The ESP32-CAM is a convenient little camera module with a lot of built-in power, and you can turn one into an inconspicuous spy camera to hide in any room. There's only one issue: it does omit a USB port. That makes it a little harder to program, but with an ESP32-based board, FTDI programmer, and some jumper wires, you'll have a programmed ESP32 Wi-Fi spy camera in no time.
To build the program for the spy camera, which includes facial detection and recognition, we'll be using Arduino IDE, and to flash the program over to the ESP32-CAM, we'll need the FTDI programmer and either male-to-mail jumper wires and a breadboard or female-to-female jumpers. If you want to power the board independently after it's been programmed, you can add a LiPo battery board meant for a D1 mini, which will let you add a rechargeable LiPo battery.
Parts Needed
This is the basic stuff you need to continue with this project:
Note that the battery required can be a different size if needed.
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Step 1: Set Up the Camera in Arduino IDE
In the Arduino IDE, navigate to "Arduino" or "File" in the menu bar, select "Preferences," then click the window icon next to "Additional Boards Manager URLs." On a separate line, add the following URL, then choose "OK" and "OK" again.
https://dl.espressif.com/dl/package_esp32_index.json
Next, in the menu bar, go to "Tools," then "Board," and then "Boards Manager." In the search field, type "esp32," then install the latest version of "esp32 by Espressif Systems."
