7 ms·
or, you can have a physical switch, like the Framework. that also hits your BOM but its not complex!
by jdblair 2y ago
or, you can have a physical switch, like the Framework. that also hits your BOM but its not complex!
- SiVal 2y agoWould a bit of Post-It Note (for minimal adhesion) damage the screen coating if left on most of the time? Would even that much thickness stress the screen when opened and closed thousands of times? Is there a better (self-service) material?
- pcblues 2y agoPlastic slide covers that stick on are pretty cheap if your laptop doesn't already have one. I also think that the open microphone issue is a greater problem, especially with the current ability of speech-to-text, but what you utter may not be as important as being seen "doing a Toobin" during an online meeting. YMMV :) (I won't expand that acronym!)
- cuu508 2y ago> Would a bit of Post-It Note (for minimal adhesion) damage the screen coating if left on most of the time? Possible, I have one IPS monitor with a spot on screen where the color is pale. I had a post-it note there and I guess something bad happened when I tore it off.
- grvbck 2y agoI used electrical pvc tape for many years on my macbooks, no damage but I got tired of them leaving glue residue. Switched to post-its about 10 years ago, works perfectly. I've never tried them on a matte or coated screen though.
- ARandomerDude 2y agoI use painter’s tape for a similar effect.
- moregrist 2y agoI’ve used one for years on various MacBooks and it’s very effective. The paper is very thin so it causes no real mechanical stress and also opaque, so all the camera sees is a field the color of that paper. There’s been no damage to the screen from the adhesive although occasionally I’ve had to clean the residual adhesive with 70% IPA, but nothing worse than the typical grime that most laptop monitors pick up.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- oneshtein 2y agoYou can buy/print and stick a physical «webcam cover»[1] manually on your notebook or phone. My current notebook, manufactured in 2023, has very thin bar on top of screen with camera, so I need a thin, U-like attachment for the switch, which is hard to find. [1]: https://www.printables.com/model/2479-webcam-cover-slider https://www.printables.com/model/2479-webcam-cover-slider
- ddalex 2y agoAm I the only one that is not worried at all about the camera and super concerned about microphones ? The camera may see me staring into the screen, woo hoo. The microphones will hear everything I discuss, incl. confidential information. There is no physical microphone cover there, is it ?
- klausa 2y agoModern (2019-ish? forwards?) MacBooks have physical disconnect for microphones when the lid is shut.
- jack_arleth 2y agoFramework laptops have the same solution.
- jdblair 2y agoThe Framework has a physical microphone switch next to the camera switch.
- djtango 2y agoYes I really wish we could have a physical switch for device mic
- ykonstant 2y agoAs someone who often speaks gibberish to myself due to ptsd, if someone recorded me in my room they could convince anyone I am utterly insane, beyond any hope. It is a great way to blackmail people with coprolalia or other verbal tics. And yeah, if they had access to my webcam, they would just see a guy staring into the screen or walking back and forth in the room.
- goodpoint 2y agoThis is the right solution. And a hardware switch cost is completely negligible in a $1000 laptop.
- alwyn 2y agoMy previous HP Envy x360 had such a switch on the side of the laptop that would electronically disconnect the webcam; it would completely disconnect according to the system. Enabling it would show a new device being connected in `dmesg`. Not a great laptop otherwise, but that was pretty good!
- Vogtinator 2y agoMy envy x360 has that button as well and it even puts a physical shutter in front of the webcam in addition to disconnecting USB.