Info: if you just bought your camera or don’t remember how to install it, I recommend following this camera installation guide first, and come back here later. Show
I answer your questions - Raspberry... Please enable JavaScript I answer your questions - Raspberry Pi FAQ1. Use it as an IP cameraThe first thing you’ll probably try with a camera is a dumb IP camera. An IP camera is the technical term for a camera stream you can watch from your web browser (computer or smartphone). You probably know famous webcam spots over the world, where you can watch a city place or a beautiful landscape (if not, check the Times Square live cam). To do this, there is a free package called “motion” available in apt. 2. Create a timelapseDon’t know what a timelapse is? Here is an example of what it looks like: Download the Pi Glossary! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFtBV1r86ccVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Timelapse Paris 2017 Sunset (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFtBV1r86cc) You’ll probably not get this result with a basic camera module 🙂 On Raspberry Pi, it’s simple to create one. If you experience any issue with the camera installation, or for any reason it doesn’t work as expected, please check this troubleshooting guide for the Raspberry Pi camera module. 3. Add a movement detectorThe next idea is to use a movement detector sensor, or even a software, to record the live stream only when something happens. This is a simple improvement to the first idea : IP Camera. I already tried it with my Raspberry Pi, but it was tough to find the perfect configuration. You can try Motion to get a first version of your motion detector camera. 4. Build a photo booth in MinecraftA Raspberry Pi and a camera also allow you to build fun projects . As you may know, on Raspberry Pi you can interact with the Minecraft game in Python. You can check the step-by-step guide from the Raspberry Pi website here. 5. Use it as a security cameraYes, here is a new step in your IP camera solution. Home security is an increasingly important market. Once you have the motion software configured with motion detector, you can configure something else: enable notifications. And the last thing you can do to protect your home, is to install multiple Raspberry Pi with cameras, and monitor all of them from your computer or smartphone. If you manage your home security yourself, don’t forget to double-check everything and monitor systems regularly (a powered off Raspberry Pi or a full SD card can make it all useless :/ ). Download the Pi Glossary! 6. Build a doorbell cameraThis one is a mix between fun and useful. Personally, I never receive unexpected visits. (source: Hackster.io) The goal here is to replace the door peephole by your Raspberry Pi camera. Some projects even go further, by using Alexa to do start a facial recognition of the person at your door 🙂 7. Install an outdoor camera (solar-powered)As you know, the Raspberry Pi consumes very little, and it is possible to power it via batteries. It’s also possible to directly connect it to a solar panel, they are not so expensive anymore (check this one on Pi-Supply, 100% compatible with Raspberry Pi). Our camera can become autonomous outdoor. It is a project that can be interesting if you live in the countryside and want to observe the animals that run near your house 🙂 8. Film underwaterNothing technical here, but you’ll need to be smart enough to find a way to build an underwater camera. Scientists have well understood the Raspberry Pi advantage for that kind of project. 9. Build your own PolaroidDo you remember the Polaroid of your childhood? It’s possible to build a similar device with a Raspberry Pi (any model) and a thermal printer (this one on Amazon for example). You don’t need so many things to build your own, and you’ll find a step-by-step guide in this Adafruit tutorial. Yes, it’s white and black and low quality, but it’s fun enough to try it 🙂 10. Create movies with a droneDrones and especially drone movies are very popular now, but the hardware is expensive (over $600 for good products). Instructables has a good tutorial with a low-cost solution (about $100 if you already have a Raspberry Pi and a camera). I didn’t test it yet, but it doesn’t look so complicated for a decent result. 11. Build a real photo boothAfter the Minecraft photo booth and the portable version with the Polaroid idea, let’s finish this inspiration list with a true photo booth stand. The Raspberry Pi photo booth (source; RaspberryPi.org) The Raspberry Pi official website has a 20 pages detailed project to show you exactly how to build this and program it with Python. You will be the king with this device in a birthday or a wedding party 🙂 Get My Commands Cheat Sheet! If you are looking for exclusive tutorials, I post a new course each month, available for premium members only. Join the community to get access to all of them right now! |