Setting Up VirtualBox with Host Webcam Integration

This guide outlines how to connect your computer's webcam to a Linux VM in VirtualBox, detailing steps from installing the required extension pack to attaching and verifying the webcam within the VM.

Prerequisites

• VirtualBox installed with a Linux environment set up.

• Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack.

• To download VirtualBox and the Extensions-pack. visit Official VirtualBox Downloads page.

• Some commands may requiresudo privileges to execute correctly, especially if you encounter permission issues.

Steps to Integrate Host Webcam

1. Install the Extension Pack:

   Open a terminal on your host machine and install the VirtualBox Extension Pack by running:

VBoxManage extpack install {path}/{name}

Change "{path}" and "{name}" to the actual file path and name of the extension pack you downloaded.

Example: VBoxManage extpack install /path/to/Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-7.0.14.vbox-extpack

1. Start Your VM:

   Launch your Linux VM through VirtualBox as you usually would. Make a note of your VM-Name for later reference.

2. List Available Webcams:

   On your host machine's terminal (not within the VM), list the connected webcams by executing:

   VBoxManage list webcams

3. Identify your webcam's Device ID The output of the list command will look similar to the example below. In this example, the Device-ID is ".1. " Take note of your Device-ID.
4. Attach the Webcam: Attach your host's webcam to the VM by running:

   codeVBoxManage controlvm "VM Name" webcam attach <device_id>

   Replace "VM Name" with your VM-Name and <device_id> with the noted Device-ID. This command might require sudo to execute.

5. Verify the Webcam in VM:

   Inside your VM, check if the webcam is recognized by executing:

   lsusb

   The USB devices list should show the webcam now.

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To Detach the Webcam

When you need to detach the webcam from your VM, use the following command on your host machine's terminal:

VBoxManage controlvm "VM Name" webcam detach <device_id>

Again, Replace "VM Name" with your VM-Name and <device_id> with the noted Device-Id. This command might require sudo to execute.