Smart Door Camera — Live ESP32-CAM Feed on a Round ESP32-S3 Display

A compact, fully DIY surveillance set for your home WiFi: an ESP32-CAM door camera streams live video to a second device — an ESP32-S3 with a round 1.28" display — that sits on your desk and shows the feed in real time. Everything is configured from your phone through a built-in web app (captive portal); there are no credentials in the code.

[ESP32-CAM] --MJPEG/HTTP--> Home WiFi --HTTP GET /stream--> [ESP32-S3] --SPI--> [GC9A01]
 240x240 JPEG               (router)                        TJpg_Decoder + TFT_eSPI
 doorcam.local:81/stream

Door camera (doorcam/): AI-Thinker ESP32-CAM serves an MJPEG stream over HTTP.
Office display (officedisplay/): ESP32-S3 with a round GC9A01 TFT (240×240, SPI) fetches the stream, decodes the JPEG frames and shows them live.

Here you can find the 3D-print files: https://makerworld.com/en/models/2956182-smart-door-camera

Features

Phone-based setup, no hardcoded credentials. On first boot each device opens its own WiFi hotspot with a captive-portal web app. You enter your home WiFi there; it's stored in flash and both devices reconnect automatically after a restart.
Permanent, optionally password-protected hotspots. Both devices run in AP+STA mode: they are on your home WiFi and keep a hotspot visible at all times (http://192.168.4.1), so you can reconfigure them anytime. Each hotspot can be locked with a WPA2 password (Security tab).
Live video on a round display. The camera sends a 240×240 MJPEG stream; the ESP32-S3 decodes the JPEG frames (TJpg_Decoder) and pushes them 1:1 onto the GC9A01 (TFT_eSPI) — no scaling.
Remote LED control. Toggle the camera's white front LED from the display's Light tab.
Live image tuning. Adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, special effect, white balance and JPEG quality from the display's Image tab. Changes apply system-wide on the camera sensor and are stored persistently.
Robust networking. mDNS (doorcam.local), automatic reconnect, and a captive-portal-safe UI (plain forms/links, validated server-side — works even inside iOS's captive-portal browser).
One-command flashing. Helper scripts (flash-display.sh, flash-camera.sh) build and flash a module with automatic serial-port detection — handy when building more units.

Components (bill of materials)

The links below are the exact parts used for this build:

Component	Used for	Link
ESP32-CAM (AI-Thinker, OV2640)	Door camera	https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3opiTUp
ESP32-S3 dual Type-C development board	Office display controller	https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4a0icBb
1.28″ round TFT LCD (GC9A01, 240×240, SPI)	Display screen	https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3PFGw7j
USB Type-C connector	Power/USB on the display housing	https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c37zWXtF
Mini round toggle switch	On/off switch on the display housing	https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3Ep0wFj

Also needed (not linked):

A USB-to-TTL adapter (3.3 V capable, e.g. CP2102/CH340) to flash the ESP32-CAM — or an ESP32-CAM-MB programmer board. The ESP32-CAM has no USB port of its own.
A few jumper wires (display ↔ ESP32-S3, and camera ↔ USB-TTL).
A stable 5 V / ≥ 2 A power supply for permanent operation.
Optional: 3D-printed housings for both modules (as shown in the photos).

Hardware & wiring

GC9A01 (240×240, SPI) ↔ ESP32-S3

The display uses SPI (despite the SCL/SDA labels — it is not I²C). No MISO, and no separate backlight pin (backlight is always on).

Display pin	Function	ESP32-S3 GPIO
VCC	3.3 V	3V3
GND	Ground	GND
SCL	SPI clock (SCLK)	GPIO12
SDA	SPI MOSI	GPIO11
DC	Data/Command	GPIO13
CS	Chip Select	GPIO10
RST	Reset	GPIO14

Other GPIOs are possible — just adjust the -DTFT_* flags in officedisplay/platformio.ini. Avoid on the S3: GPIO19/20 (USB), 26–32 (flash), 33–37 (octal PSRAM), strapping pins 0/3/45/46.

ESP32-CAM ↔ USB-to-TTL adapter (for flashing)

The ESP32-CAM has no USB port. Set the adapter to 3.3 V:

USB-TTL	ESP32-CAM
5V	5V
GND	GND
TX	U0R (RX)
RX	U0T (TX)

Flash mode: bridge GPIO0 → GND, then press RESET (or briefly cut power). After the upload, remove the bridge and restart. (With an ESP32-CAM-MB board the RESET button is usually enough.)

For permanent operation: a stable 5 V / ≥ 2 A supply (otherwise brownout resets).

Set up the toolchain (once, in the Mac terminal)

brew install platformio        # alternative: python3 -m pip install --user platformio
pio --version

On the first pio run, PlatformIO downloads the compiler, the ESP32 platform and the libraries automatically.

Flashing

Quick way: flash scripts

For additional/new modules there are two ready-made scripts in the project root. Just connect the respective module via USB and run:

./flash-display.sh     # build + flash the ESP32-S3 (office display)
./flash-camera.sh      # build + flash the ESP32-CAM (door camera)

The port is detected automatically — this also works with new modules (different serial number). Best to connect only one module at a time.
If several serial devices are attached, the script prefers the matching one (display = FTDI/native USB, camera = CH340/CP210x) or lists them — then pass the port as an argument: ./flash-display.sh /dev/cu.usbserial-XXXX.
After a successful flash the script asks whether to open the serial monitor.
If the camera upload does not start (simple adapter without auto-reset): bridge GPIO0→GND, press RESET, run the script again.

The manual steps (if you prefer to do it without the script):

1) ESP32-S3 display (via FTDI USB bridge)

The original board uses an FTDI FT232R as a USB-UART bridge — so the port is named /dev/cu.usbserial-* (not usbmodem). In platformio.ini it is fixed to /dev/cu.usbserial-A5069RR4 (adjust for a different board).

cd officedisplay

# Connect the S3 via USB-C, check the port:
ls /dev/cu.usbserial*   # -> /dev/cu.usbserial-A5069RR4

pio run                 # compile
pio run -t upload       # flash
pio device monitor      # serial monitor (115200 baud)

If the upload does not start by itself: hold BOOT/IO0, briefly press RESET, release BOOT (download mode), then run pio run -t upload again.

2) ESP32-CAM door camera (via USB-TTL)

cd doorcam

# Connect USB-TTL (3.3 V!), bridge GPIO0->GND, press RESET
ls /dev/cu.usbserial*   # or /dev/cu.SLAB_USBtoUART / wchusbserial

pio run                 # compile
pio run -t upload --upload-port /dev/cu.usbserial-XXXX

# After success: remove the GPIO0 bridge, press RESET
pio device monitor --port /dev/cu.usbserial-XXXX

First-time setup

Power on the camera → iPhone WiFi: "DoorCam-Setup" → the portal opens → tab WiFi (home SSID + password) → save. The serial monitor shows the IP and doorcam.local. The hotspot stays permanently visible (see below).
Test the stream (Mac, same WiFi): browser → http://doorcam.local:81/stream (or http://<ip>:81/stream). Config portal: http://doorcam.local/.
Power on the display → iPhone WiFi: "OfficeDisplay-Setup" → the portal opens → tab WiFi (home SSID + password), tab Camera (check the URL, default http://doorcam.local:81/stream) → save each. The display shows status, then the live feed. The hotspot stays permanently visible (see below).
DHCP reservation for the camera in your router (recommended) — keeps the address stable in case mDNS hiccups.

Hotspot security (display)

The ESP32-S3 runs in AP+STA mode: it is connected to the home WiFi (live feed) and at the same time provides a permanently visible hotspot "OfficeDisplay-Setup" through which you can reach the configuration anytime from your phone (http://192.168.4.1). The portal has five tabs:

Tab	Function
WiFi	Home SSID + password (button "Scan networks" for the scan list)
Camera	Camera stream URL
Light	Turn the camera's front LED on/off
Image	Camera image settings (brightness, color, …)
Security	Set/change the hotspot password (password + repeat)

Protect the hotspot with a password: tab Security → enter the password twice → save.

Rule: empty = open hotspot, otherwise at least 8 characters (WPA2).
After saving the hotspot restarts — reconnect afterwards with the new password. Existing connections are dropped.
Remove the password protection: Security tab → leave both fields empty → save (the hotspot becomes open again).
The WiFi/camera/hotspot password is stored permanently in flash (Preferences) and survives a restart.

Resetting settings

Display (ESP32-S3): WiFi, camera and hotspot password can be changed anytime in the portal. For a full reset, re-flash the firmware (this does not automatically clear the Preferences area — if needed, add a one-time prefs.clear() in setup() and flash).
Camera (ESP32-CAM): WiFi and hotspot password can be changed anytime in the camera portal (see below). Full reset = re-flash the firmware.

⚠️ If you forget the hotspot password, you can no longer reach the portal from your phone. You can still reach the configuration via the device's STA IP on the home WiFi (http://<ip>/) or re-flash the firmware.

Hotspot security (camera)

The ESP32-CAM also runs in AP+STA mode: connected to the home WiFi (serves the stream) and providing a permanently visible hotspot "DoorCam-Setup" (http://192.168.4.1) through which you configure the camera anytime from your phone. The portal has three tabs:

Tab	Function
Preview	Live image of the camera (handy for aiming)
WiFi	Change the home WiFi (SSID + password, with scan)
Security	Set/change the hotspot password (password + repeat)

Protect the hotspot with a password: tab Security → enter the password twice → save.

Rule: empty = open hotspot, otherwise at least 8 characters (WPA2).
After saving the hotspot restarts — reconnect afterwards with the new password.
Remove protection: leave both fields empty → save.
WiFi and hotspot password are stored permanently in flash (Preferences).

Note: the camera's hotspot password affects only its hotspot, not the live feed to the display — that runs over the home WiFi and keeps working independently. If captive-portal buttons on the iPhone don't respond: open the page in Safari at http://192.168.4.1.

Light control (camera LED)

The ESP32-CAM has a white front LED (flash LED, GPIO4) that can be controlled remotely from the display portal:

Open the portal → tab Light → Turn light on / Turn light off.
The status (ON/OFF) is shown in the tab.

How it works: the camera firmware provides an endpoint: GET http://doorcam.local/led?on=1 (on) or ?on=0 (off) on port 80, response {"on":0|1}. The ESP32-S3 calls this endpoint when you tap in the Light tab (/light?on=…). Both firmwares must be up to date for this (re-flash camera and display).

⚠️ The front LED is very bright — don't look into it directly from close up. The LED state is not stored permanently; after a camera restart the LED is off.

Image settings (color/brightness)

Via the display portal → tab Image you can adjust the camera's image parameters (OV2640 sensor). With Save image they take effect system-wide (stream, display and browser show the adjusted image) and are stored permanently in the camera — they persist across a restart.

Setting	Values	Effect
Brightness	−2 … +2	brighter/darker
Contrast	−2 … +2	contrast
Saturation	−2 … +2	color intensity
Special effect	None, Negative, Grayscale, Reddish/Greenish/Bluish, Sepia	color filter
White balance	Automatic / Off	auto color temperature
JPEG quality	High (10) … Very low (45)	image quality vs. bitrate/frame rate

How it works: when saving, the ESP32-S3 sends the values to the camera (GET http://doorcam.local/imgset?br=&co=&sa=&fx=&awb=&q= on port 80, response = current state as JSON). The camera applies them to the sensor immediately, stores them in its Preferences and restores them on boot. The form in the Image tab shows the last saved state.

Notes / troubleshooting

mDNS (doorcam.local) is resolved on the display via MDNS.queryHost(). If it hiccups, enter the fixed IP in the display portal (http://192.168.x.y:81/stream) and set a router reservation.
PSRAM: the camera uses it (fb_count=2). The display does not need PSRAM (the 32 KB JPEG buffer fits in internal RAM; the code falls back from ps_malloc to malloc). The S3 platformio.ini is set to the boot-safe qio_qspi (works regardless of the actual PSRAM type).
Frame rate ~10–15 fps (JPEG decoding is the bottleneck, not SPI). 240×240 is visually ideal for the round display.
Camera brownout: use a stronger power supply.
Wrong display colors/mirroring: on the display adjust TJpgDec.setSwapBytes(...) or tft.setRotation(...); on the camera s->set_vflip()/set_hmirror() in doorcam/src/main.cpp.
ESP32-S3 + TFT_eSPI crash (Guru Meditation / StoreProhibited in begin_tft_write right at tft.init()): on the S3, TFT_eSPI needs a dedicated SPI instance. The fix is -DUSE_HSPI_PORT=1 in officedisplay/platformio.ini (already set).
Portal buttons don't respond (iPhone): iOS's automatic captive-portal mini-browser blocks some actions. Open the page in Safari at http://192.168.4.1 instead (or via the display's STA IP). The forms are validated server-side (no JavaScript required).

Build photos

Camera module	Display module

Both modules are housed in custom 3D-printed enclosures. The display housing has an on/off toggle switch and a USB-C port; the camera housing exposes the external WiFi antenna and sits on a small mount.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 3 Commits
assets		assets
doorcam		doorcam
officedisplay		officedisplay
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
flash-camera.sh		flash-camera.sh
flash-display.sh		flash-display.sh

Navigation Menu

Repository files navigation

Smart Door Camera — Live ESP32-CAM Feed on a Round ESP32-S3 Display

Features

Components (bill of materials)

Hardware & wiring

GC9A01 (240×240, SPI) ↔ ESP32-S3

ESP32-CAM ↔ USB-to-TTL adapter (for flashing)

Set up the toolchain (once, in the Mac terminal)

Flashing

Quick way: flash scripts

1) ESP32-S3 display (via FTDI USB bridge)

2) ESP32-CAM door camera (via USB-TTL)

First-time setup

Hotspot security (display)

Resetting settings

Hotspot security (camera)

Light control (camera LED)

Image settings (color/brightness)

Notes / troubleshooting

Build photos

Here you can find the 3D-print files: https://makerworld.com/en/models/2956182-smart-door-camera

License

About

Releases

Packages

Contributors

Languages

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

Repository files navigation

Smart Door Camera — Live ESP32-CAM Feed on a Round ESP32-S3 Display

Features

Components (bill of materials)

Hardware & wiring

GC9A01 (240×240, SPI) ↔ ESP32-S3

ESP32-CAM ↔ USB-to-TTL adapter (for flashing)

Set up the toolchain (once, in the Mac terminal)

Flashing

Quick way: flash scripts

1) ESP32-S3 display (via FTDI USB bridge)

2) ESP32-CAM door camera (via USB-TTL)

First-time setup

Hotspot security (display)

Resetting settings

Hotspot security (camera)

Light control (camera LED)

Image settings (color/brightness)

Notes / troubleshooting

Build photos

Here you can find the 3D-print files: https://makerworld.com/en/models/2956182-smart-door-camera

License

About

Topics

Resources

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Releases

Packages

Contributors

Languages