Book Image

Raspberry Pi for Secret Agents - Third Edition

Book Image

Raspberry Pi for Secret Agents - Third Edition

Overview of this book

This book is for all mischievous Raspberry Pi owners who’d like to see their computer transform into a neat spy gadget to be used in a series of practical pranks and projects. No previous skills are required to follow along, and if you’re completely new to Linux, you’ll pick up much of the basics for free. We’ll help you set up your Raspberry Pi Zero, Raspberry Pi 2 and Raspberry Pi 3 and guide you through a number of pranks and secret agent techniques that are so inconspicuous yet high on mischief. You’ll learn how to configure your operating system for maximum mischief and start exploring audio, video, or Wi-Fi techniques. We’ll show you how to record, listen, or talk to people from a distance and how to set up your own phone network. Then, you’ll plug in your webcam and set up a motion detector with an alarm and find out what the other computers on your Wi-Fi network are up to. Once you’ve mastered the techniques, we’ll combine them with a battery pack and GPS for the ultimate off-road spy kit.
Table of Contents (7 chapters)

Keeping the Pi dry and running with housing and batteries


When sending your Pi away on outdoor missions, the two main concerns that need to be addressed are the supply of power and protection against moisture. A lithium polymer battery pack is a good choice for powering the Pi off-road. They are usually marketed as portable smartphone chargers, but as long as yours operates at 5V, and provides one or more USB ports with around 1000mA of output (or 2000mA for the Pi 3), it should keep your Pi happy and running, usually for five to ten hours. If you need a USB hub for your peripherals, make sure it can be powered by one of the USB ports on the battery pack, and not from one on the Pi.

The iMuto X4 type shown below (usually used as a phone charger) is one I use when I make my Pi portable and will power a Pi 3 for around 12 hours, depending on what else I have plugged in. It also has a separate output that can be used to power a separate USB hub if required:

iMuto X4 Power Bank will happily power...