Community project
ESP32-CAM Live Security Stream
This project turns an ESP32-CAM module into a password-protected live security camera that streams video over WiFi. The camera connects to a local network and serves a web interface where authorized users can view the live feed in real time.
The guide provides a complete parts list, wiring diagram, and ready-to-flash firmware with HTTP Basic authentication built in. Assembly takes just a few minutes: seat the camera module, supply stable 5V power, flash the code via USB-to-serial adapter, and open the protected stream in a web browser.
Wiring diagram
Interactive · read-onlyPan and zoom to explore the wiring. Remix the project to edit it in your own workspace.
Assembly
4 stepsInspect and seat the camera
With power disconnected, make sure the OV2640 camera ribbon is fully inserted in the ESP32-CAM connector and the connector latch is closed. The camera is built into this board design, so no camera signal wires are required.
- Tip: Avoid touching the camera lens; remove any protective film before use.
- ⚠ Do not force the ribbon cable or connect/disconnect it while powered.
Connect a stable 5 V supply
Power the ESP32-CAM from its 5V pin and GND using a regulated supply capable of at least 500 mA. A short USB lead from a suitable USB-to-serial adapter can supply it during programming if that adapter provides a stable 5 V output.
- Tip: Brownouts, random resets, or corrupted video usually indicate an inadequate 5 V supply.
- ⚠ Use the 5V pin for normal operation; the ESP32-CAM GPIO pins are 3.3 V logic and must not receive 5 V signals.
Connect the USB-to-serial adapter for flashing
For deployment, connect adapter GND to ESP32-CAM GND, adapter TX to ESP32-CAM U0R (GPIO3), and adapter RX to ESP32-CAM U0T (GPIO1). Connect GPIO0 to GND only while entering flash mode, then reset or power-cycle the board. Use Schematik's Deploy button to compile and flash the project.
- Tip: After Deploy finishes, remove the GPIO0-to-GND link and reset or power-cycle the ESP32-CAM to start the camera application.
- ⚠ Ensure the USB-to-serial adapter uses 3.3 V TX/RX logic. Do not connect a 5 V serial TX signal to GPIO3.
Open the protected live stream
After rebooting in normal mode, open the serial output to find the printed local address in the form http://192.168.x.x. Open that address from a phone or computer on the same Wi-Fi network, then sign in with user name camera and password Stream-CAM-2026.
- Tip: The ESP32-CAM joins only a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network; a phone may use 5 GHz as long as both devices are on the same local network.
- ⚠ This is local-network streaming only. Do not expose the camera directly to the internet without a proper secure remote-access solution.
Firmware
ESP32#include <Arduino.h>
#include <WiFi.h>
#include "esp_camera.h"
#include "esp_http_server.h"
#include "esp_timer.h"
#include "img_converters.h"
// Wi-Fi network supplied for this project.
// Forward declarations
static bool isAuthorized(httpd_req_t *req);
static esp_err_t requireAuthorization(httpd_req_t *req);
static esp_err_t indexHandler(httpd_req_t *req);
static esp_err_t streamHandler(httpd_req_t *req);
static void startWebServer();
static bool startCamera();
static const char *WIFI_SSID = "Htan Yeit Nyo";
static const char *WIFI_PASSWORD = "aeiouzaw";
// Stream-page login. Change these before sharing the camera outside your home.
static const char *CAMERA_USER = "camera";
static const char *CAMERA_PASSWORD = "Stream-CAM-2026";
// Base64 text for "camera:Stream-CAM-2026" used by HTTP Basic authentication.
static const char *AUTH_HEADER = "Basic Y2FtZXJhOlN0cmVhbS1DQU0tMjAyNg==";
// AI Thinker ESP32-CAM: fixed, PCB-wired OV2640 camera pins.
#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
static httpd_handle_t server = nullptr;
static bool isAuthorized(httpd_req_t *req) {
char authorization[96] = {0};
const size_t length = httpd_req_get_hdr_value_len(req, "Authorization");
if (length == 0 || length >= sizeof(authorization)) return false;
if (httpd_req_get_hdr_value_str(req, "Authorization", authorization, sizeof(authorization)) != ESP_OK) return false;
return strcmp(authorization, AUTH_HEADER) == 0;
}
static esp_err_t requireAuthorization(httpd_req_t *req) {
if (isAuthorized(req)) return ESP_OK;
httpd_resp_set_status(req, "401 Unauthorized");
httpd_resp_set_hdr(req, "WWW-Authenticate", "Basic realm=\"ESP32-CAM\"");
return httpd_resp_send(req, "Login required", HTTPD_RESP_USE_STRLEN);
}
static esp_err_t indexHandler(httpd_req_t *req) {
if (!isAuthorized(req)) return requireAuthorization(req);
const char page[] PROGMEM = R"HTML(<!doctype html><html><head><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1"><title>ESP32-CAM Live View</title><style>body{margin:0;background:#111;color:#eee;font-family:Arial;text-align:center}header{padding:14px}img{width:100%;max-width:800px;height:auto;border-radius:4px}small{color:#aaa}</style></head><body><header><b>ESP32-CAM Live View</b><br><small>Local network stream</small></header><img src="/stream" alt="Camera stream"></body></html>)HTML";
httpd_resp_set_type(req, "text/html");
return httpd_resp_send(req, page, HTTPD_RESP_USE_STRLEN);
}
static esp_err_t streamHandler(httpd_req_t *req) {
if (!isAuthorized(req)) return requireAuthorization(req);
static const char *CONTENT_TYPE = "multipart/x-mixed-replace;boundary=frame";
static const char *BOUNDARY = "\r\n--frame\r\n";
static const char *PART_HEADER = "Content-Type: image/jpeg\r\nContent-Length: %u\r\n\r\n";
char header[80];
httpd_resp_set_type(req, CONTENT_TYPE);
httpd_resp_set_hdr(req, "Access-Control-Allow-Origin", "");
while (true) {
camera_fb_t *fb = esp_camera_fb_get();
if (!fb) return ESP_FAIL;
esp_err_t result = httpd_resp_send_chunk(req, BOUNDARY, strlen(BOUNDARY));
if (result == ESP_OK) {
const int headerLength = snprintf(header, sizeof(header), PART_HEADER, fb->len);
result = httpd_resp_send_chunk(req, header, headerLength);
}
if (result == ESP_OK) result = httpd_resp_send_chunk(req, (const char *)fb->buf, fb->len);
esp_camera_fb_return(fb);
if (result != ESP_OK) break; // Browser closed the stream.
delay(1);
}
return ESP_OK;
}
static void startWebServer() {
httpd_config_t config = HTTPD_DEFAULT_CONFIG();
config.server_port = 80;
config.lru_purge_enable = true;
httpd_uri_t indexUri = {.uri = "/", .method = HTTP_GET, .handler = indexHandler, .user_ctx = nullptr};
httpd_uri_t streamUri = {.uri = "/stream", .method = HTTP_GET, .handler = streamHandler, .user_ctx = nullptr};
if (httpd_start(&server, &config) == ESP_OK) {
httpd_register_uri_handler(server, &indexUri);
httpd_register_uri_handler(server, &streamUri);
}
}
static bool startCamera() {
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_sccb_sda = SIOD_GPIO_NUM;
config.pin_sccb_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 = 12;
config.fb_count = 2;
config.fb_location = CAMERA_FB_IN_PSRAM;
} else {
config.frame_size = FRAMESIZE_QVGA;
config.jpeg_quality = 15;
config.fb_count = 1;
config.fb_location = CAMERA_FB_IN_DRAM;
}
return esp_camera_init(&config) == ESP_OK;
}
void setup() {
Serial.begin(115200);
Serial.setDebugOutput(false);
if (!startCamera()) {
Serial.println("Camera initialization failed; check that the OV2640 ribbon cable is fully seated.");
return;
}
WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA);
WiFi.begin(WIFI_SSID, WIFI_PASSWORD);
Serial.print("Connecting to Wi-Fi");
const unsigned long started = millis();
while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED && millis() - started < 30000) {
delay(500);
Serial.print('.');
}
Serial.println();
if (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
Serial.println("Wi-Fi connection failed. Check the network name, password, and 2.4 GHz coverage.");
return;
}
startWebServer();
Serial.print("Open http://");
Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());
Serial.println("Login user: camera");
}
void loop() {
delay(1000);
}“Deploy to device” opens this project in Schematik, where you can flash it to your board over USB.
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