In our recent XL Summer Deal, we have teased an upcoming major update to our Buddy3D cameras and Prusa App – and it’s already here! We even implemented some features that were originally planned for Q3 2025. For example, you can now use a single Buddy camera to monitor an entire shelf of printers. Let’s take a look!
Before we start: the current changes are best experienced in the Prusa App, which is now used by more than 125.000 users. We’re constantly updating it with many useful new features – did you know you can now slice models in the app with EasyPrint and send them to your printer from anywhere in the world? As for the latest changes, you can find them all in the App right now, and we’re working hard to implement them in Prusa Connect as soon as possible. Stay tuned!
Look around!
The first thing we’d like to talk about is the new controls for the standalone Buddy3D camera (nicknamed “snowman”). It looks like a security camera, and it very much is (we covered it extensively in a separate article), so this has one massive benefit: it is motorized! You can now control it using on-screen buttons directly from the Prusa App, so if you have multiple printers on a shelf, you can place a single camera near them and then use the app to look around. No need to get a camera for every single 3D printer.
Needless to say, we take security very seriously – we’re aware that the internet is full of links to unsecured online cameras, allowing the wider public to tap into them. A major reason why we introduced our own cameras relatively late was the focus on security. We partnered with a manufacturer who allowed us to flash the camera with our own custom firmware. And by the way, we tried integration with major global camera brands, and they refused to sign an agreement that they would not share data with third parties.
With the manufacturer we picked, we could implement rigorous security measures and ensure the camera meets our high standards. Everything is extensively tested in-house to ensure that the cameras are as secure as our 3D printers, and all communication runs through our servers only. Just in case you feel extra protective, it is still possible to limit the field of view with a 3D-printable cover.
So, now you have the option to change the angle of the camera (180° horizontal, 45° vertical), and both cameras also received a nifty little Day/Night/Auto switch to change the image mode based on light conditions.
Kicking off timelapse recording (both cameras)
We laid the groundwork for timelapses and decided to expose it now, even at this “raw” state. Currently, it is suited more for advanced users who appreciate the high-quality image sequence and have the editing skills to take advantage of that. In future versions, you will be able to prepare the timelapses to your liking in the Prusa App and create video files automatically.
Right now, you can set up the trigger interval in the app, and the camera will store a sequence of individual photos onto an SD card (it needs to be inserted into the camera before you start the timelapse).
Once the print is finished, you can collect the image sequence and use one of the many free tools to turn the series of photos into a nice video to show off your prints online. If you know a thing or two about video editing, you will probably use DaVinci Resolve, but there are also simpler tools available for all operating systems – macOS has the QuickTime app built in, which is perfect for this purpose.
Extrude and chill: Video streaming is here (both cameras)
We’re now also introducing the first implementation of video streaming into our app. We’re starting off with streaming on the local area network only for now. But we are planning to expand the functionality later this year with full online streaming.
The two main reasons why we’re taking our time with streaming implementation are bandwidth optimization and security. We’ll use the encrypted WebRTC protocol and implement user access rights so you can, e.g., restrict the team members’ access to certain actions.
As always, our community started digging around and they already figured out a way to forward the current LAN video streaming into Home Assistant and access it from anywhere. Awesome work, guys, it’s a great creative solution! Head over to the Reddit thread to learn how to set it up – it’s quite simple, actually. 🙂
Core One Buddy Cam streaming in Home Assistant now!
byu/hawaiidesperado inprusa3d
UX improvements & future plans (both cameras)
There are also a number of various improvements in the app – nice little tweaks that make life just a tiny bit more comfortable. 🙂 Camera volume controls, OTA firmware updates, remote reboot, camera renaming, improved network features (with support for hidden SSIDs), remote reboot, and so on… Nothing you would call groundbreaking, but definitely some very welcome things.
We’re always collecting feedback, and our app’s capabilities keep growing steadily. So if you have ideas on how to expand the functionality with a useful upgrade, let us know! We’re already working on better timelapses and online camera streaming, plus a few extra things like remote SD card access, user access management, and more. We’ll keep you updated!
Happy printing!
Does the camera support WPA3 yet? I can't connect it to my main wifi and thus use LAN streaming without that.
I think there could be some clarification in Connect/the app about what files are stored where. I slice a print, send it wirelessly to the printer, it shows up in the "Printer Files" but are they on the USB drive or are they counting against my Connect Cloud storage limit (or both, it seems)? And in Connect Files, I see my two teams (work and home) but only one has all my files in it. Confusing.
I'm sad to say, it's too little too late. My experience with the lack of flexibility and features with the Buddy3D let me to retire it months ago, replacing it with a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W equipped with a small USB webcam. It's small enough to mount on the frame rail of my Prusa Enclosure, and allows me to stream video or stills as I like. In my case, streaming stills to Prusa Connect, and a stream to my HomeAssistant, where I can then monitor from anywhere. And it all cost less than the Buddy3D did.
The Buddy3D is the first Prusa product I've regretted purchasing.
Feature request! In the camera settings, could there be one that sets the camera's installed orientation which would re-orient the position control's "left/right/up/down"? My cameras are mounted sideways in a rack, and using the controls as they are breaks my brain 😛 (also posed in the forums, please go there and +1 if you like the idea).
Just tried it out and it works great! Thanks!
Trying 2 Buddy3d cameras on one printer.
2nd camera shows the feed from the first one
I still see the old interface without any of these new features. Can you please let us know how to update the camera firmware? Is that what's required.
Are there any plans to support the ONVIF protocol? This would allow users to integrate the cameras directly into security systems like UniFi Protect, without relying on workarounds such as camera proxies.
It's exciting to see such advancements that enhance the 3D printing experience!
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Hello,
is any spagetti mode detect ?
like this ?
https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/knowledge-sharing/Spaghetti_detection
Thanks
We have our first MK4S in our office, and it really disappoints me the machine doesn't support 5GHz and WPA3. We have explicitly disabled 2.4GHz WiFi due to interference with some of our lab equipment. Ethernet is also not an option in this area of the building where the printers are due to having to run more cable trunking. So where does that leave the Buddy camera, a WiFi enabled camera? Even if we had Ethernet, there is no way we could see what was being printed. Feels so strange that there isn't a USB C camera available that can go direct into the xBuddy board. I really wish this was a thing.
The latest update for Buddy3D cameras and the Prusa App has really improved my workflow. I love the enhanced connectivity and <a href="https://clippingpathphotoediting.com">product photo editing company</a> smoother interface, which make monitoring prints easier. The new features feel intuitive, saving me time and reducing errors. It’s exciting to see practical improvements that enhance the 3D printing experience.
I've opted out months ago and wish I hadn't bought 3 of those cameras because it was impossible to connect them to our network at school.
I still see the old interface without any of these new features. Can you please let us know how to update the camera firmware?
I got the Prusa MK4S almost exactly 1 year ago at Black Friday, and have been using it ever since. We wore out the nozzle in only 3 months due to heavy use and opted for diamond. It’s been used, and knew it would be. Right at Black Friday you guys also released the buddy 3D “snowman” camera. I decided to give it a try. I knew Prusa and assumed it’d be decent. I could not have been happier with it. Given when we bought it, it was quite sad. It could take one picture every 10 seconds, and that was the extent. Having FHD streaming on any device on the same network, manual day/night switching, remote motor, and every other feature has been so cool. I haven’t used Timelapse yet, but I love showing people what I do and this is a perfect way to do it. Your technology is wonderful. Thank you Prusa, and happy printing!!