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Raspberry Pi / Beagle Board Black / or other SBC for Wifi camera project?

Former Member

I would like to have a couple of cameras in my house for security. The idea would be to have them on Wifi and streaming video through my internet access point. I live in the third world, so low power is helpful as I'll need them on a battery backup like this one

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Odyssey-Supplies-12000Mah-Portable-External/dp/B00CSIISOW/ref=sr_1_2?m=AJPHOXNXKG9WU&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1374911884&sr=1-2&keywords=Portable+Power

 

I would like to use the BBB, as it seems more capable. But it looks like the Pi, with readily available camera, is easier and cheaper to get running. The BBB has a camera module, but it is £61.26

 

http://uk.farnell.com/circuitco/bb-bone-cam3-01/board-beaglebone-camera-3-1mp-cape/dp/2144194?Ntt=BB-BONE-CAM3-01

 

This chap managed to get the BBB working with an inexpensive adafruit camera. This camera is interesting as it also has motion detection. Actually, that might swing me in this direction for home security.

 

http://bradsmc.blogspot.com/2013/05/adafruit-ttl-serial-jpeg-camera.html

 

Can you think of any issues I should be aware of when choosing a single board computer for this project, or have any recommendations?

 

 


  • 0

    Hi Peter,

     

    It depends on what you want; if you're happy with periodic JPEGs then the jpeg camera module is fine, otherwise the RPI camera will provide video. Although the jpeg camera has motion detection, it is possible to use the RPI to perform motion detection as indicated here, and save jpeg files when motion is detected. Commercial recorders will perform motion detect with video, e.g. capture video for 30 seconds when motion is detected (actually also prior, with a buffer). Maybe someone has implemented that on RPI, it would be worth investigating (personally I'd want a security camera implementation to have this feature for it to be worth considering usable as a security camera, but different people have different requirements).

     

    By "Internet access point", do you mean you want to stream across the Internet, or did you mean wireless access point (i.e. maybe just stream on your local network)?

    Note that for the former, when you come to configure it, you may want a low-res or low frame rate, depending on your Internet connectivity.

    Finally, the battery you suggest could be complicated to use as a backup, because it is not clear if it can be charged while also connected to the circuit as a standby for when the primary power fails. A more suitable battery may be a small lead-acid, trickle charged.

  • 0 in reply to shabaz

    , I would prefer to have the option of a stream of video. So that is another point in favor of the Pi for this particular project.

     

    Thanks for pointing out the potential problem of using the battery pack I linked while it was simultaneously charging. I will have to look into this. If they work it would be very handy since they are only 15 pounds each.

     

    After posting I found this element 14 thread on LiPo batteries working with Olimex SBCs. So I guess this is another possibility, given that their SBCs can charge these batteries. Then I'd need to think of a camera option for Olimex .

     

    http://www.element14.com/community/thread/25998

     

    In our local electronic markets you can buy battery packs which look like these from the Olimex range. Ours will be the cheapest type available, so I guess they would be lead acid. I could figure out how to make a trickle charger for them. But it will be easier for me to pick up whatever kind of charger/battery combination in the UK. I'm a bit of a bodger when it comes to soldering, although I have an excellent soldering iron here for other (non electronic) work.

     

    http://olimex.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/battery-lipo6600.jpg?w=487

     

    You point out that I can implement motion detection myself by comparing frames. Funnily enough I did this decades ago in my degree. That will be fun. As you say, the video may need to be converted to a lower resolution to be sent live over the internet. This is what I meant when i referred to an internet access point. Thank you for the reminder that bandwidth will be a consideration.

     

    , cost isn't so much an issue as fun. Since I posted, I found some cheap (32 pounds) IP cameras which incorporate wifi. Now I'm thinking of buying a couple of those for the job plus buying a Raspberry Pi, camera, Wifi for fun and development (with perhaps superior performance) and also another SBC [or a commercial box I could hack] for my media center (I just need audio out and the ability to stream audio from my local NAS).

     

    I will be setting aside some time to work on these projects and learn more about the hardware.