The ESP32-Stick-PoE-A-Cam(N16R8) is an open-source ESP32-S3 development board with Ethernet, camera, and active PoE support designed for machine learning applications. Compared to similar boards like M5Stack M5PoECAM-W V1.1 and the Waveshare ESP32-S3-ETH, this board features 17 usable GPIO, active PoE (IEEE 802.3af) with 700mA power delivered, built-in USB-UART, and pin-to-pin compatibility across Stick-Cam boards.
Built around the ESP32-S3 SoC, this module supports OV2640 and OV5640 cameras and integrates the W5500 Ethernet controller and Si3404-A PoE chip for power and connectivity. The board has a total of 36 GPIOs, of which 17 are free when using Ethernet and a camera. Applications include remote surveillance, smart home automation, edge AI processing, and other IoT applications.
ESP32-Stick-PoE-A-Cam(N16R8) specifications:
- Wireless module ESP32-S3R8
- MCU – ESP32-S3 dual-core LX7 microprocessor @ up to 240 MHz with Vector extension for machine learning
- Memory – 8MB PSRAM
- Storage – 16MB SPI flash
- Connectivity – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5 with LE/Mesh
- PCB antenna
- Camera I/F – FPC connector compatible with 2MP OV2640 or 5MP OV5640 camera modules
- Connectivity
- 802.11 b/g/n WiFi 4 up to 150 Mbps and Bluetooth 5 via ESP32-S3 SoC
- 10/100M Ethernet via Onboard W5500 Ethernet chip with active PoE support via Si3404-A chip (IEEE 802.3af-compliant)
- USB – USB Type-C port for power and programming
- I/Os – 36x GPIOs total, 17x available when Ethernet and camera are in use
- Misc
- Boot & Reset button
- User LED on GPIO2
- Power Supply
- USB Type-C
- Active PoE via RJ45 (5V, 700mA via Si3404-A)
- External 3.3V to 5V source
- Dimensions – Not mentioned
As the board uses an ESP32, it can be programmed with Arduino IDE, PlatformIO, or ESP-IDF. Prokyber also includes a basic camera+ethernet PlatformIO example, along with Machine Learning tutorials available on GitHub.
Prokyber mentions that the board is pin-to-pin compatible with other ESP32-Stick-Cam boards, but it’s not clear which ones, so it’s safe to assume they are talking about boards designed by them in the same series, not those from other manufacturers. As a side note, it has features and a form factor similar to the AI-On-The-Edge-Cam board we’ve just covered, and that is specifically designed for reading meters with RGB LEDs acting as a flash.
The ESP32-Stick-PoE-A-Cam(N16R8) board is available on Tindie for $27.00. The schematic for this board is also available on the same page, but I don’t know why it’s called a “datasheet”.
Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication
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Nice, wanted something like this to detect rats in the attic, combined with PIR sensor.
Better use mmWave sensor to detect movement, it can detect movement behind beams and insulation.
At this point I’ll wait on an ESP32-P4 variant. I have a waveshare POE S3 with a camera connected via FPC and it still struggles. The P4 has a dedicated 1.5Gbps MIPI connector and can encode video at 1080P24fps in h264. It’s an extremely noticeable hardware upgrade. Someone got Quake running on a dev board. I guess Doom is too easy these days.