Raspberry Pi Zero W Surveillance Camera

Wireless surveillance camera created using motionEyeOS, a Raspberry Pi Zero W, and a Zero Cam camera – all powered via a USB power bank!

Links to items used in this video are as follows (note that none of these are affiliate links, and that I have no association with any of the retailers).


ZeroCam Camera for Raspberry Pi Zero at The Pi Hut (UK):

More videos on SBCs, and broader computing topics, can be found at:

#RaspberryPi #PiZero #MotionEyeOS #ExplainingComputers

[resrussia]

Great introduction to using the Raspberry Pi Zero W as a security camera using a camera design for Raspberry Pi Zero W. Your instruction are, as always, clear and well structured. Keep up the good work and I am looking forward to your video on the Raspberry Pi 8 GB version.

[nutsnproud]

I did something similar with a cheap USB webcam and a Pi 3B+ to prove to my neighbour it was not our cat tearing up her garden.

[oldbloke]

I find your videos very relaxing. I feel like I learn things without actually having to make any effort. I'm not struggling to hear over a thrash soundtrack or spinning my head around to keep track of an epileptic mouse pointer. If only all videos were like this!

[mrMirzam]

Clear and concise. Full focus on the subject. No distteactions. Thank you for a quality video!

[benh]

Ring ring, "Hello is your fridge running?" - "Let me check my Raspberry pi cam... No it's resting quite comfortably thank you!"

[bardenegri]

Having used this exact setup for a while here are my thoughts: it does the job, it's quite usable if you just want pictures when motion is detected. If you want videos forget about it. If you're going to employ more than one of these a good solution is to have a full pi running as an NVR and the Pi zeros just running an rtsp or mjpeg streaming server with nothing else. Even so, you'll get better performance if you use Shinobi instread of motioneye for more than 2 cameras since motioneye recodes the video and shinobi can just copy it. Both have motion detect, recording etc. The pi zero is barely enough for the setup presented, you'll get broken videos, low fps etc.

[jeyendeoso]

15:45 Cereal killer caught on surveillance tape, 2020 colorized

[Mike-tvrk]

Just successfully built a ryzen3 gaming computer for my daughter using your videos with virtually no prior knowledge of how to do it . Absolutely no problems at all. Thank you so much for being clear and slow with your instructions unlike all the other coffee fuelled wiz kids that waste so much of the ley persons time on youtube. I watch many of your vids for just that reason. I think you help many people to understand this stuff. We do have brains just not those of the intolerant Mensa heroes that clog the airwaves. You have my full support. 👍🏼✌🏻

[IanHodgetts]

One neat feature of MotionEyeOS is that you can set a camera to be a "Simple MPEG" camera which will purely stream to another computer that can do the motion detection. That way the PiZero doesn't have the CPU overhead of running the motion daemon (and thus improve the framerate). Look for the "fast network camera" option in expert settings. I've been using this for years, expanding my coverage as I go. I'm currently running a combination of 3x ZeroW and a 3A+ as cameras but with a Pi4 (2GB) running MotionEyeOS as a central "controller" (doing the motion detection). I'm still juggling Pis and configurations to get better framerates but it's all good fun!

[FintanMoloney]

Always look forward to these videos every Sunday. As a person who has worked in I.T. for 22 years I often find something new to learn here. Thanks again.

[danbennett]

So far, I've watched about 36 minutes of video, and now I know exactly how to build a wireless surveillance camera and a network attached storage device around a Raspberry Pi. Amazing tutorials.

[BladeDoomer]

Your humour is quite witty, and entertaining. Lovely video, simple and informative.

[gordo]

We've 8 cameras based on Pi-Zero-W's around the house, all set up as simple-MPEG-streaming cameras (so no in-camera recording) and a Core-i5 based headless NUC running MotionEYE on Linux Mint as a server, which does all the motion detecting, storage, data management etc. automatically. It's been running now for almost 3 years and hasn't missed a beat, is extensively configurable, can be accessed remotely via a single open port on our router and is completely self-contained - ie. doesn't need a phone app or login to some Chinese server to operate or configure. Also, since the cameras use standard RTSP streams, we can watch a single camera from an iPad using any webcam app if we want to watch for, say, the mail-man or visitors in our driveway in real-time - without involving the server... All in all, a very slick system..

[IMRANKHAN-weun]

Proud to be your subscriber. Greetings from INDIA. I wait your every post and never to miss them.Your tutorials are unique and I have been learn a lot of them. I am lucky to purchased RPI ZERO-W in here INDIA because it's hard to find it usually. The camera you used is out off stock before lockdown in country. It's the worst situations in the world due to COVID-19 . May God blessed and relieve the whole humanity ASAP !!! AAMEEN!!

[_zelatrix]

Setting up a camera pointing at your fridge is a great way to catch a cereal killer.

[bfapple]

Super excited for the Pirate Headphone Amp, Chris. I’ve had that project on my “todo list” for years, your video might give me the kick I need to get it done!

[joegarza]

The only channel I disable my Adblock for. Amazing content!

[AtlantaTerry]

Christopher, some things I would like you to cover:
* insert text into the video stream such as time, date, camera number, etc.
* alert us that the motion detection has "seen" something happen via a Google smart speaker or popping up a message on one or more of our television sets
* show the motion activated video on our television sets

The reason I am interested in these capabilities is that I have an 84 year old widow friend who is often bed ridden and can't see what is happening outside her house or at her front door. If something happens outside her house while she is watching TV, she would be immediately notified and could see what the camera caught.
Thank you.

[HKey_Root]

I can't keep up with these projects. Interesting and marvellous as ever. Thank you.

[maxeb]

Very cool! Loved the storm trooper on the frig. its about time he had some backup, now he can take a much needed break. Loved the vid, Thank You.