OctoCam - Pi Zero W Project Kit

by Pimoroni

A cute, connected, cephalopod camera to stick on your window or sit on your shelf!

The OctoCam kit has everything* you'll need, including a Pi Zero W, a super-small 5MP camera, a fun octopus acrylic mount with four suction cups, and a desk stand. It'll take you around 30 minutes to put it all together (check out our assembly guide for details).

The MagPi said "with its compact dimensions and fun design, the OctoCam is very appealing", in their four star review.

Note that connecting your OctoCam running motionEyeOS to Wi-Fi requires a bit of extra configuration, but we have full details in our tutorial on setting up motionEyeOS.

Kit contents*

  • Pi Zero W
  • 5MP camera with built-in cable and circuitry
  • OctoCam acrylic mount, suction cups, desk stand
  • 50cm USB A to micro-B cable
  • USB A (female) to micro B (male) adaptor
  • Mini to full-size HDMI adaptor
  • Male 2x20 pin header
  • Sticker sheet
  • Comes in a reusable kit box

*Just add your own micro-SD card

OctoCam uses our neat little Pi Zero camera; the most compact way to add a camera to your Pi. It uses the same 5MP sensor as the original Pi camera, so it works out of the box with your Pi, in the same way as the official Pi cameras. The cable and circuitry is all built-in, meaning that connecting it is as simple as plugging in the ribbon cable to the connector on your Pi Zero W.

This kit takes advantage of the built-in wireless LAN and Bluetooth on the Pi Zero W, meaning that there's no longer any need for a USB Wi-Fi dongle.

OctoCam is perfect for setting up a compact CCTV camera in your house, or for recording time lapses. Stick it to your kitchen window and keep an eye on your bird feeder or nesting box. Keep tabs on your cat or dog while you're out of the house, or use it to track the growth of your houseplants!

Software

We love the motionEyeOS software, which makes it simple to set up your OctoCam as a remote camera that you can monitor through any connected web browser. It has all sorts of bells and whistles to trigger photos and videos to be captured when motion is detected, build time lapses, send notifications or tweets, and automatically sync. images to Dropbox or Google Drive.

Notes

Assembled size (not including suction cups or desk stand) of OctoCam is 80x73.5x14mm (HxWxD).

"... but then, they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn't bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it's not okay because if they take my stapler then I'll set the building on fire..."

49 customer reviews

3 years ago
All good and delivered quickly. Use this kit for camera surveillance for my 3D delta printer. Works like a charm. Thank you for your product and support.
by Gabi about OctoCam - Pi Zero W Project Kit via REVIEWS.io
3 years ago
A great kit that helped me to get some nice videos of our bird feeder. I had to move it a bit away from the window though as the camera can't focus at close distance.
by Matthias about OctoCam - Pi Zero W Project Kit via REVIEWS.io
4 years ago
Fantastic value for money and speedy delivery. Turned up quicker than expected. Bought for our son's birthday as a little project to keep him busy and he loves it.
by Matthew about OctoCam - Pi Zero W Project Kit via REVIEWS.io
4 years ago
Awesome Kit to make something with your kids and introduce them to the world of tinkering. I assembled this set with my 7 years old daughter and she was soooo happy with the finished product. Simple and clear instructions make it easy to assemble and setup. Easy access via your local WiFi network. Only downside...so far, we were not able to record a squirrel in our backyard. ;-)
by Mario about OctoCam - Pi Zero W Project Kit via REVIEWS.io
4 years ago
Great product I set ot up as a fish cam for my sons 50 gallon fish tank. We can keep am eye on the fish feom anywhere now. When we talked about it I knew this was the right kit for it
by John about OctoCam - Pi Zero W Project Kit via REVIEWS.io
5 years ago
Nice project. But the nuts did not fit the screws. Had to use glue to mount the pi to the octopus. It does not look god. Dont buy until the screws and nuts fit each other.
by Maximilian about OctoCam - Pi Zero W Project Kit via REVIEWS.io
5 years ago
This is an excellent little kit. Most of the stuff you need to get going and easy instructions. The 8 year old lived it, and it's a nice way to do some fun computing projects with them!
by Brian about OctoCam - Pi Zero W Project Kit via REVIEWS.io
5 years ago
Very easy to assemble and setup! I bought it to build together with my 7yrs old daughter. It is fun and good learning session. Recommend to everyone!
by Csaba about OctoCam - Pi Zero W Project Kit via REVIEWS.io
5 years ago
The octocam project is a great little setup even a child can build, but it is really powerful. You do need to add an SD card and a PSU, but you can get going straight away; And of course you can customise it. So I will let you into a secret, I used a couple at work where I needed a time lapse camera at work for a big building project we are doing. So they are good enough for professional projects too . 5 out of 5
by Trevor about OctoCam - Pi Zero W Project Kit via REVIEWS.io

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