The ESP32-CAM is a small and affordable camera module with the ESP32 chip, which is capable of streaming video over Wi-Fi. In this blog post, we will explore how to set up video streaming with start and stop buttons using the ESP32-CAM.
Components Required:
- ESP32-CAM module
- FTDI programmer
- Breadboard and jumper wires
Setting Up the ESP32-CAM
The following shows the circuit schematic to connect ESP32-CAM module and FTDI to program the ESP32-CAM.
Hardware Connections:
- Connect the FTDI programmer to the ESP32-CAM as follows:
- FTDI GND to ESP32-CAM GND
- FTDI 3V3 to ESP32-CAM 3V3
- FTDI TX to ESP32-CAM U0R
- FTDI RX to ESP32-CAM U0T
- Connect GPIO 0 to GND to enable flash mode.
- Connect the FTDI programmer to the ESP32-CAM as follows:
Programming the ESP32-CAM:
- Open the Arduino IDE and install the ESP32 board definitions.
- Select the "AI Thinker ESP32-CAM" board.
- Load the example code for the video streaming web server.
Example Code for Video Streaming
Here is a sample code snippet to set up a video streaming web server with start and stop buttons:
#include "esp_camera.h"
#include <WiFi.h>
#include "esp_timer.h"
#include "img_converters.h"
#include "Arduino.h"
#include "fb_gfx.h"
#include "soc/soc.h" // disable brownout problems
#include "soc/rtc_cntl_reg.h" // disable brownout problems
#include "esp_http_server.h"
// Replace with your network credentials
const char* ssid = "REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_SSID";
const char* password = "REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_PASSWORD";
#define PART_BOUNDARY "123456789000000000000987654321"
#define CAMERA_MODEL_AI_THINKER
//#define CAMERA_MODEL_M5STACK_PSRAM
//#define CAMERA_MODEL_M5STACK_WITHOUT_PSRAM
//#define CAMERA_MODEL_M5STACK_PSRAM_B
//#define CAMERA_MODEL_WROVER_KIT
#if defined(CAMERA_MODEL_WROVER_KIT)
#define PWDN_GPIO_NUM -1
#define RESET_GPIO_NUM -1
#define XCLK_GPIO_NUM 21
#define SIOD_GPIO_NUM 26
#define SIOC_GPIO_NUM 27
#define Y9_GPIO_NUM 35
#define Y8_GPIO_NUM 34
#define Y7_GPIO_NUM 39
#define Y6_GPIO_NUM 36
#define Y5_GPIO_NUM 19
#define Y4_GPIO_NUM 18
#define Y3_GPIO_NUM 5
#define Y2_GPIO_NUM 4
#define VSYNC_GPIO_NUM 25
#define HREF_GPIO_NUM 23
#define PCLK_GPIO_NUM 22
#elif defined(CAMERA_MODEL_M5STACK_PSRAM)
#define PWDN_GPIO_NUM -1
#define RESET_GPIO_NUM 15
#define XCLK_GPIO_NUM 27
#define SIOD_GPIO_NUM 25
#define SIOC_GPIO_NUM 23
#define Y9_GPIO_NUM 19
#define Y8_GPIO_NUM 36
#define Y7_GPIO_NUM 18
#define Y6_GPIO_NUM 39
#define Y5_GPIO_NUM 5
#define Y4_GPIO_NUM 34
#define Y3_GPIO_NUM 35
#define Y2_GPIO_NUM 32
#define VSYNC_GPIO_NUM 22
#define HREF_GPIO_NUM 26
#define PCLK_GPIO_NUM 21
#elif defined(CAMERA_MODEL_M5STACK_WITHOUT_PSRAM)
#define PWDN_GPIO_NUM -1
#define RESET_GPIO_NUM 15
#define XCLK_GPIO_NUM 27
#define SIOD_GPIO_NUM 25
#define SIOC_GPIO_NUM 23
#define Y9_GPIO_NUM 19
#define Y8_GPIO_NUM 36
#define Y7_GPIO_NUM 18
#define Y6_GPIO_NUM 39
#define Y5_GPIO_NUM 5
#define Y4_GPIO_NUM 34
#define Y3_GPIO_NUM 35
#define Y2_GPIO_NUM 17
#define VSYNC_GPIO_NUM 22
#define HREF_GPIO_NUM 26
#define PCLK_GPIO_NUM 21
#elif defined(CAMERA_MODEL_AI_THINKER)
#define PWDN_GPIO_NUM 32
#define RESET_GPIO_NUM -1
#define XCLK_GPIO_NUM 0
#define SIOD_GPIO_NUM 26
#define SIOC_GPIO_NUM 27
#define Y9_GPIO_NUM 35
#define Y8_GPIO_NUM 34
#define Y7_GPIO_NUM 39
#define Y6_GPIO_NUM 36
#define Y5_GPIO_NUM 21
#define Y4_GPIO_NUM 19
#define Y3_GPIO_NUM 18
#define Y2_GPIO_NUM 5
#define VSYNC_GPIO_NUM 25
#define HREF_GPIO_NUM 23
#define PCLK_GPIO_NUM 22
#elif defined(CAMERA_MODEL_M5STACK_PSRAM_B)
#define PWDN_GPIO_NUM -1
#define RESET_GPIO_NUM 15
#define XCLK_GPIO_NUM 27
#define SIOD_GPIO_NUM 22
#define SIOC_GPIO_NUM 23
#define Y9_GPIO_NUM 19
#define Y8_GPIO_NUM 36
#define Y7_GPIO_NUM 18
#define Y6_GPIO_NUM 39
#define Y5_GPIO_NUM 5
#define Y4_GPIO_NUM 34
#define Y3_GPIO_NUM 35
#define Y2_GPIO_NUM 32
#define VSYNC_GPIO_NUM 25
#define HREF_GPIO_NUM 26
#define PCLK_GPIO_NUM 21
#else
#error "Camera model not selected"
#endif
static const char* _STREAM_CONTENT_TYPE = "multipart/x-mixed-replace;boundary=" PART_BOUNDARY;
static const char* _STREAM_BOUNDARY = "\r\n--" PART_BOUNDARY "\r\n";
static const char* _STREAM_PART = "Content-Type: image/jpeg\r\nContent-Length: %u\r\n\r\n";
httpd_handle_t camera_httpd = NULL;
httpd_handle_t stream_httpd = NULL;
static const char PROGMEM INDEX_HTML[] = R"rawliteral(
<html>
<head>
<title>ESP32-CAM Video Stream</title>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<style>
body { font-family: Arial; text-align: center; margin:0px auto; padding-top: 30px;}
table { margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; }
td { padding: 8 px; }
.button {
background-color: #2f4468;
border: none;
color: white;
padding: 20px 40px;
text-align: center;
text-decoration: none;
display: inline-block;
font-size: 20px;
margin: 6px 3px;
cursor: pointer;
-webkit-touch-callout: none;
-webkit-user-select: none;
-khtml-user-select: none;
-moz-user-select: none;
-ms-user-select: none;
user-select: none;
-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0,0,0,0);
}
img { width: auto ;
max-width: 100% ;
height: auto ;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>ESP32-CAM Video Stream</h1>
<img src="" id="photo" >
<div align="center">
<button class="button" onclick="startStream('start');">START</button>
<button class="button" onclick="startStream('stop');">STOP</button>
</div>
<script>
function startStream(x) {
if(x=='start'){
document.getElementById("photo").src = window.location.href.slice(0, -1) + ":81/stream";
}
else if(x=='stop'){
document.getElementById("photo").src = "";
}
}
window.onload = document.getElementById("photo").src = window.location.href.slice(0, -1) + ":81/stream";
</script>
</body>
</html>
)rawliteral";
static esp_err_t index_handler(httpd_req_t *req){
httpd_resp_set_type(req, "text/html");
return httpd_resp_send(req, (const char *)INDEX_HTML, strlen(INDEX_HTML));
}
static esp_err_t stream_handler(httpd_req_t *req){
camera_fb_t * fb = NULL;
esp_err_t res = ESP_OK;
size_t _jpg_buf_len = 0;
uint8_t * _jpg_buf = NULL;
char * part_buf[64];
res = httpd_resp_set_type(req, _STREAM_CONTENT_TYPE);
if(res != ESP_OK){
return res;
}
while(true){
fb = esp_camera_fb_get();
if (!fb) {
Serial.println("Camera capture failed");
res = ESP_FAIL;
} else {
if(fb->width > 400){
if(fb->format != PIXFORMAT_JPEG){
bool jpeg_converted = frame2jpg(fb, 80, &_jpg_buf, &_jpg_buf_len);
esp_camera_fb_return(fb);
fb = NULL;
if(!jpeg_converted){
Serial.println("JPEG compression failed");
res = ESP_FAIL;
}
} else {
_jpg_buf_len = fb->len;
_jpg_buf = fb->buf;
}
}
}
if(res == ESP_OK){
size_t hlen = snprintf((char *)part_buf, 64, _STREAM_PART, _jpg_buf_len);
res = httpd_resp_send_chunk(req, (const char *)part_buf, hlen);
}
if(res == ESP_OK){
res = httpd_resp_send_chunk(req, (const char *)_jpg_buf, _jpg_buf_len);
}
if(res == ESP_OK){
res = httpd_resp_send_chunk(req, _STREAM_BOUNDARY, strlen(_STREAM_BOUNDARY));
}
if(fb){
esp_camera_fb_return(fb);
fb = NULL;
_jpg_buf = NULL;
} else if(_jpg_buf){
free(_jpg_buf);
_jpg_buf = NULL;
}
if(res != ESP_OK){
break;
}
//Serial.printf("MJPG: %uB\n",(uint32_t)(_jpg_buf_len));
}
return res;
}
void startCameraServer(){
httpd_config_t config = HTTPD_DEFAULT_CONFIG();
config.server_port = 80;
httpd_uri_t index_uri = {
.uri = "/",
.method = HTTP_GET,
.handler = index_handler,
.user_ctx = NULL
};
httpd_uri_t stream_uri = {
.uri = "/stream",
.method = HTTP_GET,
.handler = stream_handler,
.user_ctx = NULL
};
if (httpd_start(&camera_httpd, &config) == ESP_OK) {
httpd_register_uri_handler(camera_httpd, &index_uri);
}
config.server_port += 1;
config.ctrl_port += 1;
if (httpd_start(&stream_httpd, &config) == ESP_OK) {
httpd_register_uri_handler(stream_httpd, &stream_uri);
}
}
void setup() {
WRITE_PERI_REG(RTC_CNTL_BROWN_OUT_REG, 0); //disable brownout detector
Serial.begin(115200);
Serial.setDebugOutput(false);
camera_config_t config;
config.ledc_channel = LEDC_CHANNEL_0;
config.ledc_timer = LEDC_TIMER_0;
config.pin_d0 = Y2_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_d1 = Y3_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_d2 = Y4_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_d3 = Y5_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_d4 = Y6_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_d5 = Y7_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_d6 = Y8_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_d7 = Y9_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_xclk = XCLK_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_pclk = PCLK_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_vsync = VSYNC_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_href = HREF_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_sscb_sda = SIOD_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_sscb_scl = SIOC_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_pwdn = PWDN_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_reset = RESET_GPIO_NUM;
config.xclk_freq_hz = 20000000;
config.pixel_format = PIXFORMAT_JPEG;
if(psramFound()){
config.frame_size = FRAMESIZE_VGA;
config.jpeg_quality = 10;
config.fb_count = 2;
} else {
config.frame_size = FRAMESIZE_SVGA;
config.jpeg_quality = 12;
config.fb_count = 1;
}
// Camera init
esp_err_t err = esp_camera_init(&config);
if (err != ESP_OK) {
Serial.printf("Camera init failed with error 0x%x", err);
return;
}
// Wi-Fi connection
WiFi.begin(ssid, password);
while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
delay(500);
Serial.print(".");
}
Serial.println("");
Serial.println("WiFi connected");
Serial.print("Camera Stream Ready! Go to: http://");
Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());
// Start streaming web server
startCameraServer();
}
void loop() {
}
As said earlier, this code sets up an ESP32-CAM module to act as a web server that streams video over Wi-Fi. Here’s a detailed explanation of the different parts of the code:
1. Includes and Network Credentials
#include "esp_camera.h"
#include <WiFi.h>
#include "esp_timer.h"
#include "img_converters.h"
#include "Arduino.h"
#include "fb_gfx.h"
#include "soc/soc.h"
#include "soc/rtc_cntl_reg.h"
#include "esp_http_server.h"
// Replace with your network credentials
const char* ssid = "REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_SSID";
const char* password = "REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_PASSWORD";
These lines include the necessary libraries for the camera, Wi-Fi, and HTTP server functionality. You need to replace the placeholders with your Wi-Fi network credentials.
2. Constants and Camera Model Configuration
#define PART_BOUNDARY "123456789000000000000987654321"
#define CAMERA_MODEL_AI_THINKER
//#define CAMERA_MODEL_M5STACK_PSRAM
//#define CAMERA_MODEL_M5STACK_WITHOUT_PSRAM
//#define CAMERA_MODEL_M5STACK_PSRAM_B
//#define CAMERA_MODEL_WROVER_KIT
These lines define a boundary for the multipart stream and specify the camera model in use. Uncomment the appropriate #define statement for your camera model.
3. Camera Pin Configuration
#if defined(CAMERA_MODEL_WROVER_KIT)
// Define pins for WROVER_KIT model
#elif defined(CAMERA_MODEL_M5STACK_PSRAM)
// Define pins for M5STACK_PSRAM model
#elif defined(CAMERA_MODEL_M5STACK_WITHOUT_PSRAM)
// Define pins for M5STACK_WITHOUT_PSRAM model
#elif defined(CAMERA_MODEL_AI_THINKER)
#define PWDN_GPIO_NUM 32
#define RESET_GPIO_NUM -1
#define XCLK_GPIO_NUM 0
#define SIOD_GPIO_NUM 26
#define SIOC_GPIO_NUM 27
#define Y9_GPIO_NUM 35
#define Y8_GPIO_NUM 34
#define Y7_GPIO_NUM 39
#define Y6_GPIO_NUM 36
#define Y5_GPIO_NUM 21
#define Y4_GPIO_NUM 19
#define Y3_GPIO_NUM 18
#define Y2_GPIO_NUM 5
#define VSYNC_GPIO_NUM 25
#define HREF_GPIO_NUM 23
#define PCLK_GPIO_NUM 22
#elif defined(CAMERA_MODEL_M5STACK_PSRAM_B)
// Define pins for M5STACK_PSRAM_B model
#else
#error "Camera model not selected"
#endif
These conditional preprocessor directives define the GPIO pins used for different camera models. For example, the AI_THINKER model has specific pins defined for power down, reset, and various camera signals.
4. Stream and Web Server Configuration
static const char* _STREAM_CONTENT_TYPE = "multipart/x-mixed-replace;boundary=" PART_BOUNDARY;
static const char* _STREAM_BOUNDARY = "\r\n--" PART_BOUNDARY "\r\n";
static const char* _STREAM_PART = "Content-Type: image/jpeg\r\nContent-Length: %u\r\n\r\n";
httpd_handle_t camera_httpd = NULL;
httpd_handle_t stream_httpd = NULL;
These lines define the content type and boundaries for the multipart JPEG stream and create handles for the HTTP servers.
5. HTML for Web Interface
static const char PROGMEM INDEX_HTML[] = R"rawliteral(
<html>
<head>
<title>ESP32-CAM Video Stream</title>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<style>
/* CSS styling */
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>ESP32-CAM Video Stream</h1>
<img src="" id="photo">
<div align="center">
<button class="button" onclick="startStream('start');">START</button>
<button class="button" onclick="startStream('stop');">STOP</button>
</div>
<script>
function startStream(x) {
if (x == 'start') {
document.getElementById("photo").src = window.location.href.slice(0, -1) + ":81/stream";
} else if (x == 'stop') {
document.getElementById("photo").src = "";
}
}
window.onload = document.getElementById("photo").src = window.location.href.slice(0, -1) + ":81/stream";
</script>
</body>
</html>
)rawliteral";
This part defines the HTML content for the web interface that will be served by the ESP32. It includes a simple HTML page with buttons to start and stop the video stream.
6. HTTP Handlers
static esp_err_t index_handler(httpd_req_t *req) {
httpd_resp_set_type(req, "text/html");
return httpd_resp_send(req, (const char *)INDEX_HTML, strlen(INDEX_HTML));
}
static esp_err_t stream_handler(httpd_req_t *req) {
// Handler for streaming the video feed
}
These functions handle HTTP requests. The index_handler sends the HTML page to the client, and the stream_handler manages the video stream.
7. Camera Server Setup
void startCameraServer() {
httpd_config_t config = HTTPD_DEFAULT_CONFIG();
config.server_port = 80;
httpd_uri_t index_uri = {
.uri = "/",
.method = HTTP_GET,
.handler = index_handler,
.user_ctx = NULL
};
httpd_uri_t stream_uri = {
.uri = "/stream",
.method = HTTP_GET,
.handler = stream_handler,
.user_ctx = NULL
};
if (httpd_start(&camera_httpd, &config) == ESP_OK) {
httpd_register_uri_handler(camera_httpd, &index_uri);
}
config.server_port += 1;
config.ctrl_port += 1;
if (httpd_start(&stream_httpd, &config) == ESP_OK) {
httpd_register_uri_handler(stream_httpd, &stream_uri);
}
}
This function initializes and starts the HTTP servers for the web interface and video stream.
8. Setup Function
void setup() {
WRITE_PERI_REG(RTC_CNTL_BROWN_OUT_REG, 0); // Disable brownout detector
Serial.begin(115200);
Serial.setDebugOutput(false);
camera_config_t config;
config.ledc_channel = LEDC_CHANNEL_0;
config.ledc_timer = LEDC_TIMER_0;
config.pin_d0 = Y2_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_d1 = Y3_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_d2 = Y4_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_d3 = Y5_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_d4 = Y6_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_d5 = Y7_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_d6 = Y8_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_d7 = Y9_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_xclk = XCLK_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_pclk = PCLK_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_vsync = VSYNC_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_href = HREF_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_sscb_sda = SIOD_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_sscb_scl = SIOC_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_pwdn = PWDN_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_reset = RESET_GPIO_NUM;
config.xclk_freq_hz = 20000000;
config.pixel_format = PIXFORMAT_JPEG;
if (psramFound()) {
config.frame_size = FRAMESIZE_VGA;
config.jpeg_quality = 10;
config.fb_count = 2;
} else {
config.frame_size = FRAMESIZE_SVGA;
config.jpeg_quality = 12;
config.fb_count = 1;
}
esp_err_t err = esp_camera_init(&config);
if (err != ESP_OK) {
Serial.printf("Camera init failed with error 0x%x", err);
return;
}
WiFi.begin(ssid, password);
while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
delay(500);
Serial.print(".");
}
Serial.println("");
Serial.println("WiFi connected");
Serial.print("Camera Stream Ready! Go to: http://");
Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());
startCameraServer();
}
This function initializes the serial communication, disables the brownout detector, sets up the camera, connects to the Wi-Fi network, and starts the camera server.
9. Loop Function
void loop() {
// Empty loop function
}
This is the main loop function, which is empty in this case because all functionality is handled by the HTTP server and camera.
Overall the program code sets up an ESP32-CAM module to capture images and stream them over a Wi-Fi connection using an embedded HTTP server. It provides a web interface with start and stop buttons to control the video stream. The camera's configuration and initialization, along with the HTTP server setup, are handled in the setup.
Getting the IP Address
Upload the Code:
- After uploading the code to your ESP32-CAM, disconnect GPIO 0 from GND.
Open Serial Monitor:
- Open the Serial Monitor in your Arduino IDE with a baud rate of 115200.
Reset the ESP32-CAM:
- Press the on-board Reset button on the ESP32-CAM.
Find the IP Address:
- The IP address of the ESP32-CAM should be printed in the Serial Monitor.
Accessing the Video Streaming Server
- Open a Browser:
- Use your web browser and enter the IP address of the ESP32-CAM.
- View the Video Stream:
- A page displaying the live video stream from the ESP32-CAM should load in your browser.
Summary
So in this blog post, we covered how to set up video streaming on the ESP32-CAM and add start and stop buttons to control the stream. By using the ESP32's built-in capabilities and a simple web server, you can easily create a live video streaming application.
Whats Next?
- If you like to know how to use NodeMCU(ESP8266) as WiFi Server then see NodeMCU(ESP8266) WiFi Server Setup.
- If you like to compare ESP32 ordinary board and ESP32-CAM board then see the blog post ESP32-CAM vs ESP-WROOM-32.
- If you want to convert your PC as a web server then see the tutorial how to host website from home.
Tags:
ESP32 CAM
