Learn how to use RealEye.io - Online Research Platform with Webcam Eye-Tracking

Beata Lewandowska
Written by Beata Lewandowska

How to make a webcam to work?

Here's how you can tackle issues with webcam access and sharing the screen.


RealEye is tested and works with the following hardware and software setup:

  • Google Chrome web browser.
  • PC with Microsoft Windows 10 or Mac (Macbook, iMac) with MacOS.
  • Laptop integrated webcam or USB webcam.
  • RealEye doesn't allow running eye-tracking tests on mobile devices (smartphones/tablets) unless a proper option in the study settings is turned on.
  • The required screen resolution is 1024x968 pixels or more. Only horizontal screen orientation is supported (except for smartphone tests). Please make sure NOT to use any zoom - page scaling should be 100% (press CTRL+0 in Chrome).


If you get the "Enable webcam access to begin" message when you're running an eye-tracking test:

  1. Make sure your webcam is connected and working. You can check it with any video chat software or system applications like the "Camera" app on Microsoft Windows or "Photo Booth" on MacOS.
  2. Make sure you have enabled camera access in your operating system settings. For Microsoft Windows, read this. For MacOS, read this.
  3. Make sure you've enabled camera access in Google Chrome - read this.
  4. Some Google Chrome extensions may still block webcam access, so we recommend running the test in an incognito window.
  5. Make sure no other software is using the webcam. When you are performing an eye-tracking test, a video conference is possible, but only if it's run in a browser. Read more here.
  6. If you have Windows N Edition, install Media Feature Pack. Read how to do this here.
  7. Running the eye-tracking test won't work on the old version of the Edge browser, it only works on the latest Edge version based on Chromium.
  8. Make sure you have at least 4 GB of RAM (see also: RealEye tool requirements).


If your webcam still doesn't work, try to follow the instructions from the link below:

https://www.saintlad.com/no-camera-found-in-google-meet/


For Screen Recording studies, sharing your screen or browser window (not a tab) is required. If sharing doesn't work, especially on MAC, check if it works in other online tools, i.e., Google Meet. If not, please follow the instructions:

https://www.cbd.int/conferences/sbstta24-sbi3-prep/mac-screen-sharing


If you still have issues accessing the webcam, contact us using chat or email (contact@realeye.io).

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