foot that folds out and hooks onto the top of your laptop. I tested the mount on both a 14-inch MacBook Pro and a 13-inch MacBook Air, and found - unsurprisingly - that it fit more snugly on the thicker frame of the Pro. That said, it did not feel especially precarious on the narrower Air.

On both laptops, it was simple to line up the camera lens with the centre of the screen, a big advantage over the side-mounting solutions for maintaining a good eyeline. Still, since it works only on MacBooks, it would be impossible for all but the shortest users to avoid capturing video from an unattractive low angle (this was slightly better when the phone is mounted in portrait, since the camera lens was higher).

Raising your laptop as shown above is also about practicality - it keeps the screen of your laptop as close to vertical as possible, something I found to be fairly important when using all of the mounts in this category. As you’d expect from hanging something as substantial as an iPhone to the top or side of your MacBook screen, the centre of gravity shifts quite dramatically as the screen moves away from perpendicular.

In the spirit of science, I attempted to measure the precise angles at which the screens of both laptops began to collapse backward with either of the two iPhones mounted. Using a goniometer, I found that for the combination of MacBook Pro/iPhone 13 Max, the widest angle at which it remained steady for me was about 113°. With the iPhone 13, that expanded just a bit to 119°.

Knowing these angles has two upshots. First, if you tend to work with your laptop literally in your lap, with the screen leaning back fairly far (unflattering angle be damned), the mount and phone combination will yank the screen all the way back, with the laptop possibly headed for the floor. Second, even when working with your laptop situated firmly on a desk in front of you, it is important to remember the physics at play. Twice in one morning I pulled the screen slightly forward to reach something behind the laptop, only to have it slam loudly shut like a bear trap, with my phone (mount firmly attached) rocketed into my lap. No harm done to the laptop, though I don’t like the idea of subjecting it to such violence on a regular basis.

In conclusion, I appreciated the convenient size and quality build of the Belkin mount, and if I conducted mostly informal video calls on my MacBook, I could see myself just keeping it attached to my iPhone for easy transport and quick deployment (the integrated ring/kickstand is also a nice touch, though it doesn’t really factor into how I carry and use my phone on a daily basis). But what keeps this mount from being a solid recommend across the board is the fact that it required extra care to keep my laptop from slamming open or shut, as well as its specificity to iPhones (and only the later MagSafe generations) and MacBooks. Just as Camo works across platforms and devices, our ideal mount would be useful for both desktops and laptops, and both new and older iPhones and Android devices.

The other mounts in this category also score points for ease of use and compactness, but they leave little room for variability - once you’ve stuck the magnets in place, that’s where you need to keep your webcam. And though these magnets held pretty well, there was a very small amount of wobbling when typing on a laptop (realistically, no more that you’d get when using the built-in webcam). Like the Belkin, they're best used with the screen as close to vertical as possible; however, for these you'll also need to keep magnets stuck to your phone (or phone case) and computer. If this idea fills you with horror then you’ll want to look for a different type of attachment.

I stuck the magnet to a silicone case for my iPhone, rather than directly to the phone or to a leather case (because stickers will probably damage the leather, and I didn’t want to risk marking my phone), and here’s what happened when I removed the magnet:

我设法使此磁性支架与iMac一起使用。这种安装座的一大缺点是无法向后安装iPhone，因此只能将自拍相机与此支架一起使用。使用此安装座时，您也无法调整iPhone的角度，因此图片稍微偏向一侧。

The second magnetic mount I tried was much more flexible. The IMstick phone mount was made up of one magnet attached to a wire, and a metal disk to stick to the back of your phone.

您必须至少在手机或计算机上贴一个磁铁才能使它正常工作，但另一个可以通过电线固定在位。您可以在下面看到如何使用电线将安装座连接到计算机。

如果您需要灵活性，或者安装时遇到棘手的情况，这是一个很好的选择。它不占用太多空间，虽然安装起来有点麻烦，但是一旦完成，就很容易将手机进出。

我确实感觉我的手机很安全，但是我发现它的晃动比使用贴纸和磁铁的支架晃动的多，所以我更喜欢FLOVEME支架，尽管如果您想稍微移动一下摄像头，您可能会喜欢这一点。

开槽刀架

经过测试的产品：YUYITEK手机支架， 英国 £14.99， 美国 $ 14.99

These let you rest your phone in place, rather than holding it securely. As such, they’re easy to get your phone in and out of, but they will wobble when you type. I found it was more difficult to get a good angle when using this slotted holder than with any other mount, as the phone couldn’t be adjusted as easily with these mounts, and would often fall into a different position, anyway.

开槽的支架使用非常坚固的夹子固定在计算机上。我可以将其连接到我的iMac，但是鉴于计算机的弧形后部，将其长时间放置在其中可能会导致其意外启动。我什至不想在笔记本电脑上尝试使用该夹子，因为夹子附件太紧，以至于可能会损坏屏幕。

mb

经过测试的产品：Zhiyun Smooth 4 3轴手持式云台稳定器， 英国 £89.00， 美国 $ 99.00

I tried using a gimbal as a webcam, but it was a pretty impractical choice. The height of the gimbal isn’t adjustable, so you’ll either end up with your camera too high, or too low for your screen (as the image above shows, this works a little better with a laptop than a desktop, but neither is ideal). Yes, your gimbal will keep your phone stabilised while it’s being held, but, provided you're not moving your webcam around while you're talking, there really isn’t any benefit to this feature for webcam purposes. Additionally, the gimbal I used periodically turned itself off, causing the phone to drop down, and inserting an iPhone XS Max into the gimbal kept triggering SOS calls. You’d also need to keep your gimbal charged in advance of your calls.

如果您已经有了一个云台，并且坚决不想再使用其他技术配件，则可以尝试一下，但是您可能想从一个随意的电话开始，而不是一次重要的会议。

iPhone基座和智能键盘

测试的产品：

• Apple lightning dock US $49.00, UK, £49.00
• 苹果智能键盘开本UK £179.00， 美国 $ 179.00

如果您的iPhone有扩展坞，则可以使用该扩展坞，或者如果您有一个用作支架的手提箱，则可以使用iPad。两者都不会给您一个很好的角度，但是两者都可以。这两个选项也都需要使用自拍相机，除非您找到一种将设备提升到头部高度的方法。

临时/ DIY

如果您现在需要一个网络摄像头支架而又没有以上条件怎么办？我们做了一些实验，发现最好的临时支架可以和一堆书和一个咖啡杯/纸板箱拼凑在一起：

It’s bulky, it doesn’t look great, and your phone might wobble around a bit if you’re doing a lot of typing, but it’s a quick and easy solution to start using your phone as a webcam today.

有一个更好的临时摊位？找到了更好的坐骑？在下面的评论中让我们知道。