RaspberryPi Webcam System Setup Instructions

Clone Repository

Clone the repository inside the /home/pi/Downloads folder using the following command:

git clone https://github.com/davegroff/raspberryPi-Webcam-System.git

Startup Script and Systemd Service Configuration

1. Set Executable Permissions: Run the command below to set executable permissions for the startup script:

   sudo chmod +x /home/pi/Downloads/raspberryPi-Webcam-System/startup.sh
   sudo chmod +x /home/pi/Downloads/raspberryPi-Webcam-System/program.sh

2. Create/Update the Systemd Service:

   Open and edit the systemd service file by running:

   sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/webcam.service

   Paste the following content into the file:

   [Unit]
   Description=RaspberryPi5 Webcam System
   After=network-online.target
   
   [Service]
   WorkingDirectory=/home/pi/Downloads/raspberryPi-Webcam-System
   ExecStart=/home/pi/Downloads/raspberryPi-Webcam-System/startup.sh
   User=pi
   Restart=always
   StandardOutput=syslog
   StandardError=syslog
   SyslogIdentifier=webcam_service
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target

   sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/chromium.service

   Paste the following content into the file:

   [Unit]
   Description=Launch Chromium with Pyppeteer
   After=network-online.target
   Requires=network-online.target
   
   [Service]
   WorkingDirectory=/home/pi/Downloads/raspberryPi-Webcam-System
   ExecStart=/home/pi/Downloads/raspberryPi-Webcam-System/program.sh
   User=pi
   Restart=always
   StandardOutput=syslog
   StandardError=syslog
   SyslogIdentifier=chromium_service
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target

3. Reload Systemd Daemon and Manage the Service: Run the following commands to reload the systemd daemon, enable, start, and check the status of the service:

   sudo systemctl daemon-reload
   
   sudo systemctl enable webcam.service
   sudo systemctl start webcam.service
   sudo systemctl status webcam.service
   
   sudo systemctl enable chromium.service
   sudo systemctl start chromium.service
   sudo systemctl status chromium.service

Access the System

Open a web browser and go to localhost:9000 to serve the video stream from Raspberry Pi To see the stream, launch browser and go to localhost:9000/stream

Follow these steps meticulously to ensure a seamless setup and management of the RaspberryPi Webcam System as a Systemd service on your Raspberry Pi device.

Troubleshooting and Debugging

stopping services if needed

sudo systemctl stop webcam.service sudo systemctl stop chromium.service

logging

sudo journalctl -u webcam.service -f sudo journalctl -u chromium.service -f

Note: remove -f flag and full logs shown forward/back using keyboard F and B.