CameraRainGauge: A Long-Running ESP8266/ESP32 Environmental Monitoring Project

I'd like to share one of my older projects, CameraRainGauge, which has been online since 2017 and has attracted more than 16,000 visitors from over 200 countries.  Domain website Weather-Observations

While originally created as a rain gauge monitoring project, it gradually evolved into a broader environmental monitoring platform combining weather observation, data logging, remote web access, image archiving, and live video streaming.

How It Started

My journey into microcontrollers began in 2013 when a friend in Alaska gifted me an Arduino Uno.

One of the first sensors I experimented with was a BMP180 barometric pressure sensor. Like many newcomers to Arduino, I was fascinated by the ability to collect and display environmental data.

At the time, I had no formal background in embedded software development. I taught myself Arduino C++ by studying library examples, experimenting with code, reading forum discussions, and working through Beginning C for Arduino by Dr. Jack Purdum.

That combination of hands-on experimentation and self-study provided the foundation for everything that followed.

The next step was adding Internet connectivity using an Adafruit CC3000 WiFi module. Once I could connect a microcontroller to the Internet, a new challenge appeared: how do you send sensor data from a device in your home to a public website?

While researching solutions, I discovered the work of Stephan Borsay and his Hackster article on sending ESP8266 data directly to a webpage. I later enrolled in one of his Arduino WiFi courses on Udemy, where many of the concepts behind Internet-connected embedded devices were explained in greater detail.

What started as learning how to read a BMP180 sensor eventually led to building domain-hosted IoT applications, web-connected weather stations, live video systems, OTA firmware management, and ESP32-based environmental monitoring platforms.

Evolution of the Hardware

Over the years the hardware progressed through several generations:

• Arduino Uno with BMP180 sensor
• Arduino Uno with Adafruit CC3000 WiFi
• ESP8266
• ESP32
• Ebyte EoRa-S3-900TB (ESP32-S3 + SX1262)

Each platform opened new possibilities and led to increasingly sophisticated projects.

CameraRainGauge became one of the largest and longest-running projects along that path.

Project Features

During its active years, CameraRainGauge incorporated:

• ESP8266 and ESP32 platforms
• Internet-accessible data logging
• Domain-hosted website integration
• FTP file management
• OTA firmware updates
• Historical data archiving
• Graphing and reporting
• Google Sheets integration
• Remote environmental monitoring
• Live RTSP video streaming

The heart of the project was demonstrating how a microcontroller could reliably publish data to a publicly accessible domain server for long-term operation.

Website Architecture

One aspect that generated interest was the website architecture.

The domain was not tied to a single device.

Instead, multiple ESP8266 and ESP32 systems uploaded data to the same domain-hosted website. Each device maintained its own web page within the site while sharing common server resources.

The website became a central location for:

• Weather information
• Environmental observations
• Historical records
• Device demonstrations
• Camera content
• Data archives

For many years, the system demonstrated how multiple embedded devices could independently send information to a common server while maintaining separate functions.

The Wetland Camera

One of the most popular features was the camera feed.

The camera overlooked a nearby wetland area and allowed visitors to:

• Monitor approaching weather systems
• Observe rainfall conditions
• Watch seasonal changes
• View wildlife activity
• Identify photography opportunities
• Enjoy the scenery throughout the year

The live feed provided context that sensor readings alone could never fully capture.

Visitors could see cloud formations, precipitation, visibility conditions, vegetation changes, and wetland activity in real time.

Why the Video Feed Ended

In the fall of 2024, I moved from the property where the camera system had been installed.

As a result, the live wetland video feed had to be taken offline. My current apartment overlooks a courtyard rather than the wetland environment that made the original camera worthwhile.

The domain website remains online today. However, the former live video section now displays a static image of the wetland as a reminder of what visitors viewed for many years.

Project Status

CameraRainGauge is now a retired project.

No additional development is planned, but the website remains online as an archive of the project and the lessons learned along the way.

Looking back, it's interesting to think that a gift Arduino Uno in 2013 eventually led to:

• Internet-connected environmental monitoring
• ESP8266 and ESP32 development
• Domain-hosted data services
• PHP server-side processing
• FTP and OTA management
• Live video streaming
• Worldwide visitors

Most importantly, it demonstrated that small microcontrollers are capable of far more than blinking LEDs. With patience and a willingness to learn, they can become part of a complete Internet-connected monitoring system.

The source code and documentation remain available on GitHub for anyone interested in ESP8266, ESP32, data logging, web servers, environmental monitoring, or sending sensor data to a domain-hosted website.

CameraRainGauge GitHub Repository

Thank you to the Arduino, ESP8266, ESP32, Adafruit, GitHub, and maker communities that helped along the way, and to the more than 16,000 visitors from over 200 countries who stopped by over the years.

73, AB9NQ

William (Tech500)