I'm trying to connect 4 USB webcams to my laptop so that I can see a live split-screen view with each camera occupying a quarter of the screen. I don't want to record or stream anything; it's just for offline viewing. Ideally, I'd like the same view displayed on my laptop as well as on at least one external monitor. My laptop will most likely run Windows 10 or 11, but I'm curious if there's a way to do this on a Chromebook too. Also, I'm planning to use USB-A webcams; would USB-C be a better option for my setup? Any suggestions on how to achieve this?
5 Answers
If you're comfortable running Linux, you might want to check out ZoneMinder. I used it with several webcams and IP cameras in the past, and it worked really well for live viewing. You can access everything through a web page too, which is pretty convenient!
Blue Iris or similar NVR software can also do what you're looking for. Just make sure to disable any overlays you don't want. This software should work on both Windows and, with some effort, on a Chromebook if you install Linux. Also, mirroring your display to external monitors is pretty straightforward to achieve with this setup.
Another option could be SplitCam if OBS isn't your thing. Also, you probably won’t find USB-C webcams at a budget-friendly price, and USB-A should work perfectly fine for your setup. Just ensure you have a good quality USB hub if you need to connect them all together. As for the Chromebook, you’d likely have to enable developer mode and run Linux to install the necessary software. But even then, performance may not be great.
I’d recommend using OBS to set this up. You can just fullscreen the preview window to get the live view without streaming or recording. It’s a solid tool and can be configured easily for your needs.
Just a heads up: connecting multiple USB cameras to one laptop can be tricky. If the cameras all share the same USB controller, you could run into issues where not all of them work correctly. Isolating them through different USB controllers might be necessary, but with a laptop, you're often limited.
Totally agree! OBS is a great go-to, plus it’s awesome that you have the option to record later if you want.