RPI Camera Plugin

Device-side software for automated image capture on Raspberry Pi, integrated with the Reverse Engineering Lab platform.

Overview

This guide covers installing and configuring the plugin on Raspberry Pi devices. For platform-side camera management, see the Platform Documentation.

Hardware Requirements

• Raspberry Pi 5 (recommended) or Pi 4
• Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 (recommended) or v2
• MicroSD card (8GB or larger)
• Power supply (wall adapter or power bank)
• Network connection (Ethernet or WiFi)
• Camera mount (tripod, clamp, or custom)

Software Requirements

• Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit recommended)
• Python 3.11+
• Network connectivity to RELab platform

Quick Setup

Step 1: Prepare Your Raspberry Pi

1. Install Raspberry Pi OS: Follow the official installation guide

2. Enable camera interface:

   sudo raspi-config
   # Navigate to: Interface Options → Camera → Enable
   sudo reboot

3. Test camera:

   libcamera-hello --preview

Step 2: Install Camera Software

1. Clone repository:

   git clone https://github.com/CMLPlatform/relab-rpi-cam-plugin.git
   cd relab-rpi-cam-plugin

2. Run setup script:

   ./setup.sh

   This automatically:

   • Verifies environment configuration
   • Sets up audio streaming capabilities
   • Installs dependencies using uv (a Python package manager)
   • Creates Python virtual environment

Step 3: Get Platform Credentials

Before configuring your device, register it on the platform at the plugins/rpi-cam/cameras endpoint by providing:

• Name
• Camera API URL (e.g., http://your-pi-ip:8018)
• Description (optional)
• Additional auth headers required to access the Camera API URL (optional)

💡 Save the returned API key - it will only be shown once.

Step 4: Configure Your Camera

1. Create configuration:

   cp .env.example .env

2. Edit settings in .env:

   # Your Pi's network details
   BASE_URL="http://your-pi-ip:8018"
   
   # Platform integration
   ALLOWED_CORS_ORIGINS=["http://127.0.0.1:8000", "https://your-platform.com"]
   AUTHORIZED_API_KEYS=["your-api-key-from-platform"]

Security Note: Keep API keys secure and never commit them to version control.

Step 5: Start Camera Service

1. Launch camera API:

   uv run fastapi run app/main.py --port 8018

2. Test installation:

   • API documentation: http://your-pi-ip:8018/docs
   • Live stream: http://your-pi-ip:8018/stream/watch
   • Capture test: Use /capture endpoint

3. Verify platform connection:

   • Access camera from main platform at the /plugins/rpi-cam/camera/{camera_id} endpoint

Usage

Local Testing

• API documentation: Full interactive API available at /docs endpoint
• Live preview: Real-time camera feed at /stream/watch
• Manual capture: Test image capture using /capture endpoint
• Health monitoring: Check device status at /status

Production Operation

Once configured, the camera can be operated from the main platform. See Platform Documentation for more details.

Troubleshooting

Camera not detected:

# Check camera connection
vcgencmd get_camera

# Test camera module
libcamera-hello --list-cameras

API won't start:

• Check that port 8018 is available: sudo netstat -tlnp | grep :8018
• Verify all dependencies installed correctly
• Review error logs for specific issues
• Test with debug mode: uv run python app/main.py --log-level debug

Platform can't connect:

• Confirm API key matches platform registration
• Check CORS origins include platform URL
• Test network connectivity between Pi and platform
• Verify firewall rules on both sides
• Test API directly at http://your-pi-ip:8018/docs

Poor image quality:

• Clean camera lens carefully
• Improve lighting conditions at capture location
• Check camera module connection to Pi
• Adjust camera settings through API parameters

Development

Development Environment

# Install with development dependencies
uv sync

# Install pre-commit hooks
uv run pre-commit install

# Start development server with hot reload
uv run fastapi dev