Friday, May 11, 2018

The Frugal Guy: Webcam Covers

Hey Guys,

Here's a cool little product that is perfect if you worry that "the man" is watching through your webcam.  We've all heard stories about the government and hackers spying on us through our cameras, and now there is a solution.  One of my ex-girlfriends actually put a piece of tape over her camera so no one could see through, and if you're like her, or if you just want to protect your privacy, than this product is perfect for you. I received a free three pack of webcam covers to try from a company called Ubitree direct.





As the packaging notes, these covers are extremely thin. It worried me a bit because of how thin they were, but so far my worries are unwarranted. I actually snapped off the sliding cover while trying to remove the adhesive tap on the back, but discovered that the pieces are meant to snap apart so you can clean your camera lens as needed. They snap right back together, so that's good to know if you're as clumsy as me.




Once the tape is off you just press this to the proper place over your camera and hold for a few seconds. If you put it on the wrong place, you can take it off and try again with no problem. See the note below on installation.  I put mine on my laptop and my tablet and it worked for both. Note that I have a screen cover on my tablet, and I advise you only apply to a screen cover.






Note:  Be careful when putting these on as the slide only goes one way. As a result, you'll have to put the open side on the same side as the lens or it'll open the wrong way (sounds obvious, but I definitely put it on backwards/upside down the first time).  You need to line up the edge with the edge of the lens. Since they're very compact, you'll need to be relatively accurate, but as I mentioned above if you miss on the first try you can take it off and try again. The package says this sets after 24 hours, and I haven't tried to take it off after I got it right, but I assume it'll be relatively permanent after 24 hours. Be sure to test this after installation to prevent a permanent mistake (though, since the cover snaps off you may be able to just flip it over and it be okay).

So if you're looking for a relatively cheap cover to protect your privacy, these are available on Amazon.  Click here to purchase yours today.  Since it's so thin I can't imagine it'll be a bother on my devices, but I'll keep you posted if these easily fall off or break.

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