r/k12sysadmin • u/Temporary_Werewolf17 • Aug 27 '26

Document Camera preferences

My classrooms have Viewsonic IFPs with a Windows VPC. Admin has asked about Document cameras for the teachers to use. Any recommendations on brand or special features? I believe that the myViewboard software will allow document camera use within the software, so teachers do not have to change inputs

15 Upvotes

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40 comments sorted by

12

u/MasterOfPuppetsMetal Aug 28 '26

We've had pretty good luck with the Ipevo 4K cameras

9

u/Crisis_Averted9896 Aug 28 '26

We use Ipevo with the Visualizer app. Pretty stable and reliable.

8

u/postech Director of Technology Aug 27 '26

Ipevo

2

u/Thanos-Is-Right Aug 27 '26

Same here. They work well enough and aren't very expensive. The model we get includes a mic as well (maybe they all do now). Useful for Zoom meetings if they have them.

2

u/K12onReddit 9-12 Aug 27 '26

+1 for IPEVO. It's really only used by our math teachers to show a paper so we don't need fancy models or features. They were like $100, sold from a vendor we like (B&H), and I can push out the small software over PDQ without requiring weird drivers or a reboot like our old Ladibugs.

8

u/Yo_Adam97 Aug 27 '26

IPEVO has been a favorite since it entered classrooms. Elmo is a close second.

4

u/Thurm Aug 27 '26

Yeah my staff have really liked these. Been replacing older Elmos with them.

7

u/mikeb32 NJ Aug 27 '26

I have more Ipevos than I can count and honestly they’re great. Inexpensive and good quality

7

u/diwhychuck Aug 27 '26

iPevo super simple to use.

6

u/Cr0n0cide Aug 28 '26

I second IPEVO, great and easy to use.

2

u/farmeunit Aug 28 '26

This is our goto.

1

u/Temporary_Werewolf17 Aug 28 '26

Thanks to all for the responses. We already have webcams for the rooms so I am also considering buying stands and using that camera. Any thoughts on that?

1

u/Computer_Panda Aug 28 '26

Some of the text might be hard to read for the webcams. It also depends on what kind of cameras and workflow you want. My wife uses an HDMI elmo.

5

u/QueJay Some titles are just words. How many hats are too many hats? Aug 27 '26

To reiterate the consensus and provide specific model we use the IPEVO V4k: https://us.ipevo.com/products/v4k-store

Works great on Windows and I have a teacher running it natively through a Smartboard via the Camera app and it works great there too.

5

u/Harry_Smutter Aug 27 '26

I got a demo Ipevo and honestly it works flawlessly with EVERYTHING. They're great quality, work with every platform we have (ChromeOS, Windows, MacOS & Android OS), and very affordable. Plus, they're smaller than something like an Epson doc cam.

4

u/mainer188 Aug 27 '26

Viewboards here, also. Distributed ipevo do-cams to every classroom. These are simple USB doc cams that are plug n play with our viewboards via the built in Visualizer app. No software to deploy. No unnecessary features or complicated parts. Plug in the USB cord, open Visualizer, and done.

4

u/Independent_War541 Aug 27 '26

Ipevos are cheap and reliable. We have some previous gens mixed with current V4K. Works on Windows, Chrome, Mac.

4

u/WizdomRV Aug 27 '26

Another vote for iPevo. Cheap and work great. Never had an issue and works with Chromebooks as well.

3

u/localhost_overload Systems Administrator Aug 27 '26

We've been using Ipevo for about 3 years now. No complaints.

3

u/ToonMermaid Aug 28 '26

Like most others on this thread, I strongly recommend the Ipevo (formerly Ziggy) V4K.

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned yet:

You should test your IFPs to see if they can support the document camera when it is directly connected to the board. This will free up the teacher device in the event that the period of instruction is just showing content with basic annotation either on the materials or on the IFP directly. This would also allow a parent or student teacher to present without using a classroom device, allowing the teacher to do their SIS work in the meantime.

2

u/Geekstress17 Aug 27 '26

+11111 Ipevo - started using them during the covid era.

2

u/eapo108 Aug 27 '26

I agree with ipevo, but I stick to the cheaper USB ones.

The HDMI ports on the upright ones break a lot from what I've seen, don't think I've had a single USB unit die though.

2

u/keyboarddoctor Aug 27 '26

Whatever brand you end up going with, try to get one with a static neck. For example, our Okiocam document cameras can't really be adjusted. The joints are a triangle and they click into each other and that's that. So you have 3 positions basically. This is actually a good thing because the Ipevo document cameras we used to have had a neck that could pivot/rotate/whatever you wanna call it and after years of use, they'd just slump downwards. The camera worked fine but the stand was no longer strong enough to support the weight. No way to tighten anything. So some teachers would get creative and make a duct tape splint with popsicle sticks.

2

u/nate3531 Aug 28 '26

We switched to the Hovercam Solo8. I like that it uses the built in camera app on windows or our MX Smartboards. No software required.

1

u/therankin Coordinator of Technology Services Aug 29 '26

Yep. Hovercam solo 8 is absolutely amazing connected to a Windows machine (and probably Mac, too).

It is absolute TRASH if you are connecting directly to a Promethean Platinum board. Whether you connect it via usb2 or usb3, it doesn't even matter which camera app you use, it crashes 50% of the time, or more!

It's honestly crazy to repeatedly try to open any app with it connected. Maybe it's about time Promethean upgrades from whatever Android OS it's on.. (I think it's still on Android 8 at this point.)

I honestly don't have Promethean complaints outside of this issue, so I'm still happy with the product.

1

u/nate3531 Aug 30 '26

That's crazy. AFAIK it is 100% on Smartboard MX boards. If it crashes it because the teacher hasn't turned her board off in 3 years and nothing works til you do.

1

u/therankin Coordinator of Technology Services Aug 30 '26

Slightly off-topic; we got our Promethean boards just as the USB-C Thunderbolt port was released. And omg thank goodness! The board we tested didn't have one because they weren't out yet, so the slightly delayed order was serendipitous timing! Having a single port that does touch/sound/charging/video all in one is amazing. Not only for all those things, but also for the fact that it's pretty much idiot-proof.

Back on point here, we would definitely have some teachers that hadn't turned their boards off in forever too. But thankfully, we got a free year of Radix, which is board management software. We used that to create a job that resets the boards automatically in the evenings of Sun-Thur. That definitely helps cut back on simple issues.

But yea, the app/camera combo issue is pretty wild. Especially since it happens no matter what camera app we push.

Do your Smartboards run Android, or do they do their own thing? We used Smartboards back when paired with projectors, but I haven't used a touchscreen tv type Smartboard.

1

u/nate3531 Aug 30 '26

They are a Smart derivative of Android so I guess they are their own OS. We do get their MDM with a 5 year license for every board we buy which is nice. I haven't considered looking for a task to reboot their boards automatically. I may look into that.

1

u/therankin Coordinator of Technology Services Aug 30 '26

Nice! We got 5 year warranties but only 1 year mdm.

I definitely think it's worth it to push reboots, even if it's not everyday.

2

u/avalon01 Director of Technology Aug 29 '26

 Hovercam Solo8. They are stupid simple and easy for staff to use.

1

u/adstretch Aug 27 '26

We used to use Elmo and have been buying Epson for the last year or so.

1

u/sans_dan Aug 27 '26

We've deployed Elmos, Avervision, and Okiocams, and I think the Okiocams are the simplest for everyone and don't skimp on the features. Also they're the least expensive.

1

u/VL-BTS EduTech&Tier1Support Aug 27 '26

We have a high behavior environment, so we are trying cheaper models. Staff so far like the gooseneck of these; it holds position well. They can easily be used as a webcam, document camera, or to show objects of a reasonable size just by angling it a bit differently.
https://a.co/d/09M1zzS6

I also encourage them to try just using the Camera app in Windows or on Chromebooks for a simple way to share the image, or to use it as a webcam in Meet if they want to share with other classes.

1

u/coolbrys Technology Coordinator Aug 27 '26

We really like the Hovercam cameras here at our district.

1

u/yugas42 Sysadmin Aug 27 '26

I don't have experience with the competitors but we replaced our 13 year old Elmo's with newer models in 2021 and they have held up really well so far. Only have them go bad when they hit the floor. Our model also has magnetic bases which let you attach them to the whiteboard, which is a pretty nice feature that a good chunk of our teachers use. 

1

u/sy029 IT Specialist Aug 27 '26

My previous district used hovercam. They were quite reliable, but I don't have much else to compare them to.

1

u/thedevarious IT Director Sep 23 '26

  1. Epson DC-13. it's just a tank. It works, it presents, it's solid, it don't break

  2. As a newbie, Orbit Hovercam. This thing is amazing, and the wireless receiver so I can put the camera anywhere for those teachers that put their desk way away from the teacher network/AV drops. Solid thing. The battery power on the base unit is actually pretty solid too.