# SenseCAP Watcher W1-A (Seeed Studio)

> A palm-sized camera and microphone that runs vision models on-device and acts on what it sees.

- **Category:** Computers & handhelds
- **Availability:** Listed by maker
- **Price:** US$60.99 (at seeedstudio.com), checked 2026-09-18
- **Good for:** Watch a room and trigger something when a named thing happens, without sending video to a server.
- **You'll need:** Mains USB-C power, a 2.4 GHz network, and a microSD card if you want it to keep anything.
- **Trade-off:** Runs on mains — the battery is only a backup — and the camera is fixed focus at about three metres.
- **Page:** https://gadgets.sh/devices/sensecap-watcher/

## Where to buy

| Shop | Status | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Seeed Studio | Orderable | https://www.seeedstudio.com/SenseCAP-Watcher-W1-A-p-5979.html?utm_source=gadgets.sh&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=sensecap-watcher&utm_content=api |
| DigiKey | Orderable | https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/seeed-technology-co-ltd/113991315/25835731?utm_source=gadgets.sh&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=sensecap-watcher&utm_content=api |
| Seeed Studio | Documentation at wiki.seeedstudio.com | https://wiki.seeedstudio.com/watcher_hardware_overview/?utm_source=gadgets.sh&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=sensecap-watcher&utm_content=api |

## Blueprint

**Schematics published.** Seeed's OSHW-SenseCAP-Watcher repo publishes the schematic as a PDF and the enclosure as a STEP file, but no editable KiCad/Gerber PCB source.

### Design files

- schematic: [Schematic v1.0 (PDF)](https://github.com/Seeed-Studio/OSHW-SenseCAP-Watcher/blob/main/Hardware/SenseCAP_Watcher_v1.0_SCH.pdf) (PDF)
- enclosure: [3D shell v1 (STEP)](https://github.com/Seeed-Studio/OSHW-SenseCAP-Watcher/blob/main/Hardware/SenseCAP_Watcher-3D-Shell_v1.stp) (STEP)

### Source repositories

- [Seeed-Studio/OSHW-SenseCAP-Watcher](https://github.com/Seeed-Studio/OSHW-SenseCAP-Watcher) — hardware, Apache-2.0, ★267

### Key parts

| Part | Role | Datasheet |
|---|---|---|
| ESP32-S3 | MCU | https://www.espressif.com/en/products/modules/esp32-s3 |
| Himax HX6538 (WiseEye2, Cortex-M55 + Ethos-U55) | on-device AI processor | https://github.com/Seeed-Studio/OSHW-SenseCAP-Watcher/blob/main/Hardware/HX6538_datasheet.pdf |

_Notes:_ Repo named 'OSHW' (open-source hardware) but only ships a schematic PDF and enclosure STEP, no kicad_sch/kicad_pcb/Gerbers/BOM; all linked files verified 200. Firmware SDK is a separate repo (Seeed-Studio/SenseCAP-Watcher-Firmware) not needed for hardware rebuild.

## Specifications

### Processing

| | |
|---|---|
| MCU | ESP32-S3 at 240 MHz with 8 MB PSRAM |
| AI processor | Himax HX6538, combining a Cortex-M55 with an Ethos-U55 |
| Flash | 32 MB for the ESP32-S3 and 16 MB for the Himax HX6538 |
| Storage | microSD slot supporting cards up to 32 GB, FAT32 |

### Sensing & output

| | |
|---|---|
| Camera | OV5647, 120° field of view, fixed focal length quoted at three metres |
| Display | 1.45-inch touchscreen at 412 × 412 |
| Microphone | Single microphone |
| Speaker | 1 W speaker output |
| Controls | A wheel supporting scroll up and down plus a button press; one RGB indicator LED; a reset button in the bottom hole |

### Radio

| | |
|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | IEEE 802.11 b/g/n on 2.4 GHz; maker quotes up to 100 m in an open-space test |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth LE 5 |
| Antenna | Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antenna |

### Power, expansion & mounting

| | |
|---|---|
| Power supply | 5 V DC |
| Battery | 3.7 V 400 mAh lithium cell, described by the maker as backup power |
| USB-C | One on the back for power only; one on the bottom for power and programming |
| Expansion | One Grove I²C interface and a 2×4 female header carrying I²C, two GPIO, two grounds, a 3.3 V output and a 5 V input |
| Temperature | 0 to 45 °C operating range |
| Mounting | Wall, desktop and bracket mounting; only the 360° rotate bracket ships with the device, and the 1/4-inch tripod bracket is sold separately |
| Price checked | US$60.99 at the maker's store |

## Documentation

- [Maker specifications and documentation](https://wiki.seeedstudio.com/watcher_hardware_overview/)
- [Seeed Studio store listing](https://www.seeedstudio.com/SenseCAP-Watcher-W1-A-p-5979.html)

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Source: gadgets.sh · https://gadgets.sh/devices/sensecap-watcher/ · JSON: https://gadgets.sh/api/v1/devices/sensecap-watcher.json