User Guide

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8 – Building an IP Camera
IP cameras are a type of camera that you do not need to connect
to a computer in order to view the videos and images that they
record. Instead, they connect to your local network router and
make the output available over Internet protocols (IP). This
allows the videos and images to be viewed across the Internet.
Because the Raspberry Pi is small, and has good Internet
connectivity, it is well-suited for building this type of camera. In
this chapter, you will see how to connect a Pi camera module to
the Pi and configure Raspbian.
You need:
1. A Raspberry Pi (any model) running Raspbian.
2. An Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection setup on the Pi.
3. A Raspberry Pi Camera Module.
4. Administrator access to your network router (to
make the video accessible over the Internet).
8.1 The Pi Camera Module
The Raspberry Pi camera module is a small, high-definition video
camera that connects to the Raspberry Pi using the camera serial
interface (CSI) connector.
It has a fixed-focus, 5-megapixel sensor, capable of taking still
images in resolutions up to 2592 pixels wide and 1944 pixels tall,
and video in resolutions up to high-definition 1080p at 30 frames
per second.
Connecting the Camera
The camera module uses a long, flexible cable, and this is useful
when you need to fit the camera and the Pi into a case. However,
this type of cable can be damaged easily. Do not bend or twist
the cable excessively, and do not use it as a weight-bearing
support.