The browser camera picks the wrong device, or won't start

Symptom

Either the browser camera won't turn on at all, or a scene's camera layer starts on a device that isn't the one the creator expects.

Cause

Won't start at all is almost always one of two hard requirements: the panel must be served over HTTPS, and the browser's camera permission must actually be granted — without both, the browser hands Stream nothing to work with.

Picks the wrong device happens because a camera choice is saved per browser (useBrowserCamera.ts), not per scene. Move to a different laptop, or unplug the saved webcam, and that exact device no longer exists on this machine. Stream falls back to whatever camera is available and shows an amber notice rather than silently failing — the saved choice is gone, not the camera layer itself.

How to check

• No picture at all → check the site is on HTTPS and that the browser's camera permission prompt was actually accepted, not dismissed.
• Wrong or unexpected camera → look for the amber "device not found" notice; the "forget device" control next to it (SceneCameraPanel.tsx) clears the stale saved choice and lets the browser pick again, or lets the creator choose the right one explicitly.
• Resolution looking soft on a weak connection is expected, not a bug — the browser camera adapts its own resolution to the connection automatically rather than tearing; the panel shows what actually arrived, not what was requested.
• If the picture disappears entirely mid-stream, check whether the browser tab was closed — the browser-camera publication ends the moment its tab does, unlike a phone app or OBS running independently. For a long show, prefer the phone or OBS as the source of record.

What's next

Key rotation and publishing conflicts — what happens when more than one source tries to publish, and what breaks if the stream key changes mid-show.