ESP-32S / ESP32-CAM / Ai-Thinker - camera modules
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2025 4:51 pm
Hello to all,
I'm new to this forum and I'm reaching out because I'm stuck and there's hardly any information on this topic available in the Internet.
I am currently building a video doorbell (no cloud – no privacy issues!) based on an ESP32-CAM (Ai-Thinker). This camera will send a stream to Homeassistant/MotionEye 24/7, which is recorded under certain conditions (and deleted afterwords due to privacy laws).
What I have been able to find out so far:
GPT mentions it would be better to use a NightVision module and try to filter out at least the color and contrast problems.
What do you think?
Now I was about to order such a module and currently find a lot of OV3660s on offer at AliExpress. These have real advantages over the standard OV2640: Since they encode JPEG in the camera module itself using the image quality set via MotionEye, much less data flows through the ESP. This means you can achieve a higher resolution and a higher frame rate (at least according to GPT...).
But I can't find any OV3660s with night vision anywhere on the internet.
Does anyone know anything about this issue and can help me?
I'm new to this forum and I'm reaching out because I'm stuck and there's hardly any information on this topic available in the Internet.
I am currently building a video doorbell (no cloud – no privacy issues!) based on an ESP32-CAM (Ai-Thinker). This camera will send a stream to Homeassistant/MotionEye 24/7, which is recorded under certain conditions (and deleted afterwords due to privacy laws).
What I have been able to find out so far:
- Normal ESP camera modules have an IR filter and cannot film at night with IR LED support.
- NightVision modules do not have an IR filter and produce false colors and generally poor image quality during the day – they are designed for recording with IR light.
- Commercial cameras mechanically push an IR filter into the lens during the day and remove it at night ("IRCUT").
GPT mentions it would be better to use a NightVision module and try to filter out at least the color and contrast problems.
What do you think?
Now I was about to order such a module and currently find a lot of OV3660s on offer at AliExpress. These have real advantages over the standard OV2640: Since they encode JPEG in the camera module itself using the image quality set via MotionEye, much less data flows through the ESP. This means you can achieve a higher resolution and a higher frame rate (at least according to GPT...).
But I can't find any OV3660s with night vision anywhere on the internet.
Does anyone know anything about this issue and can help me?