We have introduced many Raspberry Pi solutions for video surveillance and photography using cameras. Most of these solutions are based on the camera module operation tools raspistill and raspivid that come with Raspbian, or require the installation of software like motion, avconv, or GStreamer for photography and video recording. So, is there a dedicated camera system software for Raspberry Pi? Of course, there is, let’s learn about motionEyeOS~
Hardware and Software List
motionEyeOS Raspberry Pi ZERO W Camera Module (day or night vision) suitable for Raspberry Pi ZERO Camera Flex Cable microSD Card Power Adapter
If performance is a concern, you can also use Raspberry Pi 3B+. We plan to use Raspberry Pi ZERO W because it is small in size and integrates a wireless network card, making it easy to place anywhere. Here, I highly recommend using the Raspberry Pi ZERO W camera kit, which includes a 3D printed shell that combines the Raspberry Pi motherboard and infrared night vision camera.
Installing motionEyeOS
Like installing other Raspberry Pi systems, first download the motionEyeOS system image file. https://github.com/ccrisan/motioneyeos/releases
If you are using Raspberry Pi ZERO, select motioneyeos-raspberrypi-xxx.img.xz here; if you are using Raspberry Pi 2B or 3B, download motioneyeos-raspberrypi2-xxx.img.xz or motioneyeos-raspberrypi3-xxx.img.xz respectively.
xz is a compressed format, you need to use a decompression tool (7-zip can be used on Windows) to extract the img file, and then flash the img file to the microSD card. Refer to the steps for flashing the Raspberry Pi system to the SD card.
Configuring Wireless Network
This section discusses configuring the wireless network; if you are using a wired network with the Raspberry Pi, you can skip this step. Refer to this tutorial: Configuring Raspberry Pi WiFi and SSH without a screen and keyboard
Please note this step, if you misconfigure it, it may cause the Raspberry Pi to fail to boot, and you will need to flash the system again to try again.
Assembling Raspberry Pi and Camera
Insert the SD card into the Raspberry Pi, connect the Raspberry Pi and camera with the flex cable, and finally power on the Raspberry Pi.
First Boot of the System
If no monitor is connected, it is recommended to wait a little longer during the first boot, as the system needs a few minutes to complete partition configuration, camera detection, and other processes. Check that the router connected to the Raspberry Pi has DHCP enabled; if all goes well, you can find the Raspberry Pi’s IP address in the router management page (you can also try using tools to find the Raspberry Pi’s IP address).
Enter the Raspberry Pi’s IP address in the browser’s address bar to access the motionEyeOS web interface. If you’re lucky, you should see the camera content:
motionEyeOS has powerful features; after logging in by clicking the “person” icon on the upper interface, you can make some advanced configurations.
Basic Configuration
In the general settings, you can modify the admin password and monitoring password.
Click the “Apply” button to save the settings.
In the general settings, you can enable advanced settings, which will show more options, making it look much more professional, right? Here you can set the time zone, hostname, and shutdown or restart the camera.
More Configurations
The following images show all the configurable options in motionEyeOS.
> Video Device
This is used to set the resolution, frame rate, and other video quality parameters for monitoring video transmission. If you want to rotate the image, you can also set it here.
Camera Name = “Garden”
Video Resolution = 1600×1200
Frame Rate = 2
> Video Streaming
These settings allow you to adjust the parameters related to the video stream transmitted to the browser based on network conditions.
Streaming Frame Rate = 1
Streaming Image Resizing = ON
Streaming Resolution = 50%
Motion Optimization = ON
> Still Images
Here you can set how long to keep the photos.
Preserve Pictures “For One Month”
> Movies
Set the format for saving videos and how long to keep the videos.
Movie Format = H.264 (.mp4)
Preserve Movies “For One Week”
> Motion Detection
You can set motion detection so that the camera only works after detecting changes in the image, stopping automatically after a while, until it detects changes in the image again. This can save a lot of resources. The following parameters are used to adjust the triggering conditions:
Frame Change Threshold = 10%
Light Switch Detection = 75%
Motion Gap = 20
Captured Before = 5
Captured After = 5
Minimum Motion Frames = 10
Show Frame Changes = ON
Viewing Saved Photos and Videos
During the camera’s operation, click the icon in the upper right corner to access the list of saved photos and videos.
Related Information
More information about motionEyeOS and the Raspberry Pi Zero camera kit:
motionEyeOS gitHub
motionEyeOS gitHub Wiki
motionEyeOS Installation
motionEyeOS gitHub Wiki
motionEyeOS FAQ
Raspberry Pi Zero Camera Kit
Links in the text can be clicked to read the original text at the end
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