The ESP32-CAM board is a $7 device that combines an ESP32-S chip and an OV2640 camera. It allows you to set up a video streaming web server, build a surveillance camera to integrate with your home automation system, do face recognition and detection, and much more.
Besides the OV2640 camera and several GPIOs to connect peripherals, the ESP32-CAM also features a microSD card slot that can be useful to store images taken with the camera or to store files to serve to clients.
Where to Buy ESP32-CAM
You can get the ESP32-CAM with OV2640 camera in different stores for approximately $7 (or grab ESP32-CAM with an external antenna).
Note: to upload code to the ESP32-CAM board, you need an FTDI programmer, so you might consider getting one when you buy your board. Or you can get the best ESP32-CAM-MB Micro USB Programmer – CH340G Serial Chip.
ESP32-CAM Getting Started Guide
For a quick introduction to the ESP32-CAM, you can watch the video below or read our full getting started guide: ESP32-CAM Video Streaming and Face Recognition with Arduino IDE. This guide shows you how to quickly set up a video streaming with face recognition and detection in less than 5 minutes.
ESP32-CAM Surveillance Camera
The following video shows how to build a simple video streaming web server with the ESP32-CAM and how to integrate it with Home Assistant. For the written instructions, you can read our tutorial: ESP32-CAM Video Streaming Web Server (works with Home Assistant).
ESP32-CAM Take Photo and Save to MicroSD Card
Learn how to take photos with the ESP32-CAM and save them in the microSD card by watching the following video tutorial. You can read our project page or the written instructions and code: ESP32-CAM Take Photo and Save to MicroSD Card.
ESP32-CAM PIR Motion Detector with Photo Capture
In this project, we’ve built a motion sensor detector with photo capture using an ESP32-CAM. When your PIR sensor detects motion, it wakes up, takes a photo, and saves it in the microSD card. Read project page: ESP32-CAM PIR Motion Detector with Photo Capture.
ESP32-CAM Take Photo and Display in Web Server
Learn how to build a web server with the ESP32-CAM board that allows you to send a command to take a photo and visualize the latest captured photo in your browser saved in SPIFFS. We also added the option to rotate the image if necessary. Read project page: ESP32-CAM Take Photo and Display in Web Server.
ESP32-CAM Specifications and Features
Here is a list with the ESP32-CAM features:
- 10 GPIOs exposed
- The smallest 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi BT SoC Module (extend Wi-Fi coverage)
- Low power 32-bit CPU, can also serve the application processor
- Up to 160MHz clock speed, summary computing power up to 600 DMIPS
- Built-in 520 KB SRAM, external 4MPSRAM
- Supports UART/SPI/I2C/PWM/ADC/DAC
- Support OV2640 and OV7670 cameras (change camera settings)
- Built-in flashlight
- Support image WiFI upload
- Support TF card
- Supports multiple sleep modes
- Embedded Lwip and FreeRTOS
- Supports STA/AP/STA+AP operation mode
- Support Smart Config/AirKiss technology
- Support for serial port local and remote firmware upgrades (FOTA)
Wrapping Up
This is quick overview of the ESP32-CAM main features. For a dedicated getting started guide and tutorials, read the following articles:
- Video streaming, face detection and recognition
- ESP32-CAM Video Streaming Web Server (Home Assistant, Node-RED)
- ESP32-CAM Take Photo and Save to MicroSD Card
- ESP32-CAM PIR Motion Detector with Photo Capture
- ESP32-CAM Take Photo and Display in Web Server
- ESP32-CAM AI-Thinker Pinout Guide: GPIOs Usage Explained
- Build ESP32-CAM Projects (eBook)
- Read all our ESP32-CAM Projects, Tutorials and Guides
You may also like reading:
- ESP-EYE: New ESP32-based board for AI
- TTGO T-Camera Plus ESP32 Development Board – Review
- ESP32 vs ESP8266 – Pros and Cons
- Best ESP8266 Wi-Fi Development Board
- ESP32 Development Boards Review and Comparison
Thanks for reading.
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