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Pi AI Camera Setup

This guide explains how to set up the Pi AI Camera streaming on your Raspberry Pi 5.

Prerequisites

  • Raspberry Pi 5
  • Pi AI Camera module
  • Python 3.9 or later
  • Network connection

Installation

  1. Install required packages on the Pi:
# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install picamera2 and dependencies
sudo apt install -y python3-picamera2 python3-websockets python3-pil

# Or use pip if needed
pip3 install picamera2 websockets pillow
  1. Copy the streaming script to your Pi:
# Transfer the file to your Pi
scp pi_camera_stream.py pi@mro.local:~/
  1. Make the script executable:
chmod +x ~/pi_camera_stream.py

Running the Camera Stream

Manual Start

# Start the camera stream
python3 ~/pi_camera_stream.py

The stream will be available at ws://mro.local:8890 (or your Pi's IP address).

Auto-start on Boot (Optional)

Create a systemd service to auto-start the camera stream:

# Create service file
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/pi-camera-stream.service

Add the following content:

[Unit]
Description=Pi AI Camera WebSocket Stream
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=pi
WorkingDirectory=/home/pi
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /home/pi/pi_camera_stream.py
Restart=always
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the service:

# Reload systemd
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

# Enable service to start on boot
sudo systemctl enable pi-camera-stream.service

# Start the service now
sudo systemctl start pi-camera-stream.service

# Check status
sudo systemctl status pi-camera-stream.service

Connecting from the Web Interface

  1. Open the web interface in your browser
  2. Click on "MarsPI (Real Rover)" radio button
  3. A modal will appear asking for connection details
  4. Enter your Pi's hostname (default: mro.local) and port (default: 8890)
  5. Click "Connect"
  6. The Pi AI camera stream should now be visible

Troubleshooting

Camera not detected

# Check if camera is detected
libcamera-hello --list-cameras

Port already in use

If port 8890 is already in use, edit pi_camera_stream.py and change the port number on line 118.

Connection refused

  • Make sure the Pi is on the same network
  • Check that the camera stream service is running: sudo systemctl status pi-camera-stream.service
  • Verify firewall rules allow port 8890

Check logs

# View service logs
sudo journalctl -u pi-camera-stream.service -f

Performance Tips

  • The default resolution is 640x480 at 15 FPS for best network performance
  • For higher quality, edit pi_camera_stream.py and increase the resolution in the camera configuration
  • For lower latency on slow networks, reduce the JPEG quality on line 88

Configuration Options

Edit pi_camera_stream.py to customize:

  • Resolution: Line 79 - Change "size": (640, 480)
  • Frame rate: Line 80 - Change "FrameRate": 15
  • JPEG quality: Line 88 - Change quality=70 (1-100, higher = better quality but larger files)
  • Port: Line 118 - Change port = 8890