Webcam Activity Pinger is a Python-based system designed to detect camera usage and notify a Flask API server. This tool is particularly useful for environments where monitoring camera activity is crucial, such as in meetings or virtual classrooms. By leveraging the power of Python and Flask, this project aims to provide a simple yet effective solution for real-time camera detection.

• Real-time Camera Detection: Monitors webcam activity continuously.
• Flask API Integration: Sends notifications to a Flask server when the camera is in use.
• Cross-Platform Support: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• Lightweight and Fast: Minimal resource usage while running.
• Customizable Notifications: Easily modify notification settings to suit your needs.

This project covers various topics, including:

• camera
• camera-meeting
• detect-meeting
• flask
• in-meeting
• iot
• meeting
• microphone
• py
• python
• python3
• script
• video

To get started with Webcam Activity Pinger, follow these steps:

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/JayBeatzxiv/webcam-activity-pinger.git
   cd webcam-activity-pinger

2. Install Dependencies: Make sure you have Python 3.9 or higher installed. Then, install the required packages:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Download and Execute: You can find the latest release here. Download the necessary files and execute the script.

Before running the webcam activity detection, you need to start the Flask server. Use the following command:

python app.py

In another terminal window, run the webcam activity detection script:

python detect_camera.py

Once the detection script is running, it will notify the Flask server whenever the camera is in use. You can customize the notification behavior in the config.py file.

The configuration file allows you to set various parameters:

• API_URL: URL of the Flask server.
• NOTIFICATION_TYPE: Type of notification (e.g., email, SMS).
• CHECK_INTERVAL: Time interval to check for camera activity (in seconds).

Example config.py:

API_URL = "http://localhost:5000/notify"
NOTIFICATION_TYPE = "email"
CHECK_INTERVAL = 5

You can test the system by simulating camera activity. Simply run the detection script and then open any application that uses the webcam, such as Zoom or Skype. The Flask server should receive notifications indicating that the camera is active.

If you encounter issues, consider the following:

• Ensure that your webcam drivers are installed and functioning.
• Check that the Flask server is running before executing the detection script.
• Review the logs for any error messages.

We welcome contributions to improve Webcam Activity Pinger. If you have suggestions or enhancements, please fork the repository and submit a pull request.

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a new branch for your feature or bug fix.
3. Make your changes and commit them.
4. Push your branch and create a pull request.

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

• Thanks to the Flask community for their excellent framework.
• Special thanks to the contributors who have made this project better.

For more information about Flask and webcam detection, consider checking out these resources:

• Flask Documentation
• OpenCV for Python
• Python Webcam Access

For the latest releases, please visit here.

For any inquiries or support, feel free to reach out via GitHub issues or contact the repository owner directly.

Thank you for using Webcam Activity Pinger!