Update Raspberry Pi Zero + Video Port
One part of my home sensor network project is to add semi-autonomous camera’s to the network, my initial plans were to have the central RPi hub to manage all captured streams and keep the camera modules as simple and light as possible. I’ve been using Zoneminder on the hub, with a bit of trickery to get going fully. But the camera modules have been through more than a few revisions.
The goal was to run camera movement and data through a Arduino Nano or even the Teensy with a high capacity RF module. This approach as intended to keep both physical and financial footprints small. But when the Pi Zero was annouced I thought my headaches were solved. In fact they were, although the real trick has been getting my hands on the number of Zero’s I’d like to play with. This also allows me to increase the network security and add better levels of encryption and use a proper PKIÂ environment reducing complications to the VPN.
So now with deconstructed USB Webcams in place it’s a much simpler process and it now includes local caching capabilities. But before I’ve had a chance to complete this the Raspberry Pi team have gone and made it even easier. The latest set of Pi Zero’s have a video port neatly added so I can now minise the physical and financial footprint further with an RPi Camera module and even add the NoIR option.
Update Raspberry Pi Zero + Video Port
The Raspberry Pi blog post on adding the video port to the Zero.
There’s a queue Russia would be proud of for the Zero and like a bread line there’s only one per comrade, when stocks are in, get them here.
The guys at Pimoroni have a short article on building a Zero CCTV module, it’s very discreet! :p