Arch Linux Webcam Configuration

Arch Linux Webcam Configuration Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to webcam configuration on Arch Linux, including webcam detection, testing, and webcam applications.

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Table of Contents

1. Webcam Detection
2. Testing Webcam
3. Webcam Applications
4. Troubleshooting

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Webcam Detection

Check Webcam

Detect webcam:

# List USB devices
lsusb | grep -i camera

# Check video devices
ls -l /dev/video*

# Check kernel messages
dmesg | grep -i video

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Testing Webcam

v4l2

Test with v4l2:

# Install v4l-utils
sudo pacman -S v4l-utils

# List devices
v4l2-ctl --list-devices

# Capture image
v4l2-ctl --device=/dev/video0 --stream-mmap --stream-to=test.raw --stream-count=1

ffmpeg

Test with ffmpeg:

# Install FFmpeg
sudo pacman -S ffmpeg

# Capture image
ffmpeg -f v4l2 -i /dev/video0 -frames:v 1 test.jpg

# Record video
ffmpeg -f v4l2 -i /dev/video0 -t 10 output.mp4

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Webcam Applications

Cheese

Install Cheese:

# Install Cheese
sudo pacman -S cheese

# Launch
cheese

guvcview

Install guvcview:

# Install guvcview
sudo pacman -S guvcview

# Launch
guvcview

OBS Studio

Use OBS:

# Install OBS
sudo pacman -S obs-studio

# Launch
obs

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Troubleshooting

Webcam Not Working

Check drivers:

# Check loaded modules
lsmod | grep -i video

# Check permissions
ls -l /dev/video0

# Add to video group
sudo usermod -aG video username

Permission Issues

Fix permissions:

# Check group
groups

# Add to video group
sudo usermod -aG video username

# Log out and back in

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Summary

This guide covered webcam detection, testing, applications, and troubleshooting.

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Next Steps

• Arch Linux Multimedia - Multimedia
• Arch Linux Hardware Detection - Hardware
• ArchWiki Webcam: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Webcam_setup

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This guide is based on the ArchWiki. For the most up-to-date information, always refer to the official ArchWiki.