Pi Help

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T_Minus

Build. Break. Fix. Repeat
Feb 15, 2015
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I have some game cameras but I'm tired of wasting $$ on batteries, and having to unload SD cards.

I'd really like to add a couple 100% wireless pi's with wifi - solar power - mini-battery - camera, and set them up to do motion snapshots, and transmit/store on my network available storage. If you read the "chat" area you'll see we recently got some chickens and we've been visited more frequently by other animals, and I'd like to more closely monitor them, and just get better pictures of the wild life as it comes and goes.

Anyone ever done this? Have a guide/suggestions?

Any and all feedback is welcome.

I've never built a pi before :) so I need to know which model I should try, which container, lens/camera, etc... as low power as possible.
 

pricklypunter

Well-Known Member
Nov 10, 2015
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Canada
Go with a Pi 3 and the Pi Camera module, slots right into the flex connector on the board and support is already built in to the OS (Raspbian) for it. Also it has Wireless N which has, so far at least, been faultless for me. There are a gazillion enclosures on fleabay, but the cheapest clip together plastic one is all you'll need to get you up and playing with it pretty much risk free, you can stick it in an IP rated box later when you get to actually mounting it somewhere :)
 
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ttabbal

Active Member
Mar 10, 2016
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I agree with pricklypunter. The pi3 with the camera module is super easy to set up and includes wifi. You write an SD card with the OS image, there are various utilities for it, "dd" works on Unix/OSX. I use a pi2 with wired networking like this for my 3D printer.

I think the camera is available without the IR filter, so if you have any IR illumination you should have a decent night capable setup as well.