GrowScope Station: the Box Camera
GrowScope Station is a separate Android app that turns a spare phone into a fixed camera for one box. It shoots on a schedule, encrypts every frame on the phone, and is viewed from the GrowScope web app in any browser. It is a camera only — not a climate sensor and not a controller.
How to do this in GrowScope
- In GrowScope open Settings → Box camera (Android) and download the Station APK (or scan the download QR with the spare phone). Install it on a phone with Android 8 or newer.
- Open the box screen → Box cameras and tap to add a camera: a pairing QR and a typed code appear.
- In the Station app scan the pairing QR (or type the code). The code is single-use.
- Use Frame the shot in the app (live 4:3 preview, rule-of-thirds grid, level), then leave the phone on a charger and Wi-Fi.
- Back in GrowScope, open Plants in frame and draw a box around each plant on a reference frame.
Pairing and camera management
- Category
- Camera
- Purpose
- Connect a spare Android phone to one box and manage it.
- Input
- Pairing QR or typed code; camera name
- Location
- Box screen → Box cameras; Settings → Box camera (Android)
- User action
- Add a camera
- Scan or type the pairing code on the phone
- Rename, move to another box, or revoke
- Output
- A paired station with a heartbeat status (online, battery, charging, thermal state, free storage, app version). Revoking stops it; the phone wipes its archive only after a confirmed revocation.
- Used by
- Gallery, Live video, Plant tracking
- Related
- End-to-End Diary Encryption
- Availability
- Free: 1 camera. Pro: up to 5 cameras.
Scheduled capture and gallery
- Category
- Camera
- Purpose
- Build a steady photo record of the box from one angle.
- Input
- Capture interval (default 15 minutes, 5–120)
- Unit
- minutes
- Location
- Station app (capture service); GrowScope → Box cameras → gallery
- User action
- Set the interval
- Open the gallery
- Tap a thumbnail for the full frame or the original
- Output
- 4:3 captures encrypted on the phone with EXIF stripped. Encrypted thumbnails are uploaded to the server and kept 48 hours; full frames and originals stay on the phone and are fetched on demand through an encrypted relay, then decrypted in the browser. When the phone is offline only the last 48 hours of thumbnails are visible.
- Used by
- Plant tracking
Plants in frame and automatic tracking
- Category
- Camera
- Purpose
- Know which plant is where in every frame, even after the camera or plants move.
- Input
- One rectangle per plant drawn on a reference frame
- Location
- GrowScope → Box cameras → Plants in frame; frame viewer
- User action
- Draw a box per plant once
- Accept or correct a suggested new layout after the camera moved
- Output
- Per-plant crops in the frame viewer and plant labels on live video. New captures are compared with the markup in the browser (image matching, no AI); when the camera or a plant moved, an updated markup is written after a second frame confirms it. Uncertain boxes are shown dashed with a question mark. Older frames keep the markup they were taken with.
- Used by
- None
- Related
- Growth Tracking
Live video
- Category
- Camera
- Purpose
- Look into the box in real time.
- Input
- None
- Location
- GrowScope → Box cameras → Live
- User action
- Tap Live
- Toggle plant labels
- Output
- Video-only WebRTC stream from the phone, with signalling sealed end-to-end and a TURN relay when a direct connection isn't possible. One live session per camera; scheduled captures continue during live view; live stops if the phone overheats or the battery is low.
- Used by
- None
- Related
- None
Notes
- The camera device must run Android 8 or newer. The app is distributed as an APK from GrowScope, not through Google Play. iPhones can view the gallery and live video but can't act as the camera.
- Frame keys are derived on the device from the account's master key; the server stores only ciphertext and never receives the key.
- Station does not use AI credits: capture, gallery, live video and tracking run without AI.
- Station measures nothing but images — climate readings are still entered by the grower.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to keep the Station app open?
No. Capture runs as an Android foreground service with a persistent notification. Battery optimisation should be turned off for the app so the system doesn't put it to sleep; the app shows how.
What if I move the phone?
Older frames keep their original markup. GrowScope compares new frames with the last markup, re-finds the plants and either writes the new layout automatically or offers Adjust / New layout for you to confirm.
How many cameras can I add?
One on Free, up to five on Pro.