Build your own motion-triggered "Internet of Things" camera

Adafruit has come up with a mash-up of Arduino components to create an internet-enabled motion-triggered camera (Photo: Adafruit)

Adafruit's "Internet of Things Camera" is a neat mashup of existing Arduino components into a versatile remote monitoring camera.

The key here is in the word remote - a capability that's granted by the inclusion of a first-generation Eye-Fi card, which is an SD card with built in Wi-Fi, that can upload images to your computer or other device, or better yet to a variety of photo-sharing websites such as Flickr.

The Internet of Things: It's a term that basically describes the notion of objects - potentially all objects - having some sort of uniquely identifiable online presence and, in more recent years, the ability to report data.

This might be data that it's designed to collect (as is obviously the case with this camera), or merely information about its own wellbeing - like a vending machine asking to be restocked.

It's this ability to report online, to Flickr, yes, but also to Twitter, or via email if you prefer, that ensures Adafruit's camera lives up to its name.

Crucially, no coding is required to get online functionality up and kicking - it's simply a case of entering your log-in information into the accompanying Eye-Fi application.

Unfortunately, the camera doesn't come assembled. In fact it doesn't even come as a kit. You'd need to buy each of the required components and assemble them yourself, though Adafruit gives a lot of guidance as to how this is done.

The main components are an Ardunio Uno microcontroller, TTL Serial JPEG Camera (or a weatherproof variant, if required), Adafruit's Data Logging Shield for Arduino, an Eye-Fi wireless SD card, and some sort of power supply.

By default the Internet of Things Camera is a motion-sensing camera - but because it's comprised of Arduino components, this isn't set in stone.

Adafruit suggests that a time-lapse device, or a camera triggered by a laser trip wire are relatively simple modifications. The recommended camera outputs video, from which stills are then logged and shared.

If you're already dreaming up potential applications for this thing then you're probably wondering about the power rating. Adafruit says a 9 V wall adaptor is the easiest way to keep the camera ticking, but for some uses that isn't going to work. In which case a battery pack of six AA batteries will apparently power the camera "for several hours".