Last week I was in Dollarama and saw they had a webcam with a built-in microphone for $5.00 (plus tax) under the name "WORK FROM HOME WITH VIVITAR". I bought it, it works, but... The images from the camera are clear, but the resolution is ... not so good (640 x 480). The connector for the camera is USB 2.0. The built-in microphone has a 3.5 audio plug (which I didn't test). So this means you will need an microphone input connector on you computer to use the microphone, If you want to use this was a computer without a microphone connector (yes, I am looking at you Raspberry Pi computers) you will also need the likes of a USB sound card, or put another way you will need two USB ports to fully support this webcam if your computer doesn't have a microphone jack built in. Also, adding even a low-end USB sound card would more than double the cost of this set-up... The camera base is designed to clip over the top of an LCD monitor, if you want to use this camera on a desktop or on a tripod you will have to jury-rig something. I can see some use cases for a $5 webcam, put it in a somewhat dangerous place where you know the camera might get damaged or destroyed, sure, no great loss if things go to @#$%. Need a back-up webcam in case your good webcam fails, sure it is better than nothing (but not by a lot). Want to dabble with home security systems, or simple robots, yes this could be fine to get started with. As a day-in/day-out video conference webcam with "important" people, NO!!!! As I see it this webcam is a decent value for the $, just so few $ that you should pay attention to the camera's ... limitations. Colin.
Out of the back of the webcam there is a single cable that runs about 4 feel (122 cm) to a splitter. Out of the splitter comes two cables both about 7 inches (18 cm) long, one that runs to a USB connector, the other runs to a 3.5 mm audio jack. So, plugging the USB connector in gets you video (only video), plugging the 3.5 mm jack into a microphone jack gets you audio and only audio. On Wed, Jan 14, 2026 at 4:50 PM William Park via Talk <talk@lists.gtalug.org> wrote:
Are you saying, mic is 3.5mm only? Or, mic is both USB (separate from camera) and 3.5mm? --William
On 2026-01-11 21:55, Colin McGregor via Talk wrote:
The connector for the camera is USB 2.0. ... The built-in microphone has a 3.5 audio plug (which I didn't test).
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Once I bought a wireless mouse from dollarama. Instead of a functional on/off switch the plastic was just kind of a mold where the switch ought to have been (and was labeled). But it was all one contiguous piece of abs plastic. Like a prop or something. I didn't take it apart but it seemed to have electronics and everything inside it. You just couldn't turn it on. Very weird. I kept it for a long time, partly because it is a very funny thing and partly out of self doubt, thinking one day I'd solve the puzzle. But it was certainly an error in manufacturing, not my abilities. I guess they forgot. On Mon, Jan 12, 2026, at 2:55 AM, Colin McGregor via Talk wrote:
Last week I was in Dollarama and saw they had a webcam with a built-in microphone for $5.00 (plus tax) under the name "WORK FROM HOME WITH VIVITAR". I bought it, it works, but... The images from the camera are clear, but the resolution is ... not so good (640 x 480). The connector for the camera is USB 2.0.
The built-in microphone has a 3.5 audio plug (which I didn't test). So this means you will need an microphone input connector on you computer to use the microphone, If you want to use this was a computer without a microphone connector (yes, I am looking at you Raspberry Pi computers) you will also need the likes of a USB sound card, or put another way you will need two USB ports to fully support this webcam if your computer doesn't have a microphone jack built in. Also, adding even a low-end USB sound card would more than double the cost of this set-up...
The camera base is designed to clip over the top of an LCD monitor, if you want to use this camera on a desktop or on a tripod you will have to jury-rig something.
I can see some use cases for a $5 webcam, put it in a somewhat dangerous place where you know the camera might get damaged or destroyed, sure, no great loss if things go to @#$%. Need a back-up webcam in case your good webcam fails, sure it is better than nothing (but not by a lot). Want to dabble with home security systems, or simple robots, yes this could be fine to get started with. As a day-in/day-out video conference webcam with "important" people, NO!!!!
As I see it this webcam is a decent value for the $, just so few $ that you should pay attention to the camera's ... limitations.
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On Thu, 15 Jan 2026 at 18:41, bitmap via Talk <talk@lists.gtalug.org> wrote:
Once I bought a wireless mouse from dollarama. Instead of a functional on/off switch the plastic was just kind of a mold where the switch ought to have been (and was labeled).
The Tech 1 brand wireless optical mouse (P/N 26-3046408) I got from Dollarama for $4 a number of years ago also doesn't have a power switch but it works fine. I think it goes into low power mode if it's not used for a while or loses communication with the dongle. It's actually quite a nice mouse for what I paid and I like that it has a slot under the battery cover to store the dongle. -- Scott
On Thu, 15 Jan 2026 19:14:34 -0500 Scott Allen via Talk <talk@lists.gtalug.org> wrote:
On Thu, 15 Jan 2026 at 18:41, bitmap via Talk <talk@lists.gtalug.org> wrote:
Once I bought a wireless mouse from dollarama. Instead of a functional on/off switch the plastic was just kind of a mold where the switch ought to have been (and was labeled).
The Tech 1 brand wireless optical mouse (P/N 26-3046408) I got from Dollarama for $4 a number of years ago also doesn't have a power switch but it works fine. I think it goes into low power mode if it's not used for a while or loses communication with the dongle. It's actually quite a nice mouse for what I paid and I like that it has a slot under the battery cover to store the dongle.
The cases for most computer mice are injection moulded. You can build an injection moulding die that has inserts. InsertA gives you a station for a switch. InsertB does not. Injection moulding dies are very expensive. Reducing capital expenses is generally a good thing. -- Howard Gibson hgibson@eol.ca http://home.eol.ca/~hgibson
participants (5)
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bitmap -
Colin McGregor -
Howard Gibson -
Scott Allen -
William Park