How to Use a Webcam Over RDP

In the light of today's global realities, namely, quarantine and social distance being the new normal, more and more people go remote with every passing day. And about anyone, who’s ever worked with the Remote Desktop, knows that managing resources between the remote terminal and the host can get quite challenging.

For one, when you need to join a video call during your RDP session, you can do it either from the host or from a guest system. While each of these ways comes with its benefits and pitfalls, it’s good to keep your options open, right? So keep on reading to get the full and complete answer to an often-asked question: “How to use my webcam over RDP?”. Also, you’ll find out about the most convenient way to enable a USB passthrough inside the RDP session for remote webcam access.

Webcam remote access: software method

An important aspect of redirecting a webcam over RDP is being able to assign it to a specific user while restricting access for everyone else. This is especially critical if you’re operating in a multi-user environment (e.g. Windows Server) or your RDP server is accessed by a large number of clients.

This is one of the reasons why USB over Ethernet is a top choice when it comes to opening your webcam for remote access. This powerful software tool has a built-in device isolation feature.

And here’s an easy-to-follow manual on how to remotely access a webcam in an RDP session:

1. Download and install USB over Ethernet both on your host machine and on a remote one that needs access to the webcam via RDP.
2. Run the app on a host, find the webcam on the list in the “Devices” tab, and click “Share”. You can change the port number, encryption, etc. if needed.
3. Now, launch USB over Ethernet on a remote computer. The camera will already be on the device list, so all you need to do is click “Connect”.

Some more plus points of USB over Ethernet:

• Full compatibility with every Windows and Windows Server version.
• Works with all brands of USB webcams.
• Supports a host of popular communication apps, such as Skype, Lync, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, Webex, Adobe Connect, and many more.
• Is compatible with a range of remote desktop protocols including Microsoft RDP, Teradici PCoIP, Citrix ICA.
• Works perfectly in macOS and most distributions of Linux.
• Easy access to any kind of USB device

Setting up USB Webcam Passthrough to an RDP Session

This method works for external USB cameras, built-in laptop webcams, and monitor integrated ones. But for it to work, your RDP server must be on Windows Server 2019 (or newer) or have RemoteFX configured.

Note: RemoteFX does not work with some webcam models.

So here’s what you need to do to get free remote webcam access in Windows:

1. Run mstsc.exe to launch the “Remote Desktop Connection” manager. Then go to the “Local Resources” tab and click “+” to expand the “Video capture devices” section.
2. Tick the related checkboxes to enable both this section and your camera:
3. Click “OK” to save.

After that, starting from your next RDP session, you’ll be able to access this webcam and join video calls within your remote desktop session.

Note: Unless you have a really good broadband connection, it’s highly advised to adjust your settings to the maximum bandwidth possible.

Along with the camera, you can also pass through your local microphone to use it during the RDP sessions. Here is how it’s done:

1. On the “Local Resources” tab, click “Config remote audio settings”.
2. On “Settings”, find the “Remote audio recording” options and set the “Record from this computer” one.
3. Click “OK” to save.

Now should be able to join meeting rooms inside an RDP session with your local webcam and mic. However, in some cases, this method is not going to work even if you've set everything up correctly, so you’ll have to start all over again. But well, at least it’s free.

It’s up to you to decide between the two methods, and the choice seems pretty clear. You either pay for a never-failing software solution and save tons of nerves and opening hours, or you save some money, at the expense of your time and trouble.