Build your own webcam with a Pi Zero 2W and a Cam Module 3
Enjoying the View
© Lead Image © Alexandar Sidorov, 123RF.com
Combine a Raspberry Pi Zero and the new Raspberry Pi Cam 3 to create your own cost-effective, energy-saving webcam.
Cameras are everywhere these days, including in many technical devices. Often networked as IP cameras, they can be found in home intercom or room surveillance systems. Some webcams show you views of faraway places that you might want to visit on vacation. But what if you want to publish live images that provide information about your home location and register your weather camera on public sites?
This is exactly how my project came about: a webcam based on a Raspberry Pi that is just as simple as it is reliable and also consumes little power. The idea was for the device (Figure 1) not to take up too much space so that it can be attached to a window frame behind the pane.
The Raspberry Pi Zero 2W in combination with the new Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 was just what the doctor ordered. The whole setup is controlled by a Python script. The do-it-yourself cam is within range of the home WLAN and only requires a power supply. The bottom line is that the complete webcam cost just EUR50 (~$54).
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
CachyOS Now Lets Users Choose Their Shell
Imagine getting the opportunity to select which shell you want during the installation of your favorite Linux distribution. That's now a thing.
-
Wayland 1.24 Released with Fixes and New Features
Wayland continues to move forward, while X11 slowly vanishes into the shadows, and the latest release includes plenty of improvements.
-
Bugs Found in sudo
Two critical flaws allow users to gain access to root privileges.
-
Fedora Continues 32-Bit Support
In a move that should come as a relief to some portions of the Linux community, Fedora will continue supporting 32-bit architecture.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 Drops bcachefs
After a clash over some late fixes and disagreements between bcachefs's lead developer and Linus Torvalds, bachefs is out.
-
ONLYOFFICE v9 Embraces AI
Like nearly all office suites on the market (except LibreOffice), ONLYOFFICE has decided to go the AI route.
-
Two Local Privilege Escalation Flaws Discovered in Linux
Qualys researchers have discovered two local privilege escalation vulnerabilities that allow hackers to gain root privileges on major Linux distributions.
-
New TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300
The TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 offers serious power that is ready for your business, development, or entertainment needs.
-
LibreOffice Tested as Possible Office 365 Alternative
Another major organization has decided to test the possibility of migrating from Microsoft's Office 365 to LibreOffice.
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.