Zoom meetings: Webcam disables after a while

DoctorG

My partner has a strange issue with her Linux PC (Debian 12 KDE ).
In Zoom Webmeeting it can happen that webcam (if i remember correct, a Logitech C920 USB) switches itself off after a while.

How to detect what that is?
Any known issue with Vivaldi?
Any user here having similar issues on their Linux?

npro

@DoctorG It could be a failing USB port, try using another one.

DoctorG

@npro Could be, i will test next week and try to use an other USB2 or USB3 port.

npro

@DoctorG I believe it is just that simple, but you could also check for error messages in dmesg #dmesg | grep usb

DoctorG

@npro Hmm, my partner told me that she had that only with Zoom, and not with Jitsi or other meeting sites. Weird.

But in case that happens next time, i will check syslog with dmesg.

npro

@DoctorG I dunno, you know the rest of it, try in a clean profile, try with Chromium, etc, etc... maybe zoom is more power hungry and the USB can't handle it, never used that. What about using zoom as a standalone app if this exists.

DoctorG

@npro said in Zoom meetings: Webcam disables after a while:

What about using zoom as a standalone app if this exists.

Zoom app on Linux has often security issues. Not good for a office PC.

Catweazle

@DoctorG, I found several users in the web reporting this issue. Andi said

The Zoom webcam automatically disabling issue has several common causes and solutions:

Main Causes:

Hardware issues with USB ports or camera connections[^1][^2]

Software conflicts from other applications trying to access the camera simultaneously[^3]

Power management settings turning off USB devices to save power[^4]

Outdated or corrupted camera drivers[^5]

Quick Solutions:

Try a different USB port - this often resolves connection stability issues[^3]

Close other applications that might be accessing your camera[^3]

Update your webcam drivers through Device Manager[^5]

Check Windows power management settings and disable the option to "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" for USB Root Hubs[^4]

For external webcams, ensure cables are securely connected and test the camera in other applications like Skype or Google Meet to determine if the issue is Zoom-specific[^1]. If the camera works fine in other applications but fails only in Zoom, try uninstalling and reinstalling the latest version of Zoom[^5].

[^1]: Video turns off automatically after a while - Zoom Community

[^2]: Zoom meetings: Webcam disables after a while

[^3]: Camera Turns Off during Meetings I Host and Attend

[^4]: Fix Webcam keeps turning off and on again on Windows 11/10

[^5]: How To Fix Zoom Camera Not Working During Video Meeting

npro

@Catweazle lol #2 just points at this thread and my proposal

Apart from that,
-Device Manager is Windoze thing.
-Outdated drivers, hardly as that webcamera is already pretty old.
-Software conflicts: I doubt it

Power management (suspending the device for energy savings) could be an option, but that would be next step checking.

The main suspect would be imo crappy programmed software needing too many mA on a port that maybe does not provide so much by default or because it is failing. USB ports do fail because people are using crappy adapters like cheap wi-fi and cheap flash drive dongles which are lacking (good quality) controllers -to cut costs obviously- hence they draw too much power at once when being inserted or while running, wearing down the port eventually. Therefore it's always better to have Wi-Fi PCI cards for example or to not shutdown the system that often in order to not have power spikes.

Catweazle

@npro, anyway the websearch shows it as an recurrent issue for whatever reasons.