Let’s compare those boards.īoth the ESP32-CAM Ai-Thinker and the Freenove ESP32 Camera come with an ESP32 chip. Is the Freenove ESP32-Wrover Cam better than the ESP32-CAM AI-Thinker? It will depend on your project requirements, but in my opinion, the Freenove ESP32-Wrover CAM board is better. Freenove ESP32-Wrover CAM vs ESP32-CAM Ai-Thinker When you’re not using the camera, you can use this ESP32 board as a “regular” ESP32 and you can use the camera pins for other purposes. Otherwise, the camera won’t work properly. Note that when you’re using the camera, you can’t connect peripherals to the GPIOs used by the camera. Here’s a table with the connections between the ESP32 and the camera: OV2640 Camera Freenove ESP32-Wrover CAM Board – Camera Pin Definition You can clearly see which pins are being used by the camera, the power pins, PWM pins, ADC pins, etc. The labels on the picture indicate the features of each pin. You can check that new version of the board on the link below. However, a more recent version of this board already comes with that and other features. The only downside comparing it with the ESP32-CAM AI-Thinker is that it doesn’t come with a microSD card slot.

This board might be a better alternative to the widely used AI-Thinker ESP32-CAM because it provides an easier way to upload code (you only need to connect a USB cable to the board and connect it to your computer), and it comes with more GPIOs to connect peripherals. LED indicators (RX/TX ON/OFF, and built-in LED (GPIO2)).Built-in USB-to-UART (CH340C drivers) - no need for an FTDI programmer.

Here’s a summary of the Freenove ESP32-Wrover CAM board features: This board comes with the ESP32-Wrover chip, a connection to an OV2640 camera, multiple GPIOs to connect peripherals, a built-in programmer with a USB connector, onboard BOOT and RESET buttons and several state LEDs. The Freenove ESP32-Wrover CAM board is a relatively recent ESP32 development board.

Free download esp32 cam pinout