Development of a microcontroller-based portable surveillance system with user alert notification

• Main Authors: Pentaiah, K.N., Ker, P.J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2018

Background: Most surveillance systems require continuous power supply, resulting in their utilizations are limited in area with constant power supply only. Battery powered portable surveillance systems are highly desirable especially at remote areas or industrial sites to eliminate the need to electrical wiring for each installation. Objective: This study presents the development of microcontroller-based portable surveillance system with intrusion alert notification. Methodology: The hardware and software designs is presented to develop the system by using a cost-effective Raspberry Pi microcontroller. Incorporating electronic components such as motion sensors, Wi-Fi adapter and modem has enabled the microcontroller to perform different control and monitoring functions. Moreover, communication through 3G broadband was realized and video streaming over internet was made available to the authorized users. The Raspberry Pi was configured as a mini web server which could be accessed through the internet. Results: The accessibility of the web server was made possible through port forwarding and dynamic domain name service. In addition the low-power surveillance system can be powered using a 5-V power bank and it does not require direct power supply due to the intelligent alert system which triggered the camera only when there was a detected intrusion. Conclusion: Compared to conventional camera system with DVR recorders, the work reported in this study provides features and compactness which can be more readily utilized in remote industrial sites monitoring, moving vehicle monitoring and control, and movable storages. © 2017 Kishoor N. Pentaiah and Pin Jern Ker.