Webcam Support in MATLAB Online

You can access your webcam to stream images in MATLAB^® Online™. All the functions in the MATLAB Support Package for USB Webcams are available in MATLAB Online.

Supported Browsers

Google Chrome^®

Connect to a Webcam and Acquire Images

Open a MATLAB Online session at https://matlab.mathworks.com.
Run webcamlist to list all connected webcams, and give your browser permission to access your camera when prompted to do so.
Acquire live images from your camera in MATLAB Online by following the steps outlined in Acquire Images from Webcams. If you have multiple webcams connected, you can create a webcam object for only one at a time.

When you create the webcam object in MATLAB Online, only the following properties are available.

cam = webcam('Logitech')

cam = 

webcam with properties:

                     Name: 'Logitech Webcam 250'
     AvailableResolutions: {'640x480'}
               Resolution: '640x480'

MATLAB Online supports only the ability to read the Name, AvailableResolutions, and Resolution webcam properties. The default resolution of the camera is the only Resolution currently available in MATLAB Online. See Set Properties for Webcam Acquisition for more information about webcam object properties.

Security Considerations

Certain features and settings help keep you in control of your privacy. To check if your camera or microphone is in use at any time, look for these indicators:

A small icon appears on the tab in your browser window, notifying you while the camera or microphone is in use.
A visual indicator, such as a light, may be built in to your webcam to inform you when it is in use. Consult the documentation for your webcam to determine if there are any such features.

You can also adjust your browser settings to mitigate security risks. To reduce the likelihood of unwanted applications using your camera or microphone, turn off automatic access to your webcam device. Use the browser settings for Google Chrome to revoke access for specific sites after you have initially allowed access. You can change these settings at anytime. After granting permission to a website once, your browser may be able to access your camera or microphone automatically for that site on future visits.

You can also access the MATLAB Online website using the private browsing mode in Google Chrome . Doing so will automatically ask you for permission to access your camera every time you open the MATLAB Online site and run webcamlist, regardless of your browser settings.

Webcam Discovery Troubleshooting

If you receive an error indicating that webcams could not be detected:

Check that your webcam is properly connected to the computer. If it is a USB webcam, you can try disconnecting and reconnecting it.
Make sure that you have given your browser permission to access your webcam. If the pop-up dialog box does not appear after running webcamlist or if you blocked permissions, follow the instructions for Google Chrome to allow the MATLAB Online website access to the camera.
Make sure that your camera is not being used by another website or another application.
Run webcamlist again.