Pi Smart Camera

The Pi Smart Cam is an open-source DIY Camera designed for you to view live footage from your phone or any device. The following features

Features:

• PIR Sensor – For Motion Detection even in the Dark
• Message Notification – Receive an email on the latest Motion Detected
• Web Application - Camera App Client

Requirements:

• This project builds on top of the Pi Camera Stream Flask Repo. It's highly recommended to install and setup the following dependencies.

Preconditions

• Raspberry Pi 4, 4GB+ is recommended for optimal performance. However you can use a Pi 3 or older, you may see a increase in latency.
• Raspberry Pi 4 Camera Module or Pi HQ Camera Module (Newer version) - USB Camera also Supported
• Python 3 recommended.

Pi Smart Cam

Pi Setup	Pi - Live Stream

Livestream Front Door

Step 1 - Setup Pi Camera Stream

Run Camera with PIR Sensor: python3 ~/pi-smart-cam/code/examples/pi-camera-stream-pir-sensor/main.py

These Examples provide the building blocks to Build your own Pi Camera (Contribute to the Repo to build more examples!)

• pi-camera-stream-pir-sensor - Pi Camera Stream with PIR Sensor (and email notification)
• video-usb-enabled - Pi Camera Stream, additional USB enabled Camera Support

Step 2 – PIR Wiring & Electronics

Part List:

• Pi Electronics:

  • Raspberry Pi 4
  • Camera Module (HQ Pi Camera)

• Arduino Electronics: Ring Bell and IR Sensor

  • PIR Sensor (HC-SR501)
  • Breadboard
  • Jumper Wires
  • Resistors: 330 Ohm
  • Arduino Nano
  • LED
  • 220F Capacitor

Step 3 - 3D Prints Assembly (Opional)

.stl files for 3d Printing. Contribute your 3D Builds to the Repo.

Step 4 – Activate Email Notification (Optional)

pi_email = "<from-email>"
pi_app_password = "<app-password>"
pi_port = 465
pi_host = "smtp.gmail.com"
notification_recipient = "<to-email>"

Note: If you use want to send email notifications via Gmail, enable 2FA and use App Passwords instead of storing the password as plain text. Consider using environment variables.

Step 5 – Autostart your Pi Stream

Optional: A good idea is to make the the camera stream auto start at boot-up of your pi. You will now not need to re-run the script every time you want to create the stream. You can do this by going editing the /etc/profile to:

sudo nano /etc/profile

Go the end of the and add the following (from above):

python3 ~/pi-smart-cam/code/examples/pi-camera-stream-pir-sensor/main.py 

Configure your Pi to Boot in CLI (Run Pi Camera Stream on Boot-Up)

sudo raspi-config

System Options -> Boot/ Auto Login -> Console AutoLogin -> Reboot

This would cause the following terminal command to auto-start each time the Raspberry Pi boots up. This in effect creates a headless setup - which would be accessed via SSH. Note: make sure SSH is enabled.