Configure the Raspberry Pi camera - Amazon Kinesis Video Streams

Configure the Raspberry Pi camera

Follow these steps to configure the Raspberry Pi camera module to send video from the device to a Kinesis video stream.

Note

If you’re using a USB webcam, skip to Install software prerequisites.

Camera module 1

Follow these instructions to update the modules file, enable the camera interface, and verify functionality of your camera. Updating the modules file tells the Raspberry Pi which kernel modules to load at boot time. The camera driver isn't loaded by default in order to conserve system resources on Raspberry Pi devices that aren't using a camera.

  1. Open an editor to update the modules file with the following command:

    sudo nano /etc/modules

  2. Add the following line to the end of the file, if it's not already there:

    bcm2835-v4l2

  3. Save the file and exit the editor (Ctrl-X).

  4. Reboot the Raspberry Pi:

    sudo reboot

  5. When the device reboots, connect to it again through your terminal application if you are connecting remotely.

  6. Open raspi-config:

    sudo raspi-config

  7. Choose Interfacing Options, Legacy Camera. In older builds of the Raspbian Operating System, this menu option might be under Interfacing Options, Camera.

    Enable the camera if it's not already enabled, and reboot if prompted.

  8. Verify that the camera is working by typing the following command:

    raspistill -v -o test.jpg

    If your camera is configured correctly, this command captures an image from the camera, saves it to a file named test.jpg, and displays informational messages.

Camera module 2 or 3

If you’re using a Camera module 2, you use either bcm2835-v4l2 (legacy) or libcamera (modern). However, the libcamera stack is recommended for better support and features. Follow the steps below to confirm that libcamera is up-to-date on your system.

  1. libcamera should come pre-installed on your Raspberry Pi. Check for any updates and update to the latest version for bug fixes and security updates.

    sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

  2. Reboot your system for the updates to take effect.

    sudo reboot

  3. Test your camera. This application starts a camera preview stream and displays it on the screen.

    libcamera-hello

    If you have issues with your camera module, see the Raspberry Pi documentation for troubleshooting.